MK2 noisy fuel pump

[Billy]

Hi, am new to the forum and it seems helpful and informative.  I'm experiencing a very noisy fuel pump with my MK2 GTI 16v.  A local mechanic (in London) has stopped in making the noise when the ignition is on but when the engine is switched on the fuel pump is still very audible inside the car and when you use the indicators or elec windows the noise goes up and down.  I'm told this is normal, not a fault and a new one would be the same.  It wasn't like this when new, I'm sure, although it was way back in '89.  Has anyone else had similar experiences and is it normal?!  Many thanks.

[tobz.]

There are actually two fuel pumps, a header pump inside the fuel tank and the main one underneath the car. When the header pump fails it makes the main pump work harder which makes it much more noisy. I'd get your header pump checked first. Alternatively it could just be that your main pump is on its way out, I had one fail years back and that was quite noisy for a few months before it gave up completely.
You can hear the buzz of a healthy pump when you have the door open and the engine running, however if you can hear it with the door closed I would say it's louder than it should be.

[Billy]

Many thanks, v.helpful, I'll get both checked out!