it happened again- fuel pump no go

[TheBeast99]

keep in mind this has already happened once within the first month of me buying the truck, but it just happened again today.
the Yukon drove home from work just fine, no symptoms, no problems. it's been starting just fine since they took a look at it the first time this happened.
but i went to leave for a friend's party and so i get in the 'kon, turn the key to 'Run', and don't hear the fuel pump come on to prime the engine. i thought i might've missed it since i had to turn down the radio first, so i gave it a crank and it didn't fire at all. so i sat back turning the key between 'Off' and 'Run' like a million times (ok more like 30?) and not once did it come on. tried cranking it a few times and yup, it wasn't showing any interest in firing. it's that certain cranking that tells you there's no fuel up there.
so yup, i wasn't hearing things. it didn't come on.

now the last time this happened, i got it towed to a mechanic and it fired up right there where they dropped it off the flatbed. so i thought maybe my tank had been syfuned or something and the ride there cleared out the line, or some ********, but either way they checked it out and it worked fine.
well now that it's happened again, this is just boggling my mind, cuz i'm dangerous enough to know what's wrong, but unfortunately i don't have the tools or know-how to fix it (tho i just ordered a repair manual tonight - been meaning to anyways).

i want to just redneck the ******* pump up to the battery and put a switch on my dashboard, but NOOOO, i know my mechanic won't do or allow that . like i'm stupid or something, or maybe it's a safety hazard? (damn state vehicle inspections)
either way, it's getting towed at some point tomorrow, and it'll get checked out Monday. and i swear if it starts up coming off the tow truck i'm just gonna explode lol

any idea guys before i get that manual, start reading through it like candy, and the next time this happens, if it happens, i start wiring my own switch up? (besides fuses - those are fine. and if i'm not mistaken, relays are behind the dash? so that's a lot of labor to get to)

 

[Rebelution]

My truck did the same thing. It would start only when it wanted to, then it wouldn't start all together. I replaced the fuel pump and now she's running like a champ.

http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5067

That's the guide I used. Replacing the fuel pump is a major PITA but you'll save a couple hundred bucks by doing it yourself.

 

[cam3439]

Sounds like the pump is going out. Mine did that like a year before it finally started to really give out. It acted up while I was idling in traffic. Traffic started to move and I pressed the gas, but nothing happen. Instead it just idled there. After a year, it started to do it again and then wouldn't pump fuel when I turned it off like at a store. I changed it and it's been pumping ever since. You can sometimes tell by trying to start the truck and having someone hit the tank pretty hard by hand. If it starts, more than likely it's bad. I did that a few times to mine and it would start. I was already planning on changing it out, and used this to kinda make sure that it was that and not something else (like the TPS).

 

[fyremanpat]

Definitely the fuel pump. I had mine finally die out while driving to work a 4 a.m....talk about pissed...Its really not hard to replace (if your tank is almost empty)

 

[TheBeast99]

ya i was hoping it wouldn't be the pump, cuz i know dropping the tank and putting a new one in is a nice chunk of money (like the exact amount i have in the bank lol). i'd find it so weird if it really was the pump going bad, because i have no other symptoms of it going bad, like idling issues or fuel starving under WOT...

"it started to do it again and then wouldn't pump fuel when I turned it off like at a store."
hmmm, well it doesn't like warm starts that much. it does start, but it doesn't catch like it should. i don't hear the pump for warm starts. i have to crank it for like a good 2 seconds before the tach even moves. but with that cranking it seems like it was trying to get the mixture right. it's not the same speed/sound as wen i'm getting no fuel at all.

well i'd love to try repairing it myself, but i lack the tools and the workspace - no heated garage. add to the fact it's my daily driver...
well there's always summer to try some other kinds of repairs. so for now i don't have a choice but to leave it with the mechanic. luckily i have a good one who does a good job and is blunt and to the point about what the problem is and how he fixed it.
i just hope this gets fixed.
tho i think i might give my tank a good ass kicking before i call the tow truck

 

[fyremanpat]

I didnt have any signs of it going out at all. Although thinking about it now the whine got louder as time went on before it bit the dust. A word of advice, spend the extra money and get the ac delco pump. Its the oem part. Ive heard horror stories of new non-delco pumps burning out after a month or so. Another thing I heard is to not run your tank to empty as the gas actually cools the pump...it sounds crazy but makes sense. Good luck!

 

[cam3439]

That's true. I don't let mine get below a quarter of a tank. It helps keep the fuel pump cool (especially during the summer). And if you do end up getting an aftermarket fuel pump then look for one that at least has a 1 year warranty. Try O'rielly's, they have fuel pumps with 1 year warranties (the last time I checked). I prefer the OEM, as I have heard similar horror stories about the aftermarket fuel pumps.

 

[TheBeast99]

ya i heard all that about aftermarket pumps too. i think my mechanic already knows about that since he mainly works on trucks. he never uses the cheap shit.
and ya, i fill up my tank when it's down to 1/4 a tank. and my fuel pump has always whined. i thought it was normal and common on Tahoes/Yukons.

still, it'd be nice if i had a switch for it myself. it'd be so much easier to be SURE that if i flipped the switch to turn on the pump and heard nothing that i could say with confidence that either the pump is bad or the wiring needs to be checked.
cuz in the back of my head i'm always doubting the car's computer to do it's job correctly when it gets this old....

but it's sitting at the mechanic right now and he'll look at it tomorrow or tuesday. and come summertime, i'll be armed with a few repair manuals, and i'll start trying stuff myself first, without the winter cold numb hands

 

[TheBeast99]

well i got the truck back today - the pump did really die this time. they had to kick the tank a few times for it to pump so they could start it and bring it in the shop lol
but yup, brand new AC Delco OEM pump in there
$600 out of my pocket, but oh well. that's the way it goes - at least that problem is solved. too bad it didn't fix my hesitant warm start issue, but at the same time i didn't think it would. that problem is coming up on the list, and it's preferably something i'd like to look into myself.

 

[blueflamed03]

some guys use Walbro versus going back to AC Delco, with huge success, around $220.00

http://www.fuelpumps.com/2000-chevrolet-tahoe-fuel-pump-8-cyl-57l-r-mpi-p-677.html

just food for thought.