hello, I have a 1997 chevy silverado 305 vortec, my parents bought the truck brand new and the fuel pump kept going out, it was under warrenty so they kept taking to the dearlership to get fixed at least twice a week. finally fed up with the problem the truck sat parked for the last 14 years. i had just recently been married and my parents gave us the truck for a wedding present. i have put 5 fuel pumps in it in the last 3 days, i was getting 11.57 volts at the pump and 20 psi at the fuel rail. I wasnt getting the required pressure needed to start the truck. i figured i had better chance winning the lottery. i checked all of my fuses and relays. i even ran a direct power wire to the pump from the battery and still the same thing. i wire wheeled the frame at the pump and re grounded it there. wow the truck started and ran for a half hour. i tried to restart it and nothing, just 10 pounds psi at the rail. I was getting confused. So i went and bought a fuel pressure regulator and before i ripped my intake apart to change the fuel pressure regulator, i checked one more thing. I crawled under the truck on the passenger side behind the motor above the bell housing. i seen a flat ground wire that was rotten. that is the ground wire from the motor to the frame. i repaired that ground and the truck started, and runs better than it has is 10 years. Hope this helps GOD BLESS.
Google search "Chevy fuel pump failure" and you'll find stories of this happening to people with vehicles ranging from '91s to'02s, perhaps even newer.
My 16 yr old son bought this truck used, 160k+ miles, and the previous owner explained it was on it's THIRD fuel pump. He advised us to keep the tank no less than 1/4 full. (Easier said than done for a teenager with limited income!) The fuel pump died, thankfully, practically at the end of our driveway on his way to school. Towing and repairs totaled just over $800. (Who do you think picked up the tab for that one?)
My request to any readers is: Is there a permanent fix? I will NOT stand for a new fuel pump again as so many others have done (reference your Google search). Is there an aftermarket tank with an external fuel pump available?
What is the cause?
But perhaps the biggest question is: Why Have Chevy Fuel Pumps Been Unreliable Pieces OF Crap For So Many Years??? How have they gotten away with such shoddy products for so long? Good lord - as much as I hate lawyers, doesn't this sound like grounds for a class-action suit?
- srdavis37,
Anchorage, AK, US
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hello, I have a 1997 chevy silverado 305 vortec, my parents bought the truck brand new and the fuel pump kept going out, it was under warrenty so they kept taking to the dearlership to get fixed at least twice a week. finally fed up with the problem the truck sat parked for the last 14 years. i had just recently been married and my parents gave us the truck for a wedding present. i have put 5 fuel pumps in it in the last 3 days, i was getting 11.57 volts at the pump and 20 psi at the fuel rail. I wasnt getting the required pressure needed to start the truck. i figured i had better chance winning the lottery. i checked all of my fuses and relays. i even ran a direct power wire to the pump from the battery and still the same thing. i wire wheeled the frame at the pump and re grounded it there. wow the truck started and ran for a half hour. i tried to restart it and nothing, just 10 pounds psi at the rail. I was getting confused. So i went and bought a fuel pressure regulator and before i ripped my intake apart to change the fuel pressure regulator, i checked one more thing. I crawled under the truck on the passenger side behind the motor above the bell housing. i seen a flat ground wire that was rotten. that is the ground wire from the motor to the frame. i repaired that ground and the truck started, and runs better than it has is 10 years. Hope this helps GOD BLESS.
- Aaron T., Birch Run, MI, US