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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

2003 Chevy fuel pump

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JHL

04-16-2005 13:38:36




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I posted this over on the other board,not very many people there. Hope y'all don't mind me trying to get a little advice here. I have a C-1500 Chevy with the 4.8 liter engine with 113,000 miles. I'm starting to notice a whining noise coming from the fuel tank area when its hot and the fuel is below a 1/4 tank. I can fill it up and the noise dies down. My previous truck a '96 C-1500 the fuel pump went out on it about 140,000 and left me stranded. Is this a case of history repeating itself. Do I need to go ahead and replace the pump. Anyone with a model simular to this one had fuel pump problems yet . I have no way to check the pressure. Any advice and comments appreciated.

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Leland

04-17-2005 19:55:38




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to JHL, 04-16-2005 13:38:36  
Changing fuel filters every 30,000 miles will make pumps last longer bacause if a filter gets pulgged a bit it takes more amps to deliver fuel to motor and this burns them up .I have saw pumps last 200,000+ miles on fleets that do this.



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Jon H

04-17-2005 11:47:20




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to JHL, 04-16-2005 13:38:36  
Have changed the pump on several of my rigs at 100-160,000 miles. In all cases the commutator bars on the pump armature were worn almost completley through and brushes were 90% gone. otherwise the motor/pump showed very little wear. I suspect the brush/comutator wear is so bad because the fuel is pumped through the motor and removes the self lubricating properties of a "dry" motor like a heater blower. I suspect the idea is false that running less than 3/4 full damages the pump motor from lack of cooling. The fuel pump motors are permenent magnet motors,so fuel contacting the field housing from the outside will do little to cool the pump,as the permanent magnet fields generate no heat. The real fuel cooling of the pump motor comes from the fuel pump being at the bottom of the motor,which discharges fuel into the bottom of the motor housing,where it flows to the top of the motor housing where the fuel discharge line is attached. As long as there is enough fuel in the tank to keep the pump intake covered,cooling fuel will be pumped through the motor at a set number of gallons per min,so motor cooling should change only slightly from full to near empty. A plugged fuel filter will greatly increase the work load/wear of that motor,as it must pump more pressure to overcome the restriction of a dirty filter. In my opinion,anything with the fuel pump in the tank should come from the factory with an access hatch above that pump. In this north country where we need to use road salt,pickup bed bolts and gas tank strap bolts are badly rusted by 100-150.000 miles. Most pickup beds have the mounting bolts rusted to the point of stripping out the captive nuts when you try to remove them.
My 160,000 mile 92 chev pickup has a 12inch square section of the box floor cut out above the fuel pump. I made a factory looking sheetmetal flange that is welded to the floor plate and attached with sheet metal screws around the edges. The next fuel pump change on that one will take 30 min without getting under the truck.

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Rick in Tx

04-17-2005 06:00:26




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to JHL, 04-16-2005 13:38:36  
My 2000 2500 Chevy did the same thing at 100,000 mi. I changed the fuel filter and all has been great for the last year.



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buickanddeere

04-17-2005 05:43:29




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to JHL, 04-16-2005 13:38:36  
Too strong of an alcohol or other exotic "wonder" additive mixes are death to a fuel pump. Summit Racing lists several electric fuel pumps that drop in and fit. They have an improved "pre-filter sock" that doesn't collapse. Ditto on the early death of fuel pumps. Always running between empty and 1/4 full by people putting in $10.00 of gas is expensive.



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jddriver

04-19-2005 14:16:22




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to buickanddeere, 04-17-2005 05:43:29  
1995 chevy van 200000 miles all it has had in it is ethanol and here lately E85 on original pump



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buickanddeere

04-19-2005 19:38:47




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to jddriver, 04-19-2005 14:16:22  
10% ethanol never hurt anything. It's if methanol get mixed in with the gasoline. The prime ingrediant in cheap gas line anti-freeze.



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Joe (Wa)

04-16-2005 22:10:00




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to JHL, 04-16-2005 13:38:36  
Wait until you see the itemized bill, check out the cost of "envirmental disposal" of 20 gals of gas and the gas filter.

First non-warranty repair I've ever had done by a dealer, gonna be the last.

Joe



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Chris Vangel

04-21-2005 10:55:52




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to Joe (Wa), 04-16-2005 22:10:00  
If they took your fuel and charged you for it, I'd do alot of complaining. I have not seen a dealer location yet that didn't have a fuel cell for storage during a pump change. You got robbed. twice.

Chris.



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fireman3

04-16-2005 17:56:20




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to JHL, 04-16-2005 13:38:36  
i have a 98 k1500 the fuel pump has always whined repaced it at 125,000. and the new one is just as loud



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Goron Butcher

04-16-2005 18:49:17




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to fireman3, 04-16-2005 17:56:20  
Mine too (2000 C3500). Quite loud compared to other vehicles. Failed at around 90K, but it wasn't the pump itself, but rather the computer module that controls it. $300 plus.

Regards

Gordon



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JHL

04-16-2005 18:22:54




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to fireman3, 04-16-2005 17:56:20  
Not worried about the noise, just worried about how soon the failure is going to happen.



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MAC,IL

04-16-2005 18:33:37




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to JHL, 04-16-2005 18:22:54  
That is difficult to predict. Seen new stuff bad right out of the box. Know what you mean tho without an access plate, a bear to change.



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JHL

04-16-2005 19:01:30




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to MAC,IL, 04-16-2005 18:33:37  
Not looking forward to this job. Already getting my ducks lined up with an assistant. If GM could engineer a no fail fuel pump, they would almost have a no fail truck. I'm sure they could do that.



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MAC,IL

04-16-2005 17:31:08




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to JHL, 04-16-2005 13:38:36  
Talked to a GM tech a couple weeks ago, he claims the whine is not uncommon. The more gas the less whine, it is deadened. However it is not recommended to continually run the tank to low on fuel as the pump depends on gas for a coolant. Thats a problem with the newer vehicles, when the pump goes you are SOL. Cant change them by the roadside as we did a long time ago. Only OEM pumps are recommended and they are somewhat pricey. But what aint on a veh anymore?.

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rotten robert

04-16-2005 15:49:46




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to JHL, 04-16-2005 13:38:36  
You may aa well bite the bullet and replace the pump now. The fuel pump uses fuel to keep it cool and too deaden the sound but if you can plainly hear it then you better change it. If not keep a comfortable pair of walking shoes behind the seat. I did see a Mexican kick the bottom of the tank while his wife cranked it and the truck started for him.



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JHL

04-16-2005 17:55:31




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to rotten robert, 04-16-2005 15:49:46  
I average driving about 150 miles a day year round. I keep the tank from 1/2 to full most of the time but if its a long day I'll run it down to 1/4. Can the pump itself be replaced without having to buy the entire body and sending unit? Really would like to know from your GM friend average miles of these pumps. I looked at a new one today at the local parts house, intake strainer so small, no capacity. No wonder they fail so quick.

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JHL

04-16-2005 16:46:18




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to rotten robert, 04-16-2005 15:49:46  
Hey Rot to bad for mexican. I think more of my feet than carter loves his liver pills. I just need simply feed back about the average miles these pumps are good for. Vehicle is well maintained.



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rotten robert

04-16-2005 19:36:49




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to JHL, 04-16-2005 16:46:18  
I work for a large Gov. fleet and we are seeing anywhere from 150K miles and up before a fuel pump failure occurs. When they do we tow them to one of our main shops and put the truck on a lift and can generaly do the job in an hour or so. It depends upon year, make and model but I have changed out just the pump on a lot of them. But I THINK that 2003 might be a complete unit.$$$$$$



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MPK

04-16-2005 19:54:29




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to rotten robert, 04-16-2005 19:36:49  
You may also need to change the fuel filter as a dirty one can cause the pump to work harder.



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JHL

04-16-2005 20:06:48




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to MPK , 04-16-2005 19:54:29  
Yes you are right, but have y'all ever noticed the small inlet filter on the bottom of the pump body. How in the world can so many gallions go through ths filter without stopping up sooner. Maybe the prime cause of pump failure.



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kjm

04-16-2005 20:32:10




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to JHL, 04-16-2005 20:06:48  
JHL, I have not worked on the newer ones but 90-91s pull 6 bolts unhook the filler tube and pull the bed off, easyst way I found to change one.



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jhill

04-16-2005 20:30:01




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to JHL, 04-16-2005 20:06:48  
The inlet filter on the pump is pretty course 70 micron or so. The inline filter after the pump is a 5 micron. The auto companies say these are 100,00 filters. They really need to be changed every 50,000. If you can hear you pump chyange the inline filter.It may already be too late.



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JHL

04-16-2005 20:45:59




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to jhill, 04-16-2005 20:30:01  
Been changing the inline filter often. Can't blame that. There's no warning when these things want to quit, so it's the best insurance to replace before they do. Just want to stretch it out some. Little plastic pump , GM could do a little better in this area. I do from M-F high speed freeway driving. The last time a fuel pump failure cost me about $500,stranded away from home late at night.



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jhill

04-17-2005 06:02:32




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to JHL, 04-16-2005 20:45:59  
Try to find a Walbro pump to fit your application. Napa I think handles them. They are a more robust pump and last longer. Unfortunately a lot of factors determine fuel pump life, types of fuels used, amount of contaminate in fuel so life in field is not totally predictable. We had a rash of fuel pump failures on new Chevy pickups here in town a couple yrs ago. Turned out they all bought fuel from same station.

By the way some noise is normal.

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JHL

04-17-2005 13:54:42




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 Re: 2003 Chevy fuel pump in reply to jhill, 04-17-2005 06:02:32  
Thanks for all that info. I will have to drop the tank since I do not have the manpower or lift for removing the bed. If I can get about 120,000 out of the next pump I will then be ready for another truck.



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