01 Tahoe Fuel Pump

[mjk]

Morning,

Well, I am visiting a friend in the Milwaukee area this weekend. Yesterday, after doing some other work to it, my fuel pump died while in his driveway (good timing, I guess). No prior warnings, it just up and quit in the afternoon - right as I was leaving to do a test drive.

Fortunately, he is a mechanic (again, good timing), and we installed a Delphi pump.


For others, who have the replacement Delphi pumps, how have they been holding up? From past experience, we knew to stay clear of the Airtex pumps. Not much else out there - I think Pepboys had Carter pumps, but that store was an hour away.

 

[bigt61]

What kills fuel pumps for me is letting the gas tank run too low. Gotta keep em cool, especially in summer time. At 1/4 tank, I now always fill up. Ethanol has not been kind to fuel pumps in general.

 

[Olas]

I've never used Delphi but ill vouch for Aeromotive and Bosch for electrical fuel pumps. For mechanical pumps I like Pierburg for petrol and Bosch for diesel.

 

[Quest]

Originally Posted By: bigt61
What kills fuel pumps for me is letting the gas tank run too low. Gotta keep em cool, especially in summer time. At 1/4 tank, I now always fill up. Ethanol has not been kind to fuel pumps in general.


In that sense: what about those E85 flex fuel pumps? They all die prematurely due to ethanol content as well?

Q.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Ethanol fuel is especially hard on those fuel pump socks, filters, and baskets. Seen plenty eaten to golden brown nothing.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: bigt61
What kills fuel pumps for me is letting the gas tank run too low. Gotta keep em cool, especially in summer time. At 1/4 tank, I now always fill up. Ethanol has not been kind to fuel pumps in general.


On the first point, I'll say maybe- depending on design. The second... I'm not buying... at all.

Many modern pumps (this style included) place the pump inside a plastic well which is always full until you actually run out of fuel. There is a check valve to retain fuel even though the tank's level may be lower. This is done for two reasons. First is to prevent lean misfires during cornering, braking or acceleration events with a low fuel level. Even if it's a lean misfire, it's still unburnt hydrocarbons to the converter- which shorten the converter's life and contributes to increased tailpipe emissions.

As for ethanol, well it's quite obviously common in these parts- and I don't see pumps dying left and right. Average replacement age is what??? 150k miles? The first one I did on my wife's car had around 180-190K miles. The second was at 260k, but it was a Carter pump that was made during their questionable times.

Ethanol may not be all it's cracked up to be, but it sure as heck isn't the root of all evil as some seem to love to claim. There's just too many people using it everyday, long term without issues. The way some people talk about it, you'd swear that it will make pregnant women miscarry when they fuel up their vehicle.

 

[andyd]

Not in my experience. As much as I dislike using corn for gas,I don't see it harming anything in my cars. The main pump in my first 528e is original. I filled up sooner rather than later and only ran it out of gas twice. I have had the pickup pump out a few times for various reasons and see no damage from the gas. I like the Bosch pick up pump. I can open the pump like shucking an oyster. All they ever need is a single brush replaced. I cannibalize 2 pick ups and build a single good one.

 

[hansj3]

Who i work for is contractually obligatrd to work with napa. Whenever I get a chev of this vintage I push mgmnt for an ac delco pump.

Yeah it means the customer has to pay more up front, but if a customer comes back due to a defective part they will stoutly inform you the value of their time, and demand discounts equal to the price difference between pumps. Then they will demand the delco pump anyway

The real problem comes from sales guys that are green or desperate. If they "know" better or they "need to cut the price" to make the sale, I get shoehorned into putting it in for the customer again and again at least it keeps the tow company's busy... but I digress

I've used Delphi a few times and would rate them with delco. Some even say that some delco pumps are rebranded delphi

 

[DoubleWasp]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: bigt61
What kills fuel pumps for me is letting the gas tank run too low. Gotta keep em cool, especially in summer time. At 1/4 tank, I now always fill up. Ethanol has not been kind to fuel pumps in general.


On the first point, I'll say maybe- depending on design. The second... I'm not buying... at all.

Many modern pumps (this style included) place the pump inside a plastic well which is always full until you actually run out of fuel. There is a check valve to retain fuel even though the tank's level may be lower. This is done for two reasons. First is to prevent lean misfires during cornering, braking or acceleration events with a low fuel level. Even if it's a lean misfire, it's still unburnt hydrocarbons to the converter- which shorten the converter's life and contributes to increased tailpipe emissions.

As for ethanol, well it's quite obviously common in these parts- and I don't see pumps dying left and right. Average replacement age is what??? 150k miles? The first one I did on my wife's car had around 180-190K miles. The second was at 260k, but it was a Carter pump that was made during their questionable times.

Ethanol may not be all it's cracked up to be, but it sure as heck isn't the root of all evil as some seem to love to claim. There's just too many people using it everyday, long term without issues. The way some people talk about it, you'd swear that it will make pregnant women miscarry when they fuel up their vehicle.


There are very good reasons why you will not find ethanol in marine grade fuel.

It's not the root of all evil, but it's the root of enough.

 

[The_Eric]

That may be, but we don't drive boats down the highway do we? Apples and oranges.

Hate the stuff, the farmers, the industry and/or the politicians that make it possible if you like, but don't go on a blaming spree every time there is a question about fuel or fuel systems. There are simply too many people using it everyday for many years and many hundreds of thousands of miles with no issues in everything from old tractors, lawn and garden to cars and trucks.

Now for the record, I don't really support the use of ethanol, but it's not because of it's effects on automotive fuel systems.

 

[Inspecktor]

You won't find ethanol in airplanes, either. It is not allowed by FAA regulations, due to corrosive effects on hoses, gaskets, and seals. Some testing was done on modified aircraft, but nothing came of it.

 

[danthaman1980]

I put a Delphi pump in my '03 about 3.5 years ago. No problems so far. I think the Delco pump on this application is a re-branded Delphi.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Yep. It's banned for use in marine and aviation for no reason at all. Can't be that all alchohol fuels made since the beginning of time have been proven to be corrosive to non-related fuel components, seals, and attract water like a raccoon to rabies.

 

[mjk]

Thanks for the input that was directly related to my question.

If you want to debate Ethanol, create your own thread. I think it's been hashed out a couple of hundred times already.

 

[andyd]

Does the tank need to be dropped to replace the pump? If going with the only pump available leave the fastenings coated with grease and don't go crazy cranking on stuff.