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'01 Suburban 5.3 With Occasional Hard Start

Ntwrkguy1

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Ntwrkguy1 Enthusiast

Ntwrkguy1

Posted
Posted

Hi All,

 

Long-time lurker here. I haven't posted much, but have picked up a lot of useful information in my 3 years on the forum, so I thank you all in advance.

 

I'm having a slight issue with my 2001 Suburban LT 5.3L. I've owned the vehicle since '04 (bought it at 74k miles, now at 161k miles), and am really good about following the maintenance schedule. In the nearly 90k miles I have driven the vehicle, the only two painful repairs were the transmission and ABS sensor, both of which bit the dust before 88k on the odometer.

 

Last month, the original alternator died. At that time, I figured I would swap the battery out as I was unsure of how old it was (it was there when I bought the Suburban). What I thought was an issue with the starter apparently was not -- I installed a new starter, but the problem persists. Occasionally (and definitely not every time), the Suburban just wants to crank and not start. I won't let it crank for more than 3 seconds or so before I turn the key back. Normally, it fires up immediately after that.

 

The fuel filter is a little over a year old (about 11k miles), and I normally swap it out at the 2yr/20k mile mark. The plugs were changed at 105k with the recommended platinum replacements. I typically run Chevron injector cleaner through the tank every other tankful.

 

I figured it's likely, with 161k on the truck, that the fuel pump and regulator may be getting ready to go. I did some searching and found a lot of posts about people not even making it to 100k on their original pump, so I'm definitely not complaining. Here's my question -- is it a foregone conclusion that I should swap out both the pump and the regulator? Also, how big of a bill am I looking at for a new pump on a Suburban? I'm assuming that the pump is in the tank, and the tank will need to be dropped. Should I invest in the OEM pump/regulator from GM, or are the aftermarket parts just as good?

tylerjenkins92@aol.com Senior Enthusiast

[email protected]

Posted
Posted
Hi All,

 

Long-time lurker here. I haven't posted much, but have picked up a lot of useful information in my 3 years on the forum, so I thank you all in advance.

 

I'm having a slight issue with my 2001 Suburban LT 5.3L. I've owned the vehicle since '04 (bought it at 74k miles, now at 161k miles), and am really good about following the maintenance schedule. In the nearly 90k miles I have driven the vehicle, the only two painful repairs were the transmission and ABS sensor, both of which bit the dust before 88k on the odometer.

 

Last month, the original alternator died. At that time, I figured I would swap the battery out as I was unsure of how old it was (it was there when I bought the Suburban). What I thought was an issue with the starter apparently was not -- I installed a new starter, but the problem persists. Occasionally (and definitely not every time), the Suburban just wants to crank and not start. I won't let it crank for more than 3 seconds or so before I turn the key back. Normally, it fires up immediately after that.

 

The fuel filter is a little over a year old (about 11k miles), and I normally swap it out at the 2yr/20k mile mark. The plugs were changed at 105k with the recommended platinum replacements. I typically run Chevron injector cleaner through the tank every other tankful.

 

I figured it's likely, with 161k on the truck, that the fuel pump and regulator may be getting ready to go. I did some searching and found a lot of posts about people not even making it to 100k on their original pump, so I'm definitely not complaining. Here's my question -- is it a foregone conclusion that I should swap out both the pump and the regulator? Also, how big of a bill am I looking at for a new pump on a Suburban? I'm assuming that the pump is in the tank, and the tank will need to be dropped. Should I invest in the OEM pump/regulator from GM, or are the aftermarket parts just as good?

 

 

I changed my pump at 120,000. Sounds to me like your fuel regulator is going bad. But, the pump is also a possibility. Do the cheaper things first.

qristofer Enthusiast

qristofer

Posted
Posted

Yeah I have the same exact problem with my 01 suburban...I changed the fpr as suggested by some folks here http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?...038193....seems liked it worked for a guy with a 99 silverado, but it did not change anything on mine....same hard starts....It seems to help if I turn the key to run for a few secs and then crank it thereafter...yeah and it seems like the ac delco fuel pumps have undergone three different iteration in design...and I am saying this because on rockauto, there are three different part# for the ac delco pump

Ntwrkguy1 Enthusiast

Ntwrkguy1

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Yeah I have the same exact problem with my 01 suburban...I changed the fpr as suggested by some folks here http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?...038193....seems liked it worked for a guy with a 99 silverado, but it did not change anything on mine....same hard starts....It seems to help if I turn the key to run for a few secs and then crank it thereafter...yeah and it seems like the ac delco fuel pumps have undergone three different iteration in design...and I am saying this because on rockauto, there are three different part# for the ac delco pump

 

 

 

gristofer -- did you change the FPR yourself? or have someone do it? Judging by what the part looks like, it doesn't seem like it would be much harder to change than a fuel filter. More than likely, I'm going to have my regular mechanic change it, as I'm not a big fan of working on something that is spewing gas. I'm hoping a combination of the FPR and fuel filter will take care of my problem.

dogzapper Enthusiast

dogzapper

Posted
Posted

DavidThe DetailGuy,

 

I've nothing to add here. However, I was struck by how darned wonderfully reliable this 2001 Suburban has been.

 

For pity's sake, this truck has been driven almost one-fifth of a million miles in nine years and the parts that have needed replacement are few. Yeah, the tranny died, but that's pretty much standard at 100K on light-duty trucks. Other than that, it's been pieces and parts, here and there, but nothing major.

 

What a GREAT TRUCK.

 

I pray that my new 2010 LTZ gives the same service.

 

David, best of luck finding this nagging little problem. I have great confidence that you will find the culprit. And congratulations on a owning and loving a wonderful rig.

 

All the best,

 

Steve

Ntwrkguy1 Enthusiast

Ntwrkguy1

Posted
  • Author
Posted
DavidThe DetailGuy,

 

I've nothing to add here. However, I was struck by how darned wonderfully reliable this 2001 Suburban has been.

 

For pity's sake, this truck has been driven almost one-fifth of a million miles in nine years and the parts that have needed replacement are few. Yeah, the tranny died, but that's pretty much standard at 100K on light-duty trucks. Other than that, it's been pieces and parts, here and there, but nothing major.

 

What a GREAT TRUCK.

 

I pray that my new 2010 LTZ gives the same service.

 

David, best of luck finding this nagging little problem. I have great confidence that you will find the culprit. And congratulations on a owning and loving a wonderful rig.

 

All the best,

 

Steve

 

 

Steve,

 

I totally agree with you -- it has been a great truck. And honestly, I'm willing to bet that the transmission rebuild was due to the previous owner not changing the fluid the way it needs to be. We've made a lot of trips to FL in this vehicle, and it averages almost 19 mpg with six of us onboard. I'll have to post some pictures of it when I get the chance, because it still looks really sharp, even after 161,000 miles (and four kids and a dog!!).

 

I'll let you know how the repair turns out -- hopefully I won' need a fuel pump for another 50,000 miles...haha!

 

-David

dogzapper Enthusiast

dogzapper

Posted
Posted
DavidThe DetailGuy,

 

I've nothing to add here. However, I was struck by how darned wonderfully reliable this 2001 Suburban has been.

 

For pity's sake, this truck has been driven almost one-fifth of a million miles in nine years and the parts that have needed replacement are few. Yeah, the tranny died, but that's pretty much standard at 100K on light-duty trucks. Other than that, it's been pieces and parts, here and there, but nothing major.

 

What a GREAT TRUCK.

 

I pray that my new 2010 LTZ gives the same service.

 

David, best of luck finding this nagging little problem. I have great confidence that you will find the culprit. And congratulations on a owning and loving a wonderful rig.

 

All the best,

 

Steve

 

 

Steve,

 

I totally agree with you -- it has been a great truck. And honestly, I'm willing to bet that the transmission rebuild was due to the previous owner not changing the fluid the way it needs to be. We've made a lot of trips to FL in this vehicle, and it averages almost 19 mpg with six of us onboard. I'll have to post some pictures of it when I get the chance, because it still looks really sharp, even after 161,000 miles (and four kids and a dog!!).

 

I'll let you know how the repair turns out -- hopefully I won' need a fuel pump for another 50,000 miles...haha!

 

-David

 

 

 

 

David,

 

Without doubt, you are correct about the transmission. The previous owner probably ran it hot, didn't check the fluid color, and continued to run it ... and YOU paid for it.

 

Hopefully, either he or you added a larger-than-factory transmission cooler somewhere along the line. That is the nicest present a fella could ever give his tranny. :grin:

 

I'd LOVE to see photos of your truck; plus the kids and puppy.

 

By the way, our dog Libby is our new truck's biggest fan. Here's a photo of the old gal.

 

Steve

 

CIMG0021.jpg

qristofer Enthusiast

qristofer

Posted
Posted

Changing the fpr takes less than 15mins....Make sure to relieve fuel pressure first. The only thing holding it in there is a spring clip that easily comes out. Tablespoon worth of fuel may "spew" but thats it. I used a bwd fpr from advanceautoparts it seemed to have an extra horse shoe type clip that I was not sure where it was supposed to go and so I left it out. I now read that you can test if your fpr is going bad by pulling the hose from it. If gasoline flows out then its time to change it...Wish I had know this before I bought my fpr replacement...good thing it only cost 30.00 for the part

Ntwrkguy1 Enthusiast

Ntwrkguy1

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Changing the fpr takes less than 15mins....Make sure to relieve fuel pressure first. The only thing holding it in there is a spring clip that easily comes out. Tablespoon worth of fuel may "spew" but thats it. I used a bwd fpr from advanceautoparts it seemed to have an extra horse shoe type clip that I was not sure where it was supposed to go and so I left it out. I now read that you can test if your fpr is going bad by pulling the hose from it. If gasoline flows out then its time to change it...Wish I had know this before I bought my fpr replacement...good thing it only cost 30.00 for the part

 

 

I'm not a real mechanically inclined person -- is this easy enough for a beginner to change? I don't have access to ramps, but I do have a jack/jack stands. And how do I go about relieving the fuel pressure?

 

I'd love to do it myself, if I could save a trip to the mechanic and the $ he'll charge me!

Sly Enthusiast

Sly

Posted
Posted
Changing the fpr takes less than 15mins....Make sure to relieve fuel pressure first. The only thing holding it in there is a spring clip that easily comes out. Tablespoon worth of fuel may "spew" but thats it. I used a bwd fpr from advanceautoparts it seemed to have an extra horse shoe type clip that I was not sure where it was supposed to go and so I left it out. I now read that you can test if your fpr is going bad by pulling the hose from it. If gasoline flows out then its time to change it...Wish I had know this before I bought my fpr replacement...good thing it only cost 30.00 for the part

 

 

I'm not a real mechanically inclined person -- is this easy enough for a beginner to change? I don't have access to ramps, but I do have a jack/jack stands. And how do I go about relieving the fuel pressure?

 

I'd love to do it myself, if I could save a trip to the mechanic and the $ he'll charge me!

 

 

to relieve the pressure find which fuse is for your fuel pump. Start the truck then pull the fuse. The truck will run for a bit then die. Most all fuel pressure will be relieved. Most do the same for changing their fuel filter if they have one external of the gas tank.

steveR Enthusiast

steveR

Posted
Posted

On my 2002 Tahoe it was a fuel pump. computer saw the wrong psi, and it would not start. i know yours is a 2001. On my 2002 Suburban, my hard start was an inconsistent battery. changing the battery solved that problem. steve

Ntwrkguy1 Enthusiast

Ntwrkguy1

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On my 2002 Tahoe it was a fuel pump. computer saw the wrong psi, and it would not start. i know yours is a 2001. On my 2002 Suburban, my hard start was an inconsistent battery. changing the battery solved that problem. steve

 

 

Interesting.....as luck would have it (or maybe not have it), I changed the battery a month ago, along with the starter/alternator. I've got someone stopping by in the morning to install the FPR and filter. I'll update everyone as to how it goes!

Ntwrkguy1 Enthusiast

Ntwrkguy1

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Ok........the new FPR and filter are now installed -- problem solved!! Not only that, and this is probably a placebo effect, but the Suburban seems to accelerate much faster. Now, if I could only get 24mpg on the highway, I'd be all set. :thumbs:

 

 

Thanks for all the advice, guys!

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