Dead pump after 4 months?

white1500 · May 8, 2013

Hey everyone,

I have a 2000 Silverado with a 5.3 and I just replaced the fuel pump in late December (OEM spec Bosch!) but it seems like it's already dead, or something is wrong within the fuel system. The truck failed to turn on yesterday evening, and I noticed that the pump wasn't priming as usual so it's the main suspect. But I am hoping that it's something else, like a fuse or a relay, so that's what I will check asap.

Do you guys have any suggestions? Recommendations or personal experiences with Bosch fuel pumps?

And the irony is that the previous pump (2nd overall) lasted from 2009 to 2012 while being a cheap one, so I can't imagine why an expensive Bosch piece would fail so soon.

Cheers,

Javier

txab · May 8, 2013

Check your wiring for the pump, especially the grounds.

I personally wouldn't use Bosch, but, anytime you have something mechanical it can fail at any time. Go AC DELCO or Delphi maybe

white1500 · May 8, 2013

Thank you for the suggestions, I'll do my best to be able to check the connections at the pump. I really hope that it's a simple solutions! I'm not looking forward to going through the replacement process again.

And yeah, I was originally looking for A/C Delco or Delphi but I was in desperate need for the pump and these brands were difficult to source, so I went with Bosch. But I doubt that the Bosche pump can be any worse than what I had before, a $150 generic.

white1500 · May 8, 2013

Well, they don't call me "magic fingers" for nothing! I went out and simply played around with the pump connections, doing my best to get a feel for them and what state they were in. So after tightening everything and making sure that it was as good as gold, I turned the ignition to prime the pump, and ta-da.... it worked! I heard the buzz of the pump and then the engine came to life, albeit with a small amount of knock. Hopefully this does the trick and it everything continues to work as it should, I can't bear any more unnecessary expenses at the moment!

txab · May 8, 2013

waumo1 · May 8, 2013

Reminds me of the time I changed a starter and forgot to tighten the solenoid wire. Was cussing the starter re builder until I got under the car again to pull the starter and found the problem was me!

white1500 · May 9, 2013

Yeah, a lot of times it's our own fault that something doesn't function correctly. When we replaced the pump in December, I cranked the engine to see if the new pump was working, and to my surprise the engine didn't start. We then noticed that I had a lot of fuel leaking so I thought I had a broken fuel line or something, until I remember that I had left the fuel pressure regulator disconnected. Genius.

But so far I've used the truck twice today since checking the connections and I haven't had anymore problems, knock on wood that it stays that way!