2003 Escalade problem

[Justin Eittreim]

Hello.

 

The other day my father-in-law ran our 2003 Escalade (RWD, 5.3l) out of gas. We tried filling the tank with 5 gallons of gas, still no start. Checked the FP relay and swapped with others, no change. Checked PCM B and PCM 1 fuses and swapped with new ones (those are the only two in the fuel pump circuit from what I can see) and still no change. After cranking a few times all the lights on the dash will start pulsing/flashing and the gauges start shuddering. No fuel pressure at the rail.

 

Bit the bullet and purchased a fuel pump. Dropped the tank and cleaned it out today, got the new pump installed and plugged in, everything back in place as it should be. Checked fuses/relays, then tried to start it up (with recharged battery) and still no change. Left the key in the "on" position for 15 minutes to try and trick the PCM and the battery went dead. I'm starting to think there's a short somewhere in the fuel pump circuit, but I'm not sure what wiring goes where. I know the gray wire under the fuse box is the power straight to the pump. Had I not removed the neg cable on the battery to install the new pump, I would have tested for power at the harness, but it's already back in the vehicle. It's raining rather hard right now so I don't really want to drop the tank at this moment to do volt drop tests on the wiring.

 

Any advice on this matter?

[Sch316]

Did you change the filter to might be to dirty

 

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[Justin Eittreim]

Yes, I had changed the filter the previous month due to a spotty idle (it just hit 300k, and the filter was original. perfect idle after filter change)

[thegardner]

If you still have no fuel pressure i would check the connector at the pump if you didnt have to splice in a new one. The positive terminals in the connector tend to melt a little and can lose contact with the pump.

[Justin Eittreim]

I have a spare connector, brand new. I'll look into this. The terminals looked fine, but looks can be deceiving I suppose.

[Justin Eittreim]

To follow up for anyone else with this issue, it wasn't the connector after all. Pressure had built up in the filter and rail (assuming gas vapors) which wouldn't let the gas pass through. The Schrader valve would not release the pressure. Had to disconnect the fuel line from the rail, which let out a rather large hiss. After which, it took some cranking but now the truck runs beautifully.