Why Does The Fuel Pump Make Noise?

[uh6077]

Mine is making noise which I know means it will soon kick the bucket. I was just wonder why it makes noise. Is it a bearing going bad or what. Mine is a very high pitch whine. It has been like that since I got my truck almost a year ago. Last week it started to get very loud so I don't think it is much longer for this world. I changed the fuel filter but it did not help at all. It needed to be done anyway.

[Mike-B]

Depending on the pitch, it can be a few other things. From the sounds of it, its probably your pump going south. My race car has a loud pump and it just "hmmms" all day long, only because its a higher output unit.

[uh6077]

I figured that since the noise has got much worse then it must be something about to die. Just curious what eactly was making the noise. I think i will tear the old one apart when it comes out and see what it made of.

[NealC]

Yesterday I was walking in the parking lot by a GM Suburban and heard the fuel pump whinning. Told my wife the fuel pump was going out on that car and she asked how I knew. I said just listen to the whine.

 

Is it true that running the fuel low makes the fuel pump go out earlier since it is more likely to get hot?

[98GMCClubCab]

Don't know why the noise happens but I made the mistake of putting in a used one not knowing they burn out at 100k. Learned that here! If you are going to put in a new one, do it now before it goes. I got a brand new AC-Delco pump on e-bay for $118. Thats alot less than the stores or dealers sell them for. Just type in "fuel pump", scan down the page and you will find one. Same company sells so many of them. Learned that here also! It takes about a week to ship so order sooner than later.

Good luck!

[uh6077]

Ordered my AC Delco unit last night. Should be here in a few days so I guess I know wht I am doing this weekend. I will soak the bolts tomorrow so maybe they won't be too hard to get off. Only six of them right?

[nomoduc]

I always thought that was a normal gm fuel pump whine.. I hear them all the time...Be it a Burb,tahoe Vans,etc...

[Johnny_Law]

My '96 Suburban has whined from the day we picked it up from the dealership in May of 1996. In fact, I brought it up to the salesperson during delivery. (It is still running on the same pump now over 11 years later.) He had a mechanic check it out and I was told they all whine. However a changing pitch may be cause for concern.

[GMSea97]

My 97' Gmc K1500 has that same whine and also has since the day I bought it. It did die this past winter and I got a new AC delco and it too whines, it is annoying but I have just accepted it.

[SierraLeone]

Mine is making noise which I know means it will soon kick the bucket. I was just wonder why it makes noise. Is it a bearing going bad or what. Mine is a very high pitch whine. It has been like that since I got my truck almost a year ago. Last week it started to get very loud so I don't think it is much longer for this world. I changed the fuel filter but it did not help at all. It needed to be done anyway.

 

A high-pitch whine is common. These are bellows pumps that are driven by a solenoid. This means that a plunger (attached to the bellows) moves up and down at high speed, thus producing a whine. You may have just started to notice it or something else has changed--are you garaging now rather than parking on the street, etc.? Anyway, keep an ear out for it as a change often signals the end.

[topdj]

since I have done a few of these , When is the last time you changed the fuel filter?

Dirty filter will make them work hard, I had a noisey one on a guys truck we changed the filter and it went back to normal sound.

how many miles are on the truck?

general rule is to change filter when replacing pump

[rogerf]

Ordered my AC Delco unit last night. Should be here in a few days so I guess I know wht I am doing this weekend. I will soak the bolts tomorrow so maybe they won't be too hard to get off. Only six of them right?

Before you yank the pump you may want to try something else. Was getting a strange high-pitch howl out of the pump in my '04 Impala and found it to be related to fuel quality/lubricity. Added a very small amount of a soy-biodiesel based diesel fuel conditioner designed to improve lubricity and the noise went away. I know this sounds odd but it works.