1997 Gmc Savana Diesel Starving For Fuel.

[heavydutydan]

Hi there. I will be helping a friend who has a 1997 GMC 3500 van with what I believe is the 6.5L Diesel. Lately, he notices that as the vehicle is in use and starts to get up to temperature, it starts to starve for fuel, and eventually shuts down.

 

I'm a heavy truck mechanic and work on diesels regularly, but i don't usually work on smaller, automotive engines. my opinion is that his fuel filter or filters are in need of changing, but also, the issue with it happening mostly when it's hot, tells me that his fuel pump might be on the fritz. I know that as they age, they start to fail when they heat up. Given the age of the Van, can anyone tell me if this was problematic for these vans or is this just normal wear and tear?

 

Also, can someone tell me what type of fuel system configuration this engine has? I'm not too familiar with automotive diesel engines, so i'm not sure if there's just a single lift pump in the fuel tank that pumps straight to the injectors or is there a secondary injection pump located somewhere in the engine compartment? Any help appreciated! Thanks.