97 Blazer fuel pump problem

Hello folks,

I am new to the forum and have a few questions about my 97 Blazer. I just finished installing a new fuel pump/sending unit assembly and it doesn't turn on. I have checked the power to the fuse and relay and they seem to be working fine. I only put about 2-3 gallons of gas back in the tank. Is this enough gas or do I need to put in enough to completely submerse the pump to get it to start? What should I check next? Also, the new sending unit doesn't seem to have fixed my fuel gauge problem.

Do you hear it priming?

No I do not here it priming. No sound or vibration of any kind coming from the unit. I guess I should have bench tested the pump before I installed it, but since it was new from the dealer I just took it for granted it works. I plan on dropping the tank back out again tonight unless someone can give me a better idea.

hey guys isn't there a test lead for the fuel pump in the engine compartment on a blazer, I have a 96 S10 pick up and there is a red wire that you can hook directly to pos on the battery to check the fuel pump, bypasses the relay and ignition...not sure if it exist for a blazer though...its located on the driver side near the master cylinder..

You should hear a click from the glove compartment area when the pump is done priming also.

If you don't pump or the click, I would check the relay again and go through the fuses and look for a bad connection or blown fuse.

Thanks for the info guys. As it turns out, once you install a new fuel pump in these vehicles, you have to put enough gas in the tank to bring the level of the fuel above the height of the cup on the fuel pump. This is how the pump primes itself. I filled up the tank and the pump started right up and the blazer seems to be running fine. However, even though I installed a new sending unit with the pump my fuel gauge still doesn't work right. Any ideas on how to fix it? On my wife's 97 Chrysler Sebring, the tach and odometer quit working and I found the answer in the Sebring forum which had me remove the dash cluster and re-solder some diode connections on the back of the circuit board. Everything works fine. Is there something similar on the blazer?

Remember, the tank reading moving around a bit is normal when braking or accelerating or going around corners.