question about fuel pump, 89 4x4...

I am pretty certain my fuel pump croaked on me today. has anyone ever put one on an 89 silverado 4x4? Before I crawl under it (if i can get it home...) I was wondering if the tank needs to be dropped. I believe the fuel pump is mounted outside of the tank correct? Let me know. Thanks.

I am pretty certain my fuel pump croaked on me today. has anyone ever put one on an 89 silverado 4x4? Before I crawl under it (if i can get it home...) I was wondering if the tank needs to be dropped. I believe the fuel pump is mounted outside of the tank correct? Let me know. Thanks.

I'm fairly sure that the fuel pump is mounted in the tank on your truck.
believe it or not...its eaiser to get to by taking the bed of the truck off.
You'll need 3 other guys to help you on that.

You have two options...drop the fuel tank which is a pain in the @ss or remove the bed and work on the fuel tank from above.

I would only buy a GM fuel pump and strainer / filter. Many auto parts stores sell the GM pump, I think Autozone even carries them.

taking the bed off is a great idea but not really an option for me. I have a cap on the truck that is all bolted through the bed rails (a really big pain to take off!!) Are you certain the pump is inside the tank, or is it just on top of the tank? Not that I doubt you, Im just looking for a for sure yes, cuz if that is the case I will prob let the mechanic do it. I don't have a hoist and you better believe all 30 gallons of that thank are full of gas right now!!!

yup the pump is inside the tank, If you have something else to put the fuel into, you can siphon it, but I think you have to do it through the vent hose with smaller tubing, and it takes forever, All I did was siphon it 5 gallons at a time and put it into my buddy's truck, made him happy.

I used to have an 89 and when my fuel pump went out I only had half a tank, guess I was lucky. I am sure you already have, but have you checked the fuel pump fuse and the relay to make sure they are working? I would hate to hear someone drop a full tank and it end up not being the problem

I haven't checked anyhting yet because the truck is still dead on the road. I will certainly look into the fuse and relay, but given the symptons I doubt that is the problem. It started about a week ago and it was running kind of ruff, especially when you pegged the throttle. I thought perhaps I had gotten some crummy watery gas, because it seemed to start just after I filled er up. So I put some watersorb in the tank, and now I am wondering if that stuff wrecked the pump. Since a week ago and now, it would periodically have a hard time starting and ran somewhat crappy, its not like it just died all of a sudden. So I an almost guarantee its the pump. Thanks for the help though.

if you have a napa autoparts store. have them pull up the info on the fuel pump. around the year of your truck thay could of put them in both spots. now for the bad news thay have had wiring problems with the pumps. napa sells all the parts needed to do the upgrade. :) check the wires going into the pump if thay looke like thay have been hot. replace the pump and wiring harness. a lot of compnays are doing a short cut that is hitting us in the rear. thay will use short ground wires to the frame. once the frame gets a little rust what ever is hooked to the frame ground will hunt for a good ground. this will couse all kinds of problems.


Fuel Tank Due to Electrical Requirements, Fuel Pump Wiring Harness Replacement is Strongly Recommended Pump Only

I just changed the fuel pump in my 1992 2500 standard bed. I raised the bed and then pulled the truck a couple of feet ahead. It sure makes changing the pump easier than dropping the tank. You can see what you are doing and not working blind trying to disconnect the wires and gas lines while you have jacks lowering the tank. I also had a full tank of gas in the truck that would have been a bi--ch to deal with.

When doing this job make sure that you change fuel filter and the internal harness. The ground at the frame also needs cleaned up and made rust proof.

I replaced the old unit with a Delphi fuel pump; started right up and has never idled better. This unit also came with a new wire harness.

I am doing this solo and it will take me about eight hours to finish the job.

GEG

I replaced the fuel pump in my 93 last winter. Lucky for me it gave me plenty of warning so I ran the tank almost empty. I didn't know about the bed trick until I checked this forum. It was a pain. I used a floor jack to remove and install the tank. It took about 3 hours but I was able to do it without help.

the pump is in the tank but like mentioned before, check the fuse and relay first. Also did you try a fuel pressure check? Mine was messed up. I swore up and down it was a bad pump. I dropped the tank, replaces the pump and sending unit since the tubes on my old one were quite rusty and STILL had a problem. I finally did a pressure check to find a break in my fuel line where it literally shot fuel over to the right side and out by the rear wheel which explained why I never had fuel odor.

If your truck died going down the road I'd check the distributor cap and rotor first before i assumed the fuel pump was bad.

I have 2 suggestions for you before you start dropping the fuel tank. First stick a syphen hose in the fuel neck and hold the other end to your ear as you turn the key on. You should be able to hear a buzz if the fuel pump runs. If you don not hear anything try #2... (If you have a skid plate under the fuel tank you'll have to remove it) Then with aid of an assistant beat on the center of the bottom of the tank with a broomstick while the engine is being cranked. That will most generally jar the fuel pump and get it to start one more time and you can drive it home knowing the fuel pump failed. That could save you a tow bill.

Also there should be a round connecter in the harness that runs along the frame rail right under the driver's door. It is the easiest place to check for power going to the tank. The gray wire in that connecter is your fuel pump power source ( the front half in you disconnect it) probing that wire while the engine is being cranked should light a testlight. if it doesn't than you have a blown fuse, FP relay, or other electrical problem keeping the fuel pump from running.