Overheating Fuel pump anyone?

[BeCool]

Did anyone have a overheating fuel pump before?

I drive a 2000 Pontiac Grand AM GT.

My car hesitates after 20 kms, if I keep my foot on the gas, the car stalls out.

A mechanic figures it is a overheating fuel pump.

[rjdavis21]

my car is doing same thing it will rum about 12 miles and cut off
I do here pump rum when key is turned on for the 3 sec. but sound like it is cavitating and wont prime up
if I let it set for about 30 min. it will start an idle all day but go above 40 or so and it does it again and I have to set and wait.most pump just stop running bt this one runs but wount prime up until it set awhile
and I do have spark when it quits
have you found what your problem was. Ill let you know it I can figure mine out first. hope someone knows. thanks robbie

[GTP Dad]

The electric fuel pumps in the cars today utilize fuel to cool the pump. The fuel surrounds the electric motor and absorbs the heat. If you run your fuel too low, less than 1/4th tank the pump can overheat and actually burn up. It can also overheat if the sock on the intake gets blocked with dirt or if the fuel filter is excessively blocked with dirt which causes the pump to work too hard.
Robbie, I would check for a leak in your system. It sounds like something is introducing air into the system causing the pump to not want to pick up fuel.

[rjdavis21]

Thanks GTP DAD for info
droped tank and removed pump
had to replace with hole assembly thats the way it comes except reused sender and harness $225 from dealer in stock
I guess pump would get hot and inpeller would bind or vibrate and not supply correct pressure until it cooled.
O well lookes like not many others have had this problem or dont like to search the web forums mabe they just call a hook!
just happy its a fix. thanks again robbie

[BeCool]

Would my pump act up even more if it was below 1/4 tank?

On june 28 2004, I drove it until it was running on fumes.

Before this, my car would hesitate @ 20 kms (didn't matter how full of gas)

After I let it run on fumes, then I filled it up, I started getting @60 kms then it would hesitate.

Do you guys think there is something blocking my filter or something?

[DAMNGRANDAM]

I have this problem too on 2000 GA w/98,000 miles - car will only run 8-12 miles before stall, will only stall on highway or if I punch the gas too hard. Sometimes won't start either, but then will start 20, 30 minutes later. Dealer cannot tell me what is wrong - there are no diagnostics and car will not stall in idle mode.

[GTP Dad]

I would replace the fuel filter to insure that you didn't suck something into it when the fuel tank is low. If the pump is starting to go bad the hotter it gets the more likely it will be to cause a reduction in fuel pressure causing your hesitation/stalling problem. You may also want to pull the pump out of the tank and make sure the sock on the inlet is not so dirty that it is sucking shut which would also cause a fuel starvation problem. The socks are fairly inexpensive while fuel pumps cost $150 or more. Although while you already have the tank dropped and the pump out replace it anyway. With 98k miles it will probably go bad in the near future anyway. It will take a little labor but it may eliminate the problem.

[DAMNGRANDAM]

My boyfriend has been driving it because he has no highway miles to work. Yesterday he described a lot of hesitation and this morning said it wouldn't start at all - said it's getting too much gas. When I went out to drive him to work in his car (which we will have to share for a while!) I could smell gas in the air - he said from my car. Best price I found on the fuel pump is $199 on ebay, but feel safer spending a little more to purchase from Napa at about $230. But now seems there may be another problem? How likely is it that this complications may be left over from someone rear-ending my car last September? Dealer said there was a lot of hidden damage, but the extra parts not on the original quote just have part #s - no description - and I haven't been successful at mapping them online. Anyone know what these GM parts are?
NPN375262LKQDAMR
NPN35587LKQDAMR
NPN377000LKQDAMR
I know for sure that the rear body and floor panel was replaced - isn't that all right there at the fuel pump?

[GTP Dad]

If you are smelling that much gas then you may have either a cracked fuel line or one that has separated from the pump. There is also another potential cause and that would be a blocked evaporator canister. They are usually black can either oval or slightly rectangular located in or on the fender. If this is blocked it will cause similar problems. It is also possible that this is a left over from your rear end encounter. PS. Before replacing the fuel pump check the fuel pressure regulator with a guage to see if the pressure is within normal limits. If it is then the fuel pump may not be the problem.

[DAMNGRANDAM]

We did switch out the fuel pump relay switch - is that different than the regulator? (Sorry GTP Dad - I'm a chic and have minimal knowledge). The dealer and a private mechanic did mention fuel levels were eratic when they tried to run diagnostics but then said "but that doesn't really tell me anything". I will definately forward your suggestions to my boyfriend who's trying to figure this out and avoid excess expense if at all possible.

[GTP Dad]

The fuel pump relay just controls the power to the fuel pump and has nothing to do with the evaporative canister. It is part of the emission system that removes excess fumes from the gas tank and sometimes it goes bad. It only holds a charcoal filter that is inexpensive to replace. If the mechanic is talking about eratic fuel levels they could be taking about fuel pressure. On fuel injected cars there is a pressure regulator that controls the fuel pressure to the injectors. If there is too little the car won't run right and will be starved for fuel causing hesitation and stalling under acceleration. If there is too much it can cause the car to flood out or excessively pressurize the fuel tank and emissions system causing the gas smell. With eratic fuel levels the changes in pressure may be what he is talking about. I hope this explains it a little better. Please let me know what you find out.

[DAMNGRANDAM]

It does seem to be clearly a problem of the fuel pump - won't know for sure til I can replace it, which is pending the Cash Flow! Texaco; however, where I got gas the day before it started breaking down every day, was known to have tainted gas in my neighborhood and will be sending a claims adjuster to check my car. Perhaps they will pay for the repair.

[Markgase2000]

One late night i heard an extremely loud hummmmm comming from the trunk area and it got high pitched for awhile and be loud quiet loud quiet again ect... even if the sterio was on loud i could hear it , could that be the pump? It happened a few months after i ran out of gas.

[GTP Dad]

Yes it could. You may have a clogged intake sock that is causing the pump to work hard to do its job. The sock covers the suction on the end of the pump and when it gets too dirty the pump has to work very hard to pull fuel from the tank. If the sock isn't clogged then you may have overheated the pump causing impeller damage when the pump got too hot. You can change these by dropping the tank and pulling the pump. If you have more than 75K on the car you might as well replace the pump too as it will probably need to be replaced soon anyway. Try not to run out of gas in the future as this can damage the pump by causing it to overheat as well as plug up with dirt from the tank.