blowing fuel pump fuses!! help! '98 slt

[importeater38]

ok guys, just from looking through posts i see that fuel pumps are a pain in the ass on these things. I keep blowing the fuel pump fuse in the middle of driving, so why is it doing this? Am i drawing too much power somewhere? Is it because the pump is working too hard going up hills? Time for a new pump or can i get away with just a new filter? I saw that one guy had a dealer change it and it cost almost a grand, thats rediculous. Im good with tools and such, im sure i can drop the tank out and change the pump myself if i have to. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Dante

[obadran]

Is there anything else that the fuse is protecting? If there is, then the combined load of that and the fuel pump could be causing the excessive amp load.
The fuel pump is always on and it shouldn't matter about going up hills.
How often is the fuse blowing? The fact that you said "in the middle of driving" makes me think that it can't be a short somewhere. If the fuel pump fuse is also protecting something else, then maybe when that something else is turning on the fuse goes bye bye.


I have a 96 yukon and my personal experience (as I was left stranded on the PA turnpike)...the pump has its own thermal protection and will shut it self off is it is working too hard. I had a clogged fuel filter and I guess the pump was heating up trying to pump through the filter so it just shut itself off.

I have the shop manual for my 96 but I don't know how much different the wiring is for a 98.

[importeater38]

yeah it quits in the middle of driving, it seems like it is doing it when the tranny shifts after working up a hill, i could just be imagining that though. The car is completely stock, so i dunno what else could be on that fuse. Any GM mechanics out there know if something runs off the same fuse as the fuel pump? I just had new tires put on, maybe they hit a wire doing the alignment? Just putting some ideas out there.

Dante

[obadran]

Sorry for taking a while to respond again.

I looked at my shop manual for my 96 and since the 98 is similar I'm assuming no major changes to the electrical system.

The fuse that the fuel pump is off is the "ECM 1" fuse in the under hood fuse center. Is this the fuse that is blowing? There is other stuff off of this fuse, but lets make sure it's this fuse that is blowing.

[importeater38]

Originally Posted by obadran

Sorry for taking a while to respond again.

I looked at my shop manual for my 96 and since the 98 is similar I'm assuming no major changes to the electrical system.

The fuse that the fuel pump is off is the "ECM 1" fuse in the under hood fuse center. Is this the fuse that is blowing? There is other stuff off of this fuse, but lets make sure it's this fuse that is blowing.

It's that fuse, 100% sure of it, i changed it twice in two days, ive been driving my trans am around lately instead of the yukon so i canget more time to figure out the problem. What else runs off this fuse?

Thanx

[GMMerlin]

Originally Posted by importeater38

ok guys, just from looking through posts i see that fuel pumps are a pain in the ass on these things. I keep blowing the fuel pump fuse in the middle of driving, so why is it doing this? Am i drawing too much power somewhere? Is it because the pump is working too hard going up hills? Time for a new pump or can i get away with just a new filter? I saw that one guy had a dealer change it and it cost almost a grand, thats rediculous. Im good with tools and such, im sure i can drop the tank out and change the pump myself if i have to. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Dante

The ECM1 fuse blowing is an indication of the fuel pump wires shorted inside the tank (99.9% of the time).
if you drop the tank and remove the module, you will find the insulation burned off the gray pump wire.

[importeater38]

Originally Posted by GMMerlin

The ECM1 fuse blowing is an indication of the fuel pump wires shorted inside the tank (99.9% of the time).
if you drop the tank and remove the module, you will find the insulation burned off the gray pump wire.

Cool thank man, that was the kinda anwser i was looking for, solid. It wasn't what i wanted to hear but now i know what i gotta do.

Dante

[rgloston]

Newbie here. After reading the posts, I can 2nd GMMerlin's motion. From personal experience, the GM service dept has found that the fuel pump module GMMerlin referred to has had fused wires when it was removed. This happened to me twice! once @ 12K miles (warranty) & another @ 65K miles (unfortunate $700 expense). Let's just say the part was a tad less than the labor. I'm still wondering why there's no recall on the 2002 models. Capital GMC (Baton Rouge, LA) claims to have seen over a dozen Yukons in the past 6 months.

[rgloston]

Question: Is there a service code manual floating around for the 2002 Yukons? I've had the Service Engine light come on, and the AutoZone guy said something about Catalyst... blah blah... exceeding threshold... blah blah.

I am thinking of purchasing a Hypertech Power Programmer III just for DTC reading & computer mods, but not sure if worth it. Anyone have any thoughts?