Fuel Pump Failure

[barter]

I have a '94 S-10 Blazer. The fuel pump has failed and been replaced 4 times in the past 2 years. The dealer cannot determine the problem and keeps replacing the pump under warranty. Does anybody know how to solve this problem? I'd like to keep the vehicle but don't trust it anymore. Please help...

[www451oa]

A few questions.
1) Do you let it run out of fuel occasionally? Many fuel pumps use the fuel as a lubricant, and running out of fuel will cause your fuel pump to burn out.
2) Do you get gas at a super-cheap, no name, station on the side of the road? Some places like this don't keep their tanks up to par. Thus, allowing water and debris into their tanks, and into your tank. (I hope I didn't offend any side of the road gas station owners, If I did I'm sorry.)
3) one small possibility, have you changed your sending unit?


I also have a '94 S-10 Blazer and changed my fuel pump/sending unit & tank last month (June '04) I've got 110K miles on it. And it's the first time that the pump was ever changed.

[barter]

I have kept the tank more than half full for just that reason and regularly get gas at "normal" stations. What does the sending unit do? Only the fuel pumps have been replaced.

Why did you replace your tank?

[smokey041369]

there maybe a problem with the fuel system having a leak causing the pump to continiously run causing the life of the pump to be shortened

[epiphaknee]

I have gone through about 4 fuel pumps too. I have a 1995 GMC Sonoma 4.3L. Fortunately, all but the first one have been covered by warranty.

All good comments. Tank should always be kept over 1/4 of a tank for lubrication and lower operating temperature purposes.

The key for me was changing out the sending unit. The sending unit is in the tank with the fuel pump. Among other things it controls the reading on your fuel gauge. The sending unit had a short in it, that eventually would fry the fuel pump. Plus I often ran the tank low and rarely replaced the fuel filter. Now I change the fuel filter every 20k or sooner and since the sending unit has been changed things work much better, so far. Also, when the fuel pump is changed the strainer, fuel filter, and sometimes the dampner, must also be changed. My shortest fuel pump lasted 25k and they did not change the fuel filter or strainer that time.

This is the greatest flaw in the S10 and Sonoma and Edmunds.com agrees.

anw

[www451oa]

Barter, to answer your question as to why I replaced the pump. On the tank there is a small rounded area behind the straps that is prone to collecting dirt & debris. In this area dirt rubbing between the tank and strap wore a very small pinhole in my tank, causing a very slow leak. It's a brain fart in the design of the tank.

epiphaknee answered your question as to what the sending unit does. to sum it up, the sending unit tells the pump what to do.