Fuel leak?

[dtsn280z]

I parked my GP in March with some fuel in it. Today I tried to start it and a no go. I used my lawnmower tank and put approx 1 gallon in. It started fine. Does anyone know of any common issues that might related to this? 1997 GT 4 door with 115k.

Thanks in advance for your time.

[doctorhrdware]

When you turn the key on, can you hear the fuel pump running. If not get a fuel pressure gauge and connect the gauge to the srader valve on the fuel rail. This will determine if you are getting fuel to the injectors.

[tblake]

Whats your fuel guage say?

Maybe it wouldnt start due to old (bad) gas or incorrectly blended gas for the given temperature. Then when you mixed in the good clean gas, it ran.

Who knows....

[CrazyHorst]

The classic symptom is a dead fuel pump.

You may or may not hear the pump running.

(I had one truck pump...fairly common GM design...where the flex hose which connects the cylindrical pump to the rest of the hard piping that's part of the flanged assembly that bolts into the tank...rotted out. In other words, the fuel pump was actually working but pouring its output back into the tank instead of forcing it into the line...this was approx 20 years old, though)

My free advice is if you have 10+ years and 130k+ miles is that you replace the fuel pump to avoid a future breakdown.

My other free advice is about parts selection. You obviously have a choice between OEM-GM parts and "other" parts, and my advice is you get what you pay for. You should expect and equal amount of service from the GM-OEM pump...which would take you into the 300k territory without a hiccup should you expect the chassis and body to go that far. The "other" brands cost less but don't be surprised if you start having problems sooner....

A friend went the "other" route with a truck pump and started having many problems only 4 years and approx 40k later.

Last thing is: if you ever have a forklift at your disposal, changing an in-tank pump is a snap. Not that you need the heavy lifting capacity but being able to stick those two supporting forks under the body makes the job simple as it can easily support a fuel tank of any fill volume while you use your hands to undo the retainer straps. Then can "inch" the tank up into position while you replace it.

[tblake]

Believe it or not, he (and everyone else with a 97-03 and possably others) can access the fuel pump pod by removing the carpet inside of the trunk. Its actually a fairly easy R&R.

[CrazyHorst]

Should make DIY repair even easier. You still need a cam tool or a bronze punch...be very wary of making any sparks with an open tank of fuel!

[BNaylor]

I use snap ring pliers on the c-clip retainer.

We have a tech procedure for fuel pump on '97-'03 models posted at out Tips & Maintenance subforum. See link below.

Click here