Alright....is this a common problem?!

**SajoR** · 07-06-2010, 09:38 PM

Ok, so I'm just curious to know. This is my second Camaro that I have owned and it is also the second time that a fuel pump has crapped out on me. So now I have to replace another fuel pump and REALLY hate doing this again.

Is this something common that I was completely unaware of on our LS1's?

Or do I just have some shitty luck with stock fuel pumps?

**Schmalgar** · 07-06-2010, 11:25 PM

I know (sadly from experience) that if you let it run out of gas and air gets in the lines the pump will crap out. I am assuming that the TA and Camaro have the same fuel pump... I know from reading on fuel pumps that this can happen with an electric fuel pump, but between my own past experiences and those of others in my life running out of gas, I've never seen another model of car where this actually happened.

While I've never seen anyone talk about the fuel pump when discussing common f-body issues, this might indicate that the fuel pumps are weak/substandard in some way. Or it might just indicate that I don't know much about fuel pumps.

**SajoR** · 07-06-2010, 11:48 PM

Hmmm....I'm going to lean with the fuel pumps being weak or substandard because I never did run out of gas. I was low, however, but still had about 2 gallons left.

And yeah, they're the same fuel pump.....255 liters/hr if I remember correctly.

I can see how getting air in the lines would create a problem for the pump but this wasn't the case for either of my two Camaro's. First time it happened, I had a full tank and just thought it was time to replace it. But for it to happen again on a same body style Camaro made me start wondering if it's a common thing that I am unaware of or if I just happen to have bad luck.

Either way, it sucks cause now I have to shop around to try to find the best price and replace it as soon as possible due to school and work.

**Schmalgar** · 07-06-2010, 11:57 PM

Roger I didn't figure you ran out of gas from the way you were talking. Just wondering out loud if, since it's the only car I've ever seen where the pump actually did fail after running out, if that means anything about its design or not...

And yeah it cost me a bunch to get mine replaced. And the guy that did it did a crappy job and it failed again. I ended up taking it to a Chevy dealership to get it done right. So I paid way too much by the time it was over. All for wanting to get further down the road before I stopped for gas! Well if nothing else, I've learned to fill it up at the 1/4 mark no matter what! No more dumbassery for me...

Whatever the cause, it does suck that you've had it happen on two different cars! Third time's the charm?

.

**sunsetorangess** · 07-07-2010, 01:15 AM

To be honest i never run my F-body cars below a 1/4 tank, keeping some gas in the tank keeps the pump cool. Like said above running out of gas is a sure fire way to destroy the pump.
J

**Cutlass** · 07-07-2010, 03:41 AM

Originally Posted by SajoR

Ok, so I'm just curious to know. This is my second Camaro that I have owned and it is also the second time that a fuel pump has crapped out on me. So now I have to replace another fuel pump and REALLY hate doing this again.

Is this something common that I was completely unaware of on our LS1's?

Or do I just have some shitty luck with stock fuel pumps?

while its certainly not unheard of for f-body fuel pumps to die, you are having bad luck. Like sunset said, keeping the tank at or above 1/4 helps keep the pump cool and extends its life. And that goes for ALL cars not just f-bodies.

**Too Fast** · 07-07-2010, 04:14 AM

Originally Posted by sunsetorangess

To be honest i never run my F-body cars below a 1/4 tank, keeping some gas in the tank keeps the pump cool. Like said above running out of gas is a sure fire way to destroy the pump.
J

Originally Posted by Cutlass

while its certainly not unheard of for f-body fuel pumps to die, you are having bad luck. Like sunset said, keeping the tank at or above 1/4 helps keep the pump cool and extends its life. And that goes for ALL cars not just f-bodies.

What they said. Sounds like you've having bad luck, but in my experience, GM fuel pumps can be noisey and they don't last forever. Maybe it's because there are more GM vehicles on the road then others.

**JayTA98** · 07-07-2010, 05:55 PM

I had my car for over a year now and my pump started whinning but never quit. After trying different things including UCL in the fuel tank I decided to change the fuel pump. I used the Racetronix kit with wiring harness. It was very easy to install. I had some trouble with the line having a pin hole but after fixing that myself(since racetronix never send me the replacement tube they promised...) the pump works great. Is a more affordable way of replacing the pump. i did a trap door and Im happy that I did because it made the pin hole fix a breeze.

The pump is a few months old and the whinning is back. Racetronix says that is normal for them to make noise when they get hot and/or the fuel get low.
I'm really happy with the setup. I not completly satisfied with the costumer support but they do make a good product. You might wanna check their site.

**67CamaroRSSS** · 07-07-2010, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by sunsetorangess

To be honest i never run my F-body cars below a 1/4 tank, keeping some gas in the tank keeps the pump cool. Like said above running out of gas is a sure fire way to destroy the pump.
J

Same here. It gets towards 1/4 tank I'm hiting up the gas station.

The fuel is the pump's coolant.

**tatertot91** · 07-07-2010, 06:33 PM

Sounds like bad luck to me. How are you going about changing the pump, You gonna cut a hole above the tank?

**SajoR** · 07-07-2010, 10:45 PM

Yeah, I'm going to do as much of a professional job at it as I can. I have all the necessary tools, just need to go and purchase some good sealant and look into getting a sheet metal trap door to go over it and sealant and screws.

I figured I might as well go this route, seeing as how I don't ever plan on selling this car, and hopefully during my active duty after college, I am going to tear into the engine and try to get some major horsepower out of her. That way, whenever I do go need to upgrade the fuel pump, it'll be easy to do so.

**Smittro** · 07-08-2010, 02:32 AM

Originally Posted by sunsetorangess

To be honest i never run my F-body cars below a 1/4 tank, keeping some gas in the tank keeps the pump cool. Like said above running out of gas is a sure fire way to destroy the pump.
J

Originally Posted by Cutlass

while its certainly not unheard of for f-body fuel pumps to die, you are having bad luck. Like sunset said, keeping the tank at or above 1/4 helps keep the pump cool and extends its life. And that goes for ALL cars not just f-bodies.

This... It's an issue on the pumps for the 3800-II cars as well... Replace the filter often.. It's cheap and it's a quick disconnect/reconnect.. Could help prolong stock units imho..

Otherwise it's a 3-4 hour job to drop the tank no matter what engine it has..

**Badass WS6** · 07-08-2010, 09:43 PM

I have also owned two Camaro's, my previous '99 3.8, and my current '99 z28. I had to change the fuel pumps on both cars. On the 3.8, I had my mechanic do it. But, on my current z28, I did it myself. The trap door method was not used on either.

Like I said, I changed it myself on my current z28(dropped the muffler and gas tank, etc..), and it was a pain in the ass. All together it took me about 3 1/2 hours, but that was over the course of three days. Due to work, I was only able to work on it about an hour a day after I got off work.

The main reason I wanted to do it myself was to save money, and also it was my first time working on/or replacing a major part on a car, and I wanted to be able to say that I did it. I saved $400. But, geeze, it was a pain in the ass wrestling the muffler and gas tank out. But then agian, there is nothing like keeping $400 in the banking account.

Good luck with whichever route you choose.

**IH8EVRY1** · 07-11-2010, 06:53 PM

Hopefully I get this in and the OP reads it before he's done with the job. I could be totally off base here but I've had a similar issue with a GM truck. Fuel pump after fuel pump. What kind of time passed between your pumps dying? The reason I ask is I had one that lasted a year and another that lasted 4 months and another than lasted 6 months. Turned out it wasn't the pumps, it was the sending unit. I haven't heard of anything on F-Bodies but GM had some 97 era truck sending units recalled so we know they are capable. Look at the plugs and wires on you sending unit and if any of them are discolored that may be your actual issue. Good luck and I hope I got this in before you buttoned everything back up.

**cammed goat** · 07-11-2010, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by sunsetorangess

To be honest i never run my F-body cars below a 1/4 tank, keeping some gas in the tank keeps the pump cool. Like said above running out of gas is a sure fire way to destroy the pump.
J

Yep. My tuner advised me against running dry prior to tuning my car. I don't let it run down to E.

**00ls-1** · 07-11-2010, 07:05 PM

i agree with the keeping it cool the more fuel in the tank the cooler the pump and gm fuel pumps need all the help they can get not necissarily camaro pumps but in my experiences and working in multiple auto shops before going to diesel i replaced more gm pumps than any and every chevy truck my family has owned had to have a fuel pump changed except my brothers new body one a clogged up fuel filter will also put more strain on the pump causing it to heat up

**00ls-1** · 07-11-2010, 07:09 PM

a friend of mine replaced his from the top by pulling the carpet back cutting a little hole to reach thru and changed it put a little ridge around the piece he pulled back to keep it from falling through and pushed it back into place i cant remember if he welded it back down though but he said it took like 35 minutes to do it all

**SajoR** · 07-12-2010, 01:22 PM

Sweet thanks for all the input guys. And I was just actually about to change out the pump today IH8EVRY1 So i'll definitely take a look at the plugs and wires and double-check to make sure everything looks as it should. Hopefully I won't notice any discoloration or anything out of the ordinary. Thanks for the info on the sending unit.

As far as the time between fuel pumps go, it was about 2 years on my '00 camaro before the fuel pump went out. I've only had my '02 for a little over a year and the pump has gone out as well. That's why I was asking. But i'm going to chalk it up with some bad luck and irresponsibility on my part, since I did go ahead and change the fuel filter after the pump went out and it was pretty dirty. So that could have strained the pump more causing it to finally fail.

**konigandy6** · 07-12-2010, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by SajoR

Sweet thanks for all the input guys. And I was just actually about to change out the pump today IH8EVRY1 So i'll definitely take a look at the plugs and wires and double-check to make sure everything looks as it should. Hopefully I won't notice any discoloration or anything out of the ordinary. Thanks for the info on the sending unit.

As far as the time between fuel pumps go, it was about 2 years on my '00 camaro before the fuel pump went out. I've only had my '02 for a little over a year and the pump has gone out as well. That's why I was asking. But i'm going to chalk it up with some bad luck and irresponsibility on my part, since I did go ahead and change the fuel filter after the pump went out and it was pretty dirty. So that could have strained the pump more causing it to finally fail.

How many miles were on both vehicles when the pumps went out? A bit redundent, but the filter is your first line of defense in preventing pump failure, change it often!

**00ls-1** · 07-12-2010, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by konigandy6

How many miles were on both vehicles when the pumps went out? A bit redundent, but the filter is your first line of defense in preventing pump failure, change it often!

15-30k miles is about right unless you use cheap fuel or oldr gas stations...also if theyre filling the tanks ata gas station keep driving it stirs the shit up in their tanks and you get it