Suburban quirk

andrewlail76

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2006
Location
Hickory, NC
So the GMC K2500 Suburban had its first quirk tonight...

Wouldn't start...turned over but no start...

Fire at the distributor but no start

Dad beat the tank to try to get the fuel pump to go...nada

we pull a plug wire to check spark at the plug...dad lets it arc from the wire to a screwdriver to nothing...it starts...anyone got any ideas?

I thought fuel pump. He got it to the garage we use...started right up 3 more times with no problems...

I am open to anyone's ideas...

FYI...Freon in it got the a/c working again...compressor was OK
 
It could be alot of things and will be hard to find until it does it again. With mine I can hear the fuel pump run when I turn the key to on before I satrt it.
 
Dad still thinks it is the fuel pump...we proved that it was getting fire, and he didn't see any fuel when I was turning it over and we had the air cleaner off...we couldn't really smell any either...

I was told they can check the pressure the pump is generating to see if that is what it was or not...
 
Check, or have someone check the fuel pressure from the pump. If it is low replace it, if not you have at least eliminated that. Past the pump it could be ALOT of things. But that would be my first bet.
 
side note *IF* it is the in tank fuel pump.
Do not buy one from Advance/Autozone/Oreilly/Napa etc. Go to the dealership and pay $40 more....If you have to drop that tank you will quickly learn what a PITA that is, go with a parts tore pump and you will do it again within a year.....


Now
1) when you turn the key off and on (but not to crank) do you hear the pump prime?
2) There is a schrader valve on the fuel line on the driver side near the rear you can check for fuel and pressure there.
***It would not be uncommon to not smell fuel, the injectors fire/mist it much different than a carb ***

Oh yeah, if you replace the fuel pump elect for teh version that comes with a new sender..or....
 
It could also be the ignition module in the distributer
 
I was thinking something with the distributor...the guy said he replaced the distributor and the spark plug wires...but...maybe he got a crappy one.

The guys who do my mechanic work were going to drive it some this weekend to see if it would do it again.

and as random as it was...who knows...I dread dropping the tank because there's probably 35 gallons still in the tank...

I need to get it fixed and back because it is due in Mooresville for rust repair and a repaint...
 
I have known a few chevys that had bad fuel pumps that would fire up after hitting the fuel tank. When it happens again listen for the fuel pump to make a humming noise. If you do not hear it change the fuel pump and fuel filter.
 
fuel filter has been changed at almost every oil change from the records the previous owner gave me...

I'm thinking something with the distributor because the distributor was changed recently...makes me wonder if there was an issue and they thought it was just the distributor cap...

1bigazzburbn...where would the ignition control modue be in the distributor?
 
few things to check,

if/when it happens again, swap the fuel pump relay in the Underhood power center with another ( they are the same relays, easily swaped, just know which you are swapping)

could also possibly be the ignition switch on the steering column, not the key cyl, but the switch it actuates by a rod down the steering column. it could be loose and out of adjustment, or could have worn/burnt contacts in it. This has seperate circuts for the fuel and ignition, so one could work without the other.
 
UPDATE...

The previous owner said that he did this one time and he put some gas in the throttle body and it started up and when he took it to his mechanic, they couldn't find anything wrong with it...

so...anyone got any suggestions?
 
andrewlail76 said:
UPDATE...
The previous owner said that he did this one time and he put some gas in the throttle body and it started up and when he took it to his mechanic, they couldn't find anything wrong with it...
so...anyone got any suggestions?
Click to expand...

If he put gas in the TB and it started that tells me the ignition system is working and there was no gas getting to the TB. Maybe the jump in voltage after it started on the gas he poured in was enough to start a fuel pump thats going bad.
 
I drove it this morning and it sounds much louder and more powerful. Dad put some injector cleaner in it...I'm wondering if maybe one of the injectors was clogged...

previous owner said that he never let it get under half a tank...I'm wondering if there may be trash in the tank...I'm going to run it out and refill...

He had the fuel filter changed at every oil change, but who knows...
Maybe I should just replace the fuel pump and sending unit once I get the tank empty to be safe.
 
I replaced my fuel pump about a month ago. On my 90 an AC Delco pump was around $60 and pump with sending unit was about $400
 
You dont have to but run the risk of having to drop the tank again for the sending unit. For over $300 I'll take the chance.
 
lugnut said:
I replaced my fuel pump about a month ago. On my 90 an AC Delco pump was around $60 and pump with sending unit was about $400
Click to expand...


WOW...If this is the deal now I will retract my previous statement. Last I bought one it was 95 w/o sender and ~150 with....(If my memory isnt acting crazy it been a while, but I remember it seeming like a reasonable amount)
 
GM had a run of warranty claims on sending units ( recalls too ) SO, guess who gets to pay for the free ones that were replaced under warranty ?

Makes no differance that it was late '90's early '00, GM still wants to recoupe the loss. some of the dealer prices are SCARY if there is a customer pay deal on a part that was a big warranty item.
 
damn, when ford/IH had the CPS recall the price went from $120-$30.....sounds like GM does it opposite
 
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