Do in-tank fuel pumps give any warning of impending failure/

Can't speak for Chevy but my Ford gave some hard to start warning in cold weather.
Then it failed when we went to the snow two months later :R

Hindsight is 20/20.

I just replaced the pump in my 1998 GMC. It was getting very loud and occasionally started hard. sometimes they just fail without warning.

Be very careful of the brand of pump you buy. The late 90's Vortec engines are very particular about fuel pressure. I recommend only a Delphi or GM/Delco pump. (Delphi makes the Delco/GM units).
I ended up ordering the Delphi, because they started offering a lifetime warranty. I ordered from Rock Auto for about $160. It was around $300 for a GM one from the dealer with a 1 year warranty.

By the way Delphi made several improvements on the new fuel pump units for these trucks. The new pump will look different and it will come with a new electrical connector you will need to install.

I only had one fuel pump problem, on a ten year old Ford car. It squeeled and then I drove it 100 miles to a good place to drop the tank.

My oldest vehicle now is a 1992 GM E2500 van with 200 k miles. It has had two fuel filter changes but no fuel pump replacement.

Boy, this kind of an issue irritates me to no end.

A case in point, the last thing I want is for my motorhome's hard to access in-tank fuel pump to go out in the Western Utah desert. Why don't OEMs merely offer the option of dual in-tank fuel pumps - operating in parallel with each other? The chances of both letting you down at the same time are infinitely less than one letting you down.

This approach is ESPECIALLY NECESSARY with in-tank pumps - because in the "old days" one could just carry a spare fuel pump along and install it right on the spot bolted to the engine no matter where you were when it failed. Don't ya just love "progress". :(

Old days often included vapor lock. Pick your poison.

i'll take the occasional vapor lock over the possible pump failure in no where
my choice would be to fabricate an external replacement
remove the in tank pump, fabricate a new pickup tube, going from the top of the tank, just like the old fashion way, with new pump outside
never worry about dropinng the pump a second time

pnichols wrote:
Why don't OEMs merely offer the option of dual in-tank fuel pumps - operating in parallel with each other? The chances of both letting you down at the same time are infinitely less than one letting you down.
:(

$$$$

jfkmk wrote:
pnichols wrote:

Why don't OEMs merely offer the option of dual in-tank fuel pumps - operating in parallel with each other? The chances of both letting you down at the same time are infinitely less than one letting you down.


$$$$

Ford - for instance - offers all kinds of non-standard $$$$ options for it's E350/E450 series of vans used under various commercial service applications ... dual in-tank electric fuel pumps for ultra reliability could be one of them. If available for motorhomes, I'd pay for dual in-tank fuel pumps in a heartbeat whenever buying a new Class B/C motorhome built on one of Ford's van chassis.

P.S. #1: I would have paid extra $$$$ for a limited slip differential and dual alternators, too, if Winnebago/Ford had offered the combination when we bought our new E450 based Itasca motorhome.

P.S. #2: I would have paid extra $$$$ for the good old easy to access individual/separate engine equipment drive belts instead of a hard to get at and snake around pulleys single serpentine belt, too ... so that if a belt broke you would only be partially disabled instead of completely disabled like you are with a busted serpentine belt.

MrWizard wrote:
i'll take the occasional vapor lock over the possible pump failure in no where
my choice would be to fabricate an external replacement
remove the in tank pump, fabricate a new pickup tube, going from the top of the tank, just like the old fashion way, with new pump outside
never worry about dropinng the pump a second time

. Will an external replacement draw fuel thought a bad in tank fuel pump?