Trailer tow vehicle fuel pumps

From the perspective a a GM operator, my 1985 V-6 Camaro
has had three fuel pumps put into it. It died once
at work and kept me from going to a dentist appointment,
and the other two have been at home. Vehicle currently
has 287K on it, and it is still my daily driver after
20 years of my onwership.

My 1990 G-20 conversion van has had two die on it.
Both times, right out in front of my house, and both
times with a trailer attached. It currently has 253K.

Both vehicles require dropping the tank, and I haven't
felt like doing that. On the Camaro, the instructions
start off with 'Remove the rear seat'. And that is
to get access to some things you need to hold onto
so you can drop the tank.

My mechanic says the GM fuel pumps will typically run
about 130K, but he just replaces them at 100K. I seem
to like the adventure. No point in getting rid of
a vehicle before you get your money from it! :-)

Steve Leonard
Wichita, KS

Just my $0.02 but I have never had a fuel pump die except in my 1971
Chevy Mailbu 350CI, 250HP, 4 barrel holley carb with a standard
mechanically driven pump. Man, I loved that car even though it went
through too many fuel pumps. At least they were easy to change.

- John DeRosa

ContestID67 wrote:
Just my $0.02 but I have never had a fuel pump die except in my 1971
Chevy Mailbu 350CI, 250HP, 4 barrel holley carb with a standard
mechanically driven pump. Man, I loved that car even though it went
through too many fuel pumps. At least they were easy to change.

- John DeRosa



This thread has reminded me of the only fuel pump failure I've ever had
that occurred nearly a half century ago. The vehicle was a 1956
Chevrolet six cylinder, two door sedan. I had driven in on an afternoon
assignation with a lady who wasn't my wife, but was someone else's.
Being discreet we'd headed to a country motel about 30 miles from the
city where we lived. She'd brought a picnic meal and I brought wine.
It was one of those afternoons that are the stuff of fantasies and sweet
memories.

When 4:00 p.m. arrived, it was time to head back to town and dinners
with our respective spouses. The Chevy cranked but wouldn't start. A
quick look under the hood, a very wide open space compared the crowded
innards of a modern car, revealed that the foil diaphragm in the fuel
pump had ruptured. What to do. Back in the motel room I found a
picture postcard on stout stock with a glazed finish. My companion had
a small manicure scissors in her purse. Using the ruptured foil as a
pattern, I cut an improvised diaphragm from the postcard and installed it.

Two marriages and much embarrassment saved! In fact it worked so well
that some months passed before I remembered to replace it with the real
thing.

Doesn't have much to do with soaring, but ah, to be that young again.

Al