Truck died while driving

[th3 shifty]

So my daughter was driving and the truck just died. It cranks but won’t run, I can hear the fuel pump prime when you turn the ignition on, but it’s like a loud odd sound, not like a normal hum.

when the pumps go bad, do they do this, or are they just dead? Never had a fuel pump go out.

 

[89Suburban]

Hit the bottom fuel tank with your fist or a rubber mallet and see if it kicks in.

 

[OR VietVet]

That loud noise almost sounds like it lost prime. Just guessing at this point. How full is the tank? How old is the filter? Leaving a fuel filter on too long can cause the pump to work so hard it will burn itself up but that usually means no noise at all. Fluid pumping motors will make a louder sound when prime is lost. Check fuel pressure. Do you have spark? Basics first.

 

[Big Mama]

And how much gas is in it? If low or was low try the rubber mallet as Ron mentioned it sounds starved. It’s free......

 

[th3 shifty]

1/2 tank, I’ll try that and see if it works,

fuel filter probably has 12k miles on it, I have a new one ready to change it.

I need to get it home first, it’s like 2miles away, a friend of mine is going to help me tow it home tomorrow afternoon

 

[drakon543]

so ive had this happen on an astro van and the pump setup is the same. real wierd sound and either not running at all or running so poorly it might as well not be running. as your at half a tank also makes me think you have a similar issue i did with that old astro work van. the hose that connects the fuel pump to the sending unit sits at about the 1/2 tank level. gas drops below that and bam nothing but fuel pump issues. only way i can see testing that would be to put more gas in it but it would still run like garbage. i had to limp that astro van for about 2 weeks before they let me fix it.

 

[th3 shifty]

Got the truck back home, just pulled the fuel filter, I can easily blow through it so it was not clogged. Thinking of pulling the tank and changing the fuel pump, sounds like it’s stuck or something inside the pump is broke, it obviously has power going to it

 

[th3 shifty]

so ive had this happen on an astro van and the pump setup is the same. real wierd sound and either not running at all or running so poorly it might as well not be running. as your at half a tank also makes me think you have a similar issue i did with that old astro work van. the hose that connects the fuel pump to the sending unit sits at about the 1/2 tank level. gas drops below that and bam nothing but fuel pump issues. only way i can see testing that would be to put more gas in it but it would still run like garbage. i had to limp that astro van for about 2 weeks before they let me fix it.

And what was the final fix for it? New pump?

 

[drakon543]

And what was the final fix for it? New pump?

well technically if you catch it fast enough before the pump burns out you could just replace the rubber hose. but you have to drop the tank to do it anyway might as well do the fuel pump while your there. for a more visual test if you do drop the tank when you get the sending unit free. while your holding the sending unit you can check for splits in the rubber hose. if you dont see any leave the pump screen in the gasoline and have someone cycle the key.

 

[drakon543]

tried to find a good picture of what im talking about but i cant find one that shows it well enough. either way your going to find either a rubber hose or a piece of flexible type hose coming off the top of the pump itself. ive also heard it rumored to actually have the pump fall off in some cases either due to the plastic hose clamps failing or the hose failing.