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Fuel Pump Question

TAC

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 18, 2002
Messages
252
Location
Bothell, WA
Corvette
1987 Yellow Callaway TT Convertible & 2003 MY Z06
My fuel pump is whining kind of loud ...even with a full tank. Sometimes when I shut off the engine I hear the pump still going for a few seconds...up to five...and the pitch of the pump changes. Sometimes at a stoplight the pitch changes too...kind of like it goes into high gear for a few seconds and then quiets back down. I am also experiencing the "bucking" problem early C4s had with the car acting like it's starved for gas when getting on it from a stop and turning left hard. It does it now when I'm still at 1/2 tank. This is only the 3rd time I remember this happening and it has always been when I turn left hard from a dead stop. Yes, the filters have been replaced.

All these symptoms make me think it's time to change the fuel pump. I know someone gave me the part number for the B2k pump used...does someone out there still have that number for the '87 TT? Do my symptoms sound like the pump is going out? Does your pump normally maintain a solid tone to its whine or does it vary in pitch?

1 last question. I have a friend who is fairly good with shop work like this and he's a service manager for Chrysler although he's a Chevy guy from way back. Is this a job that we could pull off ourselves or is it best left to someone who's done it before? I hear it's easy to screw up the fuel guage sensor. Opinions?
 
You can change the pump if you're halfway at all proficient with a wrench and a screwdriver; it's a piece o' cake in the C4s. ;)

And I'm sure that they wouldn't change anything in the design except for the punp itself when they did the Callaway TT, but seeing as how I don't have a Callaway :L I can't help you with the pump noise/starvation question.

Are you familiar with the design of the pump and location, as well as how to R&R it? There is a screen on the pump suction that possibly could be plugging from dirt, debris or water in the tank (it's designed to separate water from the fuel - all gasoline will condense some water in the tank eventually), there is also a dampener attached to the pump to keep the vibration/noise down while running. It could affect the operation of the pump I guess.

Hope you find your problem. :upthumbs

_ken :w
 
How loud is the pump? They were noiser then a standard pump used on a C4, but what I am affraid you are having problems with is a fuel tank that is colapsing, and is likting the pump up out of the fuel and also hitting the side of the tank and making the fuel pump sound louder. It may or may not be seen from the out side of the tank because sometimes it's only the blader in the tank that pulls in, and when it does it lifts the pump, which would give you fuel starvation in turns. This is what I want you to do fill the tank and make note how much fuel it took to fill it, now drive the car and see if it acts up in turns. Now keep driving the car untill it acts up again and see how much fuel it takes and compair it with what the meter says. If it apears that the meter is close the you will have to remove the pump meter assembly and take a look in side. If you have problems pulling the pump out because it catching on the inside rear of the tank then you will need a new tank. And that is a little more work than some people may want to handle you have to remove the rear fasia and frame to get the tank out. Not real hard but it is very time consuming especialy if you have never done it before. If you where to need a new pump it's a Bosh unit you can get the number off the pump and then find a Bosh parts dealer and have them get one. Check it out and let us know. Now it's not uncommon to have fuel starvation problems when it get's just below 1/4 but it should not be a problem at a half a tank.

David Fulcher
 
I tested the car yesterday. The problem first showed up when the guage was at 1-2 bars above 1/4. Starting from a slow roll then turning right onto a highway onramp I get hesitation. I immediately filled the tank (12.5 gallons) and went back to the same location. The problem was gone. Sounds like the fuel pump is not the culprit, but the bladder in the tank? The car sat for almost 10 years before I bought it. I don't think it's debris in the tank because the problem shows up at the same time each time. My mechanic had to put gas in because he got the same problem and he put in just over 12 gallons to fill. What do you think? Would sitting so long encourage this problem, depending on whether it was kept filled or not?
 
It does sound like there maybe a problem in the tank and a bladder is real possible. Was the car ever hit before? I have seen cars that have been hit real hard also bend the sender and pull the pump up out of the fuel. Also do you have an aftermarket gas cap on the car? I have also sen som caps that do not let air in and while the car runs creat so much low pressure in the tank that it colasped the tank. I also suspect that to much consentration of some fuel additives can also cause a problem but I would not suspect just sitting would. This is not that rare of a problem I have changed many tanks for this same problem, what you need to do is remove the sender(with the pump on it) and see if it looks like the plastic bladder is bowed in from the rear a lot more then the tank seems to be, you may also find it real hard to pull the pump out, if that is what you fine then no matter what you do I would replace the filler cap you just don't want to take chances that that may have been the cause fo this, then you need to decide weather or not you want to have it fixed or just keep the fuel above that level, the tanks are not cheap and it's pretty labor intensive to change one at our shop you would be looking at around a $1,000.00 for tank and labor! Just keep me posted.

David Fulcher
 
Thanks for your help. If it is the gas cap then theoretically I should be able to open the gas cap once the problem shows up...to vent the tank...and then see if the problem is still there. If it is, it's not the cap. No, the car hasn't been hit AFAIK. I may just run the tank close to empty and see if anything is visible from the top. Thanks again.
 
TAC

Was this car sitting at Kopact Kar Korner? I seem to remember a Yellow B2K vert sitting up there sometime back around 2000-2001 time frame. I use to work in Bothell and just recently moved from the PNW to Texas.

FS
 
boostedmaxPSI said:
TAC

Was this car sitting at Kopact Kar Korner? I seem to remember a Yellow B2K vert sitting up there sometime back around 2000-2001 time frame. I use to work in Bothell and just recently moved from the PNW to Texas.

FS

That would be the same car. It ran crappy for a while before I changed the fuel pump. Where were you located up here? I'm sure I didn't see your car at any of the shows. There's another yellow B2K in Puyallup that I've never seen either. We coulda had 3 Callaways for 1 pic. You don't see that too often.

BTW...my B2K ended up getting recorded for use as the sound of the Sledgehammer in PGR3! I don't have the console yet but I got my free game from MS. I take delivery of a 55" Plasma HD TV Friday and then the game in early April.

TAC
 
TAC said:
That would be the same car. It ran crappy for a while before I changed the fuel pump. Where were you located up here? I'm sure I didn't see your car at any of the shows. There's another yellow B2K in Puyallup that I've never seen either. We coulda had 3 Callaways for 1 pic. You don't see that too often.

BTW...my B2K ended up getting recorded for use as the sound of the Sledgehammer in PGR3! I don't have the console yet but I got my free game from MS. I take delivery of a 55" Plasma HD TV Friday and then the game in early April.

TAC

I did'nt pick up my Callaway until my move to Texas. I lived in Lake Stevens and worked in Bothell. I use to love hitting the Friday show in Lynwood and would typically have my GN or '68 Mustang there.

OR I would go to BurgerMaster in Bothell on Saturday night and hang out with the GN crowd.

My GN was also used for the XBOX game Forza for the GNX in there. My kids got a kick out of seeing their name in the game credits :)

regards
 

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