Thread: Fuel pickup problem

I replaced my fuel pump a few months back with a complete stock assembly. After I use about 12 gallons of fuel it starts to starve for fuel under hard braking. As long as I keep more than a 1/4 of a tank of fuel it runs just fine. Any thoughts as to why the new pump isn't picking up fuel like the original one did ??

Ok I think I found the problem. The bottom of the housing has separated from the rest of the housing. So I assume that once the fuel gets low the pump cavitates pulling in air.

So here's my question. I know the pumps are different between the SE, Gt, and GTPs but are the housings the same. Could I find a factory pump in a salvage yard and put my new pump in that housing???

I took apart the pump housing to see if there was anything else to deal with. The bottom being loose wasn't the problem. The seal that connects the pump pickup to the screen wasn't properly installed. This caused a bad seal between the two which didn't allow the pump to pick up fuel like it should. I plan to reassemble the housing and re-seat that seal with a little silicon makeing sure I give it plenty of time to set and cure. This should solve my problems I hope. If not I search the yards next week for a doner housing and follow the install procedures listed above. Thanks.

So far so good. I was having fuel problems before I pulled the pump apart since I let the level get low so I could pull the pump safely. Once I reinstalled the pump after fixing the seal it didn't stall when pulling up to a stop sign. I put a little gas in it this weekend and will let it get low to see if the problem returns. I'm cautiously optimistic that I FINALLY have it fixed.

Well looks like the verdict is in. Problem solved. Both low fuel lights are on and still no stalling out. So if you ever change out a complete fuel pump assembly or just the fuel pump for that matter and have fuel starvation problems when the tank gets low. Check the seal between the fuel pump and the pickup strainer.