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Chevy Venture Fuel Pump
the other day my wifes '98 venture started to stumble after it started and died just like it ran out of gas, the fuel pump doesnt make any noise and it isnt pressurizing the fuel line, the fuel pump relay in the fuse box is clicking and the fuse next to it is good but I cant get any reading on my multi-tester to any of the wires under the van that go to the tank, theres 2 plugs I see, one looks to go the the fuel pump and has wires pink, white, green, purple, grey, black/white, black, the other plug has red, black, white, brown, this plug splits with white and brown going to what looks like maybe the fuel level sensor and red and black going to what looks like the brakes
I cant get a power reading to any of these wires no matter what I try...
I was thinking that maybe the fuel pump went out but now I'm not so sure... is there some inherent problem with these that would cause this problem? maybe a fuel line pressure sensor or something? the wiring in this van seems pretty complicated and I really have no idea on how to diagnos a problem like this with it, a new fuel pump is just under $500 so I'd like to be certain thats whats wrong before I buy one...
any help would be greatly appreciated...
I cant get a power reading to any of these wires no matter what I try...
I was thinking that maybe the fuel pump went out but now I'm not so sure... is there some inherent problem with these that would cause this problem? maybe a fuel line pressure sensor or something? the wiring in this van seems pretty complicated and I really have no idea on how to diagnos a problem like this with it, a new fuel pump is just under $500 so I'd like to be certain thats whats wrong before I buy one...
any help would be greatly appreciated...
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Comments
When I changed the fuel filter I left it off the see if fuel pump was working and it is. The fuel pump was replaced 3-months ago by Pep Boys. I am having it towed back to Pep boys
to replace the pump its under warranty. I just don't think this is the problem. Any Ideas?
Also, you should be able to HEAR the fuel pump run for those two seconds when you first turn on the ignition. If you don't, it is either the fuse (unlikely), the fuel pump relay (unlikely) or the pump itself. If you DO hear the pump for those two seconds, and it won't start, then there is a good chance it is the fuel pump. Just info from a friend.
My 2000 venture won't start today, and I hear no fuel pump running.. just a static sound from under the dash when I turn the key (the starter runs fine, but engine sounds like it isn't getting spark). Mine has 117,000 miles, and I never replaced the fuel filter yet, but my problem is most likely a fuel pump. You don't have to buy the whole pump asm, I am told.. just the pump goes bad. Haven't tried to find just that yet, but thought I'd reply so people will know what is up....
Jim
Didn't know where else to post...
I pulled my smallblock 350. When I pulled the fuel pump it just slid out. Now it's getting caught on the crossmember. It's a 45 degree pump. I thought I had to turn the camshaft to move the crossmember, but it didn't go. I think it's the crossmember. Whatever the rod is on the inside of the fuel pump housing on the block. It's the same pump and the same engine.
How do I get it back in?
Any help is appreciated.
This last weekend replaced the fourth one, fuel filter, and flushing the tank thinking that would fix any issues I was having with the no start. Wrong! Still no fuel.
On a whim I replaced the fuel relay and cleaned the contacts in the fuse block that it plugs into. Started right off. The old relay tested good but when plugged back in, it failed to let the pump run.
So don't forget to clean all your electrical connections while diagnosing your fuel problem. I went so far as to clean and put electric greese on all the plugs under the van that went to the fuel system too.
I'm crossing my fingers that that will solve all my fuel problems.
Well my van died again the other day going down the road. Same simptoms as before: crack but no start, just not getting any fuel. :confuse:
Had it towed home and started metering from the ignition to the fuel relay then to the wire harness under the van going to the fuel pump. I was tracing the flow of power.
When I got under the van and pulled the harness to get some slack and expose the wires to meter I asked the wife to turn on the ignition to give me power. Low and behold the fuel pump kicked on. The only things that moved under the van was the harness going to the fuel pump and the main harness plug going into the van just behind the drivers seat.
When I unplugged the water tight plug one of the terminals was scorched black(its a white plastic 8 pin plug). That terminal is the 12v going to the fuel pump. My guess is it is arching and looses contact.
Makes me sick to think that I have paid for 4 fuel pumps to be replaced and it might have been this all along. Just so happens that when you drop the tank that wire gets moved around and corrects the contact fooling you into thinking that the fuel pump was the problem.
When I got the Venture it needed fuel filter and it broke almost caught the van on fire and almost blew up. Gas was everywhere. So from reading these posts, it says to check the wiring harnesses? I'm going to replace the fuel filter besides it was due. If anyone has any suggestions for me before I take my auto motives down to the Chamber of Commerce to discuss mechanic quackery. Please let me know. I just want to get my van fixed.
Which exact problem are you having? These threads don't seem to run correctly. Anyway, I ran 12v directly to my 2000 Chevy Venture fuel pump, bypassing the "module" that is to supply that 12 volts. I think it is called the ECM (electronic control module) or something like that. I would like to replace mine as well, so I can get rid of that direct 12v (fused, and only on when ignition is on) wire! By saying it is behind the drivers seat, you mean INSIDE the care, on under the car and behind the seat, right? Just curious.... I have no idea where that module is...
Jim
Wife's Chevy venture has been stalling and getting progressively worse, now won't start. I surfed the web this morning finding numberous builltien boards and a common theme in most, crank sensor, fuel pump, or the wire harness connector under car behind drivers seat.
Easies (and cheapest) to check was electrical connector. First, confirm symptom, turn key and listen under car, no fule pump hum. Pulled connector and reseated a couple times, try again, car starts. Examine connector and sure enough the one pin is discolored around it in the connector. Clear sign that there is excessive current draw, causing heat, causing oxidation, etc. Eventually you end up with an "open circuit". Small file, contact cleaner and short time later, car starts better than it has in months. My experience in a similar inductry, this is a temporary fix. Once these connectors and pins get damaged, they will eventually need to be replaced. When that time comes, I will cut the wires and install another heavier connector for the fuel pump circuit.
Thanks to all for sharing, it led me in teh right direction, and I suggest everyone wiht similar issue, listen for fuel pump hum when you turn teh key, and if you don't hear it, go to this connector first!
A few years ago, my wife's 2000 Chevy Venture van would die at random times. Sometimes, while driving down the highway, sometimes while backing out of our garage, and at other times. the car simply wouldn't start at all. When this happened, the starter would turn the engine over, but the engine would not start. There were no error codes, no check engine lights, or anything else to point to the cause of the problem. We'd wait, sometimes a few minutes, sometimes a few days, and it would start running again, and not give us any problems for weeks.
We originally bought the car because my wife uses an electric scooter for mobility. (No one buys car like this for its style.) It was one of the few vans on which the back door opening was tall enough that we could use the scooter lift to get the scooter in and out of the van without removing the seat from the scooter and/or folding the steering column on the scooter down.
As you can imagine, being disabled, and having a van that doesn't run with 100 percent reliability isn't a good combination. We've had good luck with necessary car repairs at the GoodYear auto shop in Monroe, WA. One day, when it stopped running, so we had it towed to the GoodYear repair shop. They found that there was no fuel pressure, and after removing the gas tank and taking out the fuel pump, they determined that the fuel pump was defective. The logic was, replace the fuel pump, car runs, so problem solved. We had the fuel pump replaced at a total cost of just shy of $1000. The van ran great. We had no issues for several months, until the warranty on the parts/work ran out. Then, the exact same symptoms returned.
As a former electrical engineer, I don't have a lot of faith in electrical problems magically fixing themselves. When a pump stops pumping, it's unlikely to start pumping again. When an electric motors shorts out, it's not going to run later on if you press the start button. When a fuse blows, it's not likely to fix itself. (You get the idea.) The fact that the car would run fine for weeks, then stop, then work again minutes, hours, or days later just doesn't fit with what I thought would apply to a defective fuel pump, especially with two different fuel pumps.
Recently, while crawling around under the car (for whatever reason, I don't recall), I happened to look up and saw the wires running from the top of the fuel tank to a connector. From that connector, a short wiring harness runs to another connector that's mounted to the bottom of the van floor, just behind the driver's seat. From that connector, the wiring harness enters the body, so I didn't trace it any further. Examining that connector underneath the van behind the driver's seat, what I saw appears to be looks very poorly designed for where it's located. There are no weather boots to keep out water or any waterproofing of any kind. It's directly exposed to any water, mud, or crud that's kicked up while driving in wet weather. Basically, it's just a white Molex type electrical connector like you might find inside of a computer or stereo amplifier, but this is in a spot where it's exposed to years of weather and temp changes.
Since that day, the van had died three times. Each time, I've poked my head under the van, gave that connector a little wiggle, and the car starts right away. It happened again this evening. It's not quite as easy for my wife to do, and I didn't have anyone else available to whom I could explain what needed to be done, so I drove 50 extra miles today to wiggle the wire.
I'll stop by the dealer tomorrow and order the two cables that make up the two sides of this connector, and I'll use some heat shrink tubing when I assemble it to waterproof the connector. I'll put some dielectric grease on the connectors too to help prevent corrosion. I expect that this will solve the problem.
If you are experiencing these symptoms, try giving that plug a little wiggle. If your car starts, you've pinpointed source of the problem. Good luck!
Then, second time, I knew it probably wasn't the pump, as I had replaced it like a year earlier. So checked the connector under the van behind the front seats (about in the middle of the underside). There was no corrosion, but there was no voltage going TO the connector, even in that first two/three seconds before the voltage is cut out. Chevy cuts the power to the fuel pump after that time frame that so that the fuel pump doesn't run when the engine isn't running. Many people apparently put the ignition switch in RUN when they want to wait/sit and listen to the radio, instead of backwards to ACCESSORIES position. If it didn't shut down in a few seconds, that pump would continue to run continuously while the engine is off. Not sure why there is no voltage at that connector, but I ran 12v that is on ONLY when the ignition is on RUN, and that solved MY problem. Now I just have to always remember NOT to leave the ignition switch in RUN for more than a few seconds if the engine isn't running, since that would NOW make my fuel pump run.
So checked the connector under the van behind the front seats (about in the middle of the underside). There was no corrosion, but there was no voltage going TO the connector, even in that first two/three seconds before the voltage is cut out. Not sure why there is no voltage at that connector, but I ran 12v that is on ONLY when the ignition is on RUN, and that solved MY problem.
**I am trying to find this connector as well, the dealerships around here acted like they had no idea what it even was. I was told to direct wire the fuel pump maybe through a relay or something. I also have heard of doing it the way you described here. Could you please tell me exactly what you did, and how you did it? I can't seem to find anyone who knows how to do this. **
REMEMBER, PEOPLE... Ventures (Silhouetes, Montanas, etc) only have a 2- to 3-second time p[eriod to check for voltage! If the ignition key is on LONGER THAN THAT (and the engine isn't running), the computer shuts off the voltage to the fuel pump so the pump doesn't continue to run if the the engine doesn't!!!! Easiest thing to do is listen for the pump when you turn the key on to the "run" position... it should run for 2-3 seconds and then shut off. You DO NOT have to turn the key to START position to do that... Hope this helps. (And the fuel pump electrical connector near the front of the tank, under the van, is notorious for getting corroded... be sure it is nice and clean, otherwise replace it).
where can I find one to replace it?
Thank you for any help you may be able to give.