I'm having the intermittent non-starting problem with my '94 Blazer (W) again. I bought it last August and occasionally it wouldn't start. That problem went away in October. My wife drove the Blazer over the winter while I put a new transmission in the Jimmy for her. During that whole time it never failed to start. Now she's happily driving her Jimmy and I have my Blazer back and it's not starting sometimes. Tuesday I ran errands and twice that day it didn't start.

Each time it wouldn't start I had to wait about a half hour before it would start up again. I hadn't been able to get it to not start when I was at home with my test equipment– until today. I put the fuel pressure tester on the test port and spent most of the morning starting and stopping it trying to get it to not start. I even drove around town with the fuel pressure tester installed hoping it would fail to restart. When I got it back home I finally got it to not start.

When I verified that it wouldn't start I ran a test lead from the positive battery terminal to the prime connector. The fuel pump didn't run. I tried priming the pump several times and got nothing. After about a half hour the pump ran again both from the primer connection and via the key. When it ran again the fuel pressure was fine– 58 to 60psi.

It seems strange to me that the pump either works at proper pressure or doesn't work at all. Whenever I've seen a fuel pump fail it was a gradual failure where the pump would work but it wouldn't pump enough pressure. When my '94 Jimmy's pump failed it was still pumping but it was only putting out about 35psi. My guess is that the pump is failing and getting hot and then failing to start until it cools down.

I dropped the tank from my wrecked '94 Jimmy and in the morning I'm going to pull the nearly new pump from that tank and put it in my Blazer. Yes, it's an Airtex. You can start placing money on when I have to replace it with a Delco. Two years ago when I bought the pump I didn't know any better.

Is there anything I may have missed? I'm going to Eastern Washington next weekend and I really want to take my Blazer up in the mountains. I want to be able to drive it back home, too.

 

Id start change the pump,fuel filter and pray that the pump lasts for more then a week. Ive had bad experiences with airtex. i went through 4 in like 3 months. The delphi pump(as good as ac delco) is only like $50 at carquest. Keep us posted.

 

OK, the Blazer is done for today. With help from my brother-in-law I put the tank and pump from the wrecked Jimmy in the Blazer. It runs and none of the connections are leaking. While the tank was out I decided to put new shocks in the back. The old ones were completely bad and one of them was leaking.

I don't know how long the Airtex pump will last but I'm bringing my fuel pressure gauge and my test lead with me when I head east of the mountains next week. That way if there are any problems with it I'll be able to test it in the field...or up in the mountains or wherever else I happen to be.

 

Go ahead and purchase a delphi pump from carquest for 50 bucks and have it ready to go when the airtex dies. But then again,friend has one in his 97 blazer and its lasted for 3 years.

 

I'm going to buy a Delco pump next month to keep in the shop. Between my Blazer, my wife's Jimmy and my brother-in-law's S-10 I know it will be needed eventually.

Before the Jimmy my wife drove a '99 Grand Am GT that ate coolant overflow tanks. Every month, like clockwork, the cheap Chinese tank from Schuck's (now O'Reilly) would crack and I'd get a warranty replacement. One time it happened on Camano Island and I had to borrow tools and get a ride to the mainland for my warranty replacement. After that I bought a Delco overflow tank and never had any more problems with the tank cracking.

 

I have to replace the fuel pump on my '01 Blazer, my sister works for Carquest and with her discount it still costs $250. I found one online for $93, what do I need to know before I buy the cheaper one?

Thanks

 

Rule #1 - DO NOT GO CHEAP!

AC Delco or Delphi pumps only unless you want to be replacing it again prematurely. Aftermarket pumps don't have a great reputation in these trucks.

 

^ PLEASE listen to what he said. We all have done it,we all regret it. Please dont make the mistake some of us blazer owners have.

 

Thanks a bunch

 

I found a Delphi pump assembly on Amazon, of all places, for $155. It comes with everything. I figure since my '88 has 187k I'd just replace everything while I'm in there.

Amazon.com: Delphi HP10020 Fuel Pump Hanger Assembly: Automotive