Hey everyone! I have a 1997 Blazer LT that I just acquired a few months ago and it has started to act up a bit. The problem is, whenever my fuel level gets low it will be hard to start. It takes maybe 5 tries to get it to start when its 1/4 tank or less. I assume it is the fuel pump going out, and having done some research on the web, this appears to be a classic symptom. Strange thing is, once I start the car up it runs just fine with no hesitation or bucking etc. Also, it'll start up just fine if the car is warm, even when it's low on fuel. So that confuses me. It's only on the cold starts with a low fuel level that are difficult. For example, this evening it gave me a hard time starting when leaving work, but when I stopped home and went out 15 minutes later (with an even lower fuel level!) it started right up. Weird.

What do you guys think? I may just replace the fuel pump assembly anyhow since it is an older car and it is likely to give out soon if this isn't already a sign. Just want to make sure there isn't another factor to consider. Thanks in advance!

 

kewl name man i love that show, anyway i have a 2000 LT 4 door and it is similar at a 1/4 tank mark or below if the truck is not level or nosed uphill it WILLNOT crank at all ive had to get out and push it to a new position with a 1/4 tank in it just to crank it but in the wrong position it will just spin and not fire like it is bone dry out of fuel but change the position and it will crank first lick.
a mechanic i know recently told me this was probly due to a baffle in the tank being broken but i dont know im just always mindfull of my parking position
and i dont know if this will even help you at all seeing as how you problem seems temp based and mine positional but i thought ide drop my story for ya
hey consider this idk if its possible but it maybe is loosing prime on the fuel system and it is harder to crank after a longer amount of time, kindof like my old tractor if i dont crank it every couple days it looses prime and is hell to crank if i crank it every day it fires right up because a small leak in the mechanical fuel pump causes it to loose prime so it takes some crankin to get the air out of the system, but again idk if that is even possible on a vehicle with an electric fuel pump it should gain fuel pressure as soon as you cycle the key to the on position befor you crank it hmmm idk just typing every thing that spills from my ole noodle here give us another post here if you change the pump once you see if it helps yer problem or not

 

i would do a fuel pressure leak down test to see if its loosing "prime" like he said. it sounds like thats your problem. https://blazerforum.com/forum/tech-a...agnosis-23038/ look through this handy thread from Swartlkk
hope this helps!

 

Thanks for the advice fellas. I am going to see if I can rent a fuel pressure tester and see if I can get to the bottom of this. Unfortunately, it appears that most kits require a special adapter for GM vehicles that I might have to end up buying haha. I'll keep you guys posted.

 

It does seem like your fuel pump losing prime. One main reason this happens on today's vehicles is that folks have a tendency to continually maintain low fuel levels today because gas is so expensive. To be certain that your fuel pump seals stay in good condition the pump must stay submerged. If you always have 1/4 tank or less the pump may spend more time out of contact with gas than in depending on the position of the car when you park it for the night or while you are not driving it for long periods. If the pump dries out for long periods so do the seals. The best and surest way to prevent this is to keep at least half a tank of fuel. I know you think it costs more, but when you price a fuel pump and the labor to replace it if you can't do it, the old saying that you can run on the top half just as cheap as the top half gets a new meaning. Just an idea.

 

Captain,
Excellent advice. Thank you. Yes, i changed out the fuel pump ( one of the most frustrating car repairs I've done) and it definitely runs better. Good point about the riding on less than 1/4 tank. I've never done that until recently, and now that this has happened it is well worth the effort to keep it above 1/2 tank to avoid this scenario again haha. Thanks for the advice

 

Glad that helped. When I was working part-time at Advance Auto I sold a lot of fuel pumps for that reason. It really is a good thing to just think of 1/4 tank as the warning to get gas. You really can run on the top half just as cheap on the top half. The manufacturers call that planned obsolescence of their parts.