Chevy & GMC Vans

Great site guys - So a mechanic friend of mine gave me a Delco fuel pump for my 2000 Astro knowing I was getting up to 100,000 miles. Told me the reason they go out so predictably was not the pump design itself but the electrical connector - the connection goes bad after awhile, the pump is starved of voltage and eventually gives up the ghost. This explains why you have to splice in a new connector when replacing the pump. ANYWAY my question is this: My pump (A/C Delco# MU-1375) didn't come with a new connector pigtail. How do I go about getting the correct pigtail connector for the new pump? I plan on changing out the pump before it goes bad and would like to have everything I need. 2000 Astro RWD 4.3 conversion van (upfitter)

I'm fairly sure that it is the connector on the under side of the sending unit, not the one on the end of the harness. You should be able to use your original harness on the new pump/sending unit assembly.

I've done six pumps in five different vans (my 94 I put a cheap pump in before I learned), not once have I spliced in a new connector. I certainly wouldn't recommend it, unless the stock one looks quite bad.

The main reason the pumps go bad is neglecting the fuel filter. A clogged filter puts a strain on the pump since the computer tells it to keep running till proper pressure is reached.

I have replaced a couple of pumps that turned out to have fried connectors at the pump. It was obviously cooked on one terminal. As in melted and black. I just don't get how the van doesn't blow up when this happens. I'm getting the heeby jeeby's just thinking about it again!

lockdoc wrote:I have replaced a couple of pumps that turned out to have fried connectors at the pump. It was obviously cooked on one terminal. As in melted and black. I just don't get how the van doesn't blow up when this happens. I'm getting the heeby jeeby's just thinking about it again!

They don't blow up because the fuel concentration is too rich. I think Mythbusters proved this.

When the pump dies in my old 95, I pulled the pump apart and found the brushes and commutator were worn to the point they lost connection. I never pulled the pump apart on the SPB, but the wires at the connector were melted. I did not replace the external wire harnesses on either van.

Welcome to the site. The real problem came about because "Do it yourselfers" didn't bother to check the condition of or bother to change a faulty connector. If your connector is in good shape you won't have to replace it. As Dean stated, the real cause of fuel pump failure is excessively worn brushes and commutator. I too have disassembled many old fuel pumps and have found that to be the case in every one of them.

It doesn't explode because the tank is grounded to the frame. Remove that gounding strap and it will explode.
I think you may have you fuels mixed up Lifted, diesel fuel needs to be vapourized to ignite, gas will ignite on it's own but it will burn a lot better when mixed with oxygen, and better still when mixed with oxygen and NO2.