Hey all, I'm glad to have found a good forum for the Astro van! I have a 2000 AWD Astro.

So I bought a van with a faulty fuel gauge. i ran out of gas on the highway and then wouldnt start ... i figured it was the fuel pump.

after getting it towed home, i got an ACDelco pump and put it in the car (what a bulky tank!) but when i tried to start it, still no start. it has a fresh new battery and crank sounds healthy, just no start ....

any ideas? is it a DOA fuel pump? or did something else break and i replaced the fuel pump for no good reason?

thanks for your help!

 

Have you hooked a fuel pressure gauge up to it yet? Did put in a new fuel filter?

 

as ihatemybike suggested, also let's jump ahead and check the ignition system, have any rainy weather that day ?

astro vans are known in some cases to just quit when it's raining and i found that it points to the ignition coil.

remove the console and engine cover, you can access the fuel line there too, crank the engine and listen for snapping sounds, eyeball the coil, if you see a light show the coil is likely the culprit.

let us know and we can move on to the module located in the distributor.

 

i didnt put in a new filter, though i think i will now that you mention it...

i will also check fuel rail pressure today.

it was raining the day it died, ive read about something funky happening with the distributor cap? is that what youre talking about? what should i check on the ignition coils?

 

Humidity can cause no start issues with old/worn distributors, but they'll usually start again when it dries out.

 

hey guys, i just got back from another unsuccessful round of messing with the astro van...

i checked the schrader valve on the engine and it is getting NO fuel pressure at all...

i swapped the fuel pump relays and nothing happened ... i also tested pin 30 on the relay to make sure it had 12v power... then i jumpered it to the middle pin on the other side (87) to jumper the pump so its always on ... i then dropped the tank again to make sure everything was connected, which it was ... i dont know which wires are which on the pump ... i dont even know which connector is for the pump, and which is for the fuel level. does anyone know which wire is which there so i can check to see if 12v is getting where it needs to?


im starting to suspect the pump i bought was DOA?! is that possible/probable?! its an AC Delco pump ...

I am also starting to second guess myself - is this even a dead fuel pump issue?!?! i did run out of gas, and the car died... symptoms do seem like a dead fuel pump.

 

after some trouble shooting ive found that its a completely clogged fuel filter... wow i didnt think a filter would get clogged to a point where it wouldnt flow!

for the archives, while troubleshooting, i found that the ground wire in the harness near the tank was pretty corroded, so i filed that clean... i then found that the van would feed 5v to the fuel pump connector (the one with 3 pins wires were green, black w white stripe, and grey w black stripe).

also people mention checking the ECM-B and ECM-I fuses, as well as the fuel pump relay... as well as pressure on the rail - very good advice. thanks

 

something that may help with this, is to fill a windex bottle with water. while someone else cranks spray the ignition sys with a mist of water. this will alot of time make a spark show up when it normally would not have (works best in the evening or at night)

 

OMG IM AT MY WITS END!!! WHAT CAN IT BE?!!!

i am getting no pressure at the rail after changing the pump and filter. i can hear the pump turn on when i turn the key slightly ... i changed to a new fuel filter, i even filled up the gas more to have ~6 gallons in the tank.

any other ideas?!?! no pressure at the rail still?? how?

 

If the oil pressure switch faults, it tell's the pcm to shut down the fuel pump. if the fuel pump relay faults, the oil pressure switch backs it up, but, you will have excessive cranking to get it started. you must build up 3-4 lbs pressure in order for the fuel pump to kick in. I believe it to be your oil pressure switch/sensor! Let me know how you make out.