Our work van just dies randomly while we're driving it down the road. Sometimes we're driving on city streets, sometimes we're getting on the highway. There is no rhyme or reason. Now we can't even get it to start most times. When it dies we have to shut it completely off and try to start it several times before we actually get it to start.

 

This is one symptom of a bad fuel pump. The pump gets hot, shuts down, and then runs again once it cools off. It usually happens while you're driving at a constant speed. A clogged fuel filter usually shows up when you try to accelerate or climb a hill or bridge.

 

Yup. Fuel pump. however its strange that it starts back up. Usually a fuel pump will quit then leave you stranded until you jar it by banging on the fuel tank.
As far as a clogged fuel filter, usually if it starts you will just have no upper band power or more than half throttle power.....cheap to change though.
If it quits all of a sudden without sputtering etc, then it could be electrical.
Check all your plug wires...
See if you have any codes stored...
Check you ignition switch. Gm has a recall on several vehicles...so Delphi must suck.

 

That was the way my '99 Dodge Ram fuel pump went into failure. Funny thing is, I could monitor the instantaneous gas mileage with the instrument package I had. When the engine would start cutting out the mpg would drop very low giving me the thought that gas was being over-supplied to the engine. After I thought about it for a while, I realized that the mpg is being calculated by the amount of time the injectors were being held open. So the engine management system was calling for gas and the injectors were being held open trying to supply gas that just wasn't coming. This gave the incorrect assumption that the engine was being flooded.

 

The guys that work here were leaning toward the ignition switch or the throttle position sensor. When we have to restart it, it acts like the battery is dead. It doesn't turn over or anything until it actually starts back up. Sometimes that happens in 2 or 3 tries, sometimes it takes 7-10+ before it does anything. Is that what it does when you're fuel pump goes out?
There are no recalls other than the seat belt.

 

A bad sensor would not kill the engine electrical. Ignition switch sounds right. Perhaps a relay on the starting circuit. Did you check for codes?

 

Hey jhenley1318,

Welcome to the Chevy Forums.

I would consider hooking it up to an OBDII

scan tool. You will probably get a trouble code.

We have them indexed here. Check them under

"Thread Search".

 

We haven't had it checked for codes. I think they are going to try replacing the ignition switch first and see if that takes care of the problem. I will suggest having the codes checked and the possibility of a relay to them as well. Thank you all for your help.

 

Ahhh, more info. If the starter won't activate then you've got an electrical problem to resolve. Really, haven't checked codes? Code readers are cheap!

 

We haven't done anything to it yet because we are too busy to even mess with it right now. We are using a courier until we slow down enough that they can do something to it. I will suggest the code issue though.