My 2001 LT Suburban shut down on the freeway as I have seen posted elsewhere.
Similar to some it will start and run for only a few seconds after a long idle period and not restart.
I have replaced the filter beneath the cabin.
I have not ben able to hear the fuel pump run when the ignition is on.
I have checked the ECM1 and ECMB fuses under the hood.
The fuel pump relay does not click at all when I take it out or re-socket it. (The ignition is on and the fuel does not appear to be at cutoff pressure, because it will not start.)
At least until now it has eventually started, but will not run, even since changing the filter.
I do not have a code reader or a fuel pressure guage.

It was displaying "Check Engine" periodically the day that it quit.
I was experiencing some extended cranking starts before the :Check Engine" light
Does any of this resemble anything that anyone has seen? Would anything else cause the shutdown other than fuel? Waiting for family tech, but trying to research the problem.

 

I say fuel pumps gone bad.

 

My co-worker who owns a newer Suburban, has had a fuel pump die and he suggested the fuses because his pump would get hot while running and then blow a fuse. He was at Mud Nationals and had some tech help close by. After a cool down period and a new fuse it ran long enough to get him off of the road.
Since I cannot get the relay to click AND I don't have a blown ECM fuse, I was wondering if I was checking the right fuse on my model. He was not sure about the nomenclature as this has been about 2 years, but I picked up the ECM1 from reading this forum.
I can do fairly advanced electrical testing if someone has some suggestions for things I haven't tried yet .

 

Fuel pump repacement on this vehicle was very challenging at first but I learned a couple of things that might help someone else out tackling the same vehicle.

1.) Although it may not be the most convenient thing to do, it is very important to remove as much fuel as possible from the tank before starting.

2.) Since my tank was plastic, and I don't have a transmission jack, I raised my truck and set it on jack stands and used my floor jack with a piece of plywood cut to fit between the hanger bands to spread out the weight and not shove a hole through the bottom of the tank.

3.) The tank will not slide back far enough to remove it untill the fuel lines are removed. It will only drop down at the rear which gives access to the metal cover, fuel lines, and the electrical harness. This is one hand access if you have fat hands like me.
The plastic connectors that attach the fuel lines to the pump and the evaporator canister line only need slight side pressure (squeeze both sides) and a straight pull away to release them. Don't use tools because you can damage them. If you are sure that the pump is bad and you are unable to release them in the space that you have, you can carefully cut the plastic stems from the old pump with pliers and remove the connectors later. Mine were two piece connectors and you need the part that stays on the pump.
Again a side squeeze will release the white plastic piece from the stem. Cutting is much faster and trouble-free but it completely voids the old pump in case you had any doubts about it or any plans for it.

4.) I used the Airtech replacement pump from O'Reilly, lower cost ($80)and same 1 year warranty as the Delphi. The 4 wire square connector on the old pump had been replaced with a 4 wire flat connector. The replacement parts including butt connectors were in the box.

5.) With the tank virtually empty I only needed the jack for positioning support going back.

6.) Tools that I used :

8 mm 6 pt. socket Hose clamps on filler neck and vent tube, nuts on metal cap over pump connectors, single screw that holds plastic cover over top of engine to access fuel pressure port on fuel rail.

15 mm 6 pt socket two hanger strap to body bolts.

Short needle nose pliers to squeeze plastic clips. Remember, does not need a lot of force.

16 mm and 20 mm open end wrench to install inline fuel filter. Slide filter to either end to remove from clip.

We used less than 5 lbs. of absorbent to recover the fuel spilled because the tank was not emptied beforehand and we had to pour it into cans from the tank after we got it out.

Borrowed-Fuel pressure gage with vent tube to de-pressurize system, allow for air removal and test before and after for proper fuel pressure. I used a soda bottle to catch waste fuel from the vent tube.


This was a first for me (54 yrs old) and my younger brother helped. Neither of us can be considered experienced technicians, but we do a lot of our own work with advice from a friend who is certified on all GM. He was not present and we only called him once after we started. We did it in my driveway over two days because I wanted to have the pump out to take to the parts store with me. Less than 6 total hours for us but it could be done much faster starting with an empty tank.

 

I can't find the fuel line connections at the front of the tank so I can't get my tank out all of the way. Where are those connections? How do I disconnect them? Thank you.

 

The connectors for the flexible lines are located 1.)atop the tank beneath a "metal cap" or lid along with the electrical connections or 2.)within about 18" of the inline fuel filter toward the tank. They attach the flexible lines to the conventional hard lines.

The ones at the front did not appear to particularly easy to get to unless you were in a shop setting and not lying on your back or side.

The ones atop the tank can be fairly easily worked from the side when the rear of the tank has been lowered to the ground. Remove the two flanged nuts, remove the "cap", then if necesarry, just clip the plastic inlets with pliers on the pump side. The tank can then be moved toward the rear and the front lowered to the ground.

This assumes that the line from the evaporator canister has already been removed. The canister is mounted above the cross member in front of the tank. It has one large line and two small ones. The lower small one runs from the front of the tank to the canister and can impede removal of the tank.