Alright, for starters, I have been reading and reading and searching and searching and have found a lot of useful threads.

Car is a stock 2001 Trans Am. I was out driving the Friday before Halloween, and it was running like a champ. Just perfect. I parked at my house and went inside for about two hours. I came back out and cranked it, and it started but it was bogging like mad, just chugging at about 500 rpm. I pressed the accelerator a bit and that didn’t really do anything. I shut it off, waited a minute, tried again with the same result. After about three tries, it wouldn’t start at all. It would crank, but not fire.

I replaced the battery because it was three years old any ways and it wasn’t a big deal. I also picked up a starter and ignition relay while at the store. Installed everything and still just cranking, no firing. I swapped the fuel pump relay with the A/C compressor relay, same result (A/C worked great with the swapped relays) (or are they fuses? No matter, I swapped them and didn’t change anything). I disconnected my fuel filter and a couple little palm fulls of gas came out, looks nice and clean and smells like gas (I have over a quarter tank in the car currently). When I turned the key to “ON” but not “Start”, no extra gas dribbled out of the fuel filter, and I’m pretty sure I can’t hear the fuel pump prime.

So, my question is, does this sound like a bad fuel pump? I know most of you are thinking “Uh, yeah, dummy” but I just want to make sure that a car running perfectly and then magically not starting sounds like a bad pump, especially in October. I’ve had one go out in the summer before but that made sense, with the heat. Are there any other points between the pump and the engine that I can check? I also checked the plug to the pump at the rear of the car behind the axle. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Check all ground connections. Sounds like a connection deteriorated and failed.

 

Check feul pressure at key-on or during cranking. Check to see if the feul pump is getting voltage during key on or during cranking.

 

Check to see if the engine is getting spark, as well.

 

I'm no master mechanic. But your description sounds like spark is fine, fuel is the issue. I second the checking fuel pump voltage.

 

Fuel pump most likely. The symptoms sound like a pump too.

You said when you turn the key on no fuel came out of the filter with the line open.

It could be a relay but you already swapped that. Could be a fuse but I do this for a living all day every day for 20 years and I don't think I've ever seen a bad fuse for a fuel pump, just rarely happens. Check it anyway but it's unlikely

What is super common is the pump itself. Always a good idea to check for voltage to the pump, but on a GM car, 99% of the time it's the pump itself. I've had a couple that the feed wire to the pump burned up at the relay so look for a burned pin at the relay.

 

Take a rubber mallet and tap on the underside of the tank. Sometimes it will jar the pump some. Also seen a bad maf di some weird stuff.

 

Thanks for the advice, guys. I’ve been swamped with school work and trying to get things in order for graduation, the car has taken a deep back seat. I’ve been out of town for Thanksgiving as well, I’m going to get the pump replaced sometime between Sunday and Tuesday, I’ll post the results here, hopefully get it solved and provide some information to anyone in the future with a similar problem.

 

If you're having someone else do it have them confirm it before just slapping a pump in there. Sounds like a pump but if it's not that'll suck, pumps and installs aren't cheap.

 

Pick up a fuel pressure tester and test the pressure. Mine was very very low and would turn over once. Also if you decide not to drop your tank then make sure you read the cutting instructions Very carefully. Don't ask how I know lol

 

I've already cut my access hole for the fuel pump (wish I had known the 1999 and up pumps are in a different location than the 1998 and down ones) so this is sort of late, but could a bad alternator cause the fuel pump to not energize? I only ask because I watched a youtube video and the guy said that the hot wire to the fuel pump draws current directly "from the back" of the alternator.

 

Not saying it's not possible, but I've never heard of it. Try smacking the bottom of the tank a couple times with a mallet and see if it starts. When I used to work at the dealer, we did that. Sometimes it started and we were able to drive it in rather than push it in. it's also an easy way to tell if the pump is gonzo.

 

No, you could have no alternator at all and the car would run as long as the battery is charged. The hot wire kit does connect at the alternator, but so does a battery positive cable.

 

Sounds like a lack of fuel...

 

I’m waiting on the new pump to arrive. I siphoned out the old gas and put in five gallons of fresh 93 octane, still wouldnt start.

 

New fuel pump in, car fired right up. Thanks for the help everyone.

 

Awesome

 

Nice!