96 GMC Safari fuel pump location?

**tuscarora dave** · 10-06-2009, 11:28 PM

I found a 96 GMC Safari conversion van for next to nothing. The van does not run right now. The current owner said they tried spraying a bit of starting fluid into the air intake and the engine started but shut off pretty much immediately. I would think this rules out crank sensor or computer problems and leads me to believe that the fuel delivery system would be a good place to start.

Does anyone here at detail city know off hand where the fuel pump is located on these all wheel drive astro type GMC Safaris? Would it be located in the fuel tank? I am going to have this thing towed to a repair shop to have it repaired and inspected but would like to do a little diagnostic work of my own first.

I have not yet had a chance to mess around with it, so I am just trowing this out here and looking for some ideas. I can guess as well as anyone so I am seeking facts. Do any of you know about these vans?
Are there notorious problems with the fuel systems on these or is there a fuel system safety shut off switch on these vans or a fuel pump relay? If so where are these things located on the van?

Thanks in advance for any info that any of you might have on this subject, TD

**9D4E420** · 10-06-2009, 11:45 PM

The pump is located in tank. The tank needs to be dropped for replacement the are no access panels. Turn the key on to accessory mode if you hear the pump prime you know the pump is working. Also you can trace your fuel line to a fuel rail if you have a Vortec engine. If you find the schradel valve you can bleed it with a fingernail if you have fuel it could be an ignition coil problem maybe? As for the relays they could be located near the firewall. But check a forum or a manual for an exact location. Hope this helps. Good luck with the purchase.

**njcarting1** · 10-07-2009, 03:03 AM

Originally Posted by tuscarora dave

I found a 96 GMC Safari conversion van for next to nothing. The van does not run right now. The current owner said they tried spraying a bit of starting fluid into the air intake and the engine started but shut off pretty much immediately. I would think this rules out crank sensor or computer problems and leads me to believe that the fuel delivery system would be a good place to start.

Does anyone here at detail city know off hand where the fuel pump is located on these all wheel drive astro type GMC Safaris? Would it be located in the fuel tank? I am going to have this thing towed to a repair shop to have it repaired and inspected but would like to do a little diagnostic work of my own first.

I have not yet had a chance to mess around with it, so I am just trowing this out here and looking for some ideas. I can guess as well as anyone so I am seeking facts. Do any of you know about these vans?
Are there notorious problems with the fuel systems on these or is there a fuel system safety shut off switch on these vans or a fuel pump relay? If so where are these things located on the van?

Thanks in advance for any info that any of you might have on this subject, TD

Fuel pumps are a problem with the tank mounted pumps. The dropping the tank is a pain. The other side of the coin was napa had a bad run of pumps a while back and they did not last long. I guess by now the problem has been fixed and the pumps will last longer. Just hope its not full Dave when you drop it down. The main reason for some problems are the salt,sand that sits on the top of the tank making a corrosion nightmare in most cases. Its not a big dollar item Dave its the time in fool-in with dropping down and re bolting back into place.

Change it out and you should be good to go...

**tuscarora dave** · 10-07-2009, 05:19 AM

thanks for the quick reply guys. This van is in not too bad a shape. it is all but free from one of Dad`s x girlfriends. Needs a little TLC with a few cosmetic issues and such. This way sure beats having a monthly payment for a few years. I will post some pics after/if I get it and after I get it cleaned up.

**RANDAL** · 10-07-2009, 07:18 AM

From my experience, MAKE SURE THERES GAS IN THE TANK, AT LEAST 3 GALLON. I did the module, plugs, wires, decided to replace fuel pump, guess what when I dropped tank. NO GAS! Another idea is to run a code scan, but use a bigger scan machine than those little scan tools to can buy at wally world. the larger one will tell you the possibility of what went wrong, not just a list. (Just make sure its got OBD11, if not just trouble shoot from advice.)

**Tex Star Detail** · 10-07-2009, 07:22 AM

TD, check out Forum index page • AstroSafari.com

My work van is a 95 Safari. The forum is more than helpful in troubleshooting and resolving issues. I am on the forum as "Tex Star Detail". I tend to read a little more than post. Just thought I`d share.

**tuscarora dave** · 10-07-2009, 09:33 PM

Originally Posted by TexasTB

TD, check out Forum index page • AstroSafari.com

My work van is a 95 Safari. The forum is more than helpful in troubleshooting and resolving issues. I am on the forum as "Tex Star Detail". I tend to read a little more than post. Just thought I`d share.

thanks to you and all who shared on this topic. I found out today that the van is in fact a 1995 and not a 96. I will check this forum. Thanks again for the tips, TD