Replaced Fuel Pump, Starter Died!

Nick1994

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Phoenix, AZ
Kind of a pointless post, but I was helping out a family member, it's her mom's 98' S10 2.2L 5-speed that she's had since new, only has 125k miles. She hasnt been able to drive for about 5-6 years so the pickup has mostly been sitting. It was last started almost 2 years ago, but hasn't been touched since then.

She asked for help getting it moved to another spot in the driveway and I was able to get the battery charged somehow, it was totally dead, but then it was all crank and no fire. I couldn't hear the fuel pump so I swapped the relay with the A/C relay and that didn't help, fuel schrader valve was dry too. I ordered up a cheapo $30 TYC fuel pump assembly and a new fuel filter and installed it today. It wasn't too bad of a job but I did have to unbolt the bed and lift up the front of it to get to the pump.

Not sure if it's just age, the heat, or old gas but the hose that led from the top of the fuel pump assembly down to the bottom was disintegrating. Also the strainer was toast. I was able to use a hand pump and get out 6 gallons of old stinky gas and I filled it up with 4 gallons of fresh 91 octane.

Got the truck to start but it seemed like it might have been firing on 3 cylinders, not exactly sure. It ran for about a minute or two but then started running a little bit rougher, so I turned it off. Started it one more time and it started then stalled. Now it won't crank! I had wondered if the engine seized up but I stuck a ratchet on the crank and it does seem to turn, but there's another noise and some resistance. I think the starter is stuck sticking out on the flywheel. It just clicks loudly and if you whack it with a hammer or let it sit a few minutes it'll do 1 crank and lock up again.

I guess the moral of the story is, keep those cars moving and don't let them sit. She's deciding what she wants to do at this point, she wanted to give it to a nephew who could work on it for a few years with his dad until he gets his license.

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Pulling the bed was the way to go, a lot easier than dropping the tank. Luckily these are simple to work on and parts are cheap so you shouldn't have any issue getting it road worthy. Check the cooling system closely, the 2.2 doesn't do well if you get it hot.
 
Yeah tell me about it. Don’t let cars sit. My mother in law has a 95 bmw 545i with 17K miles. Doesn’t move till it’s time to get reinspected. I head over there to jump start it...speaking of it’s due the end of February, lol.
 
if that was in the rust belt you’d have to cut an access hole or just tow it to the junkyard 😂
Oh yeah, it has all the factory undercoating, just covered in AZ dirt. All bolts came out like they were brand new.

Check to make sure the battery terminals are free of corrosion and secure.
It's a side post, they look pretty good. Maybe I should try to jump it.

Sweet truck, my son had one, lowered, shaved, etc. The nephew should be thrilled to get it. Shoot, have it towed and let them fix it.
Yeah shes going to talk to her brother (it would be for his son). I'm not sure they have a place yet to store it. She has the room but it's in the way currently.

It's really clean, I remember riding in it when I was a little kid.
 
DO NOT crank the engine over 'til the Injectors have been pulled, flowed & cleaned, This also bench tests the Pressure Regulator. Old/Varnished gas can & will cause sticky Intake Valves. Kind of to late for this advice, But I guess you can remove the starter & bar the engine over to see if the mechanical bind is still there.
 
Sitting is definitely hard on a vehicle. That is why we like to alternate the vehicles we take each time. That’s tough luck having the fuel pump go then the starter. My guess it was already weak and then the fuel pump replacement took the rest of it out by having a lot more power and fuel when cranking.
 
It's a side post, they look pretty good. Maybe I should try to jump it.
Exactly. Up here they would corrode inside the terminal covers and around the posts. Remove the side bolts and closely examine the contact areas inside the rubber boots. Also make sure the battery is charged or replace it.
 
FWIW looking back in hindsight, the best way to do something that has set for a long time is to drop the tank and have it cleaned. Old fuel can stick valves and gum up injectors.
 
Yes, I had to cut the factory connector off and splice in the new connection. All of the replacements do this, not sure why though.

And all the connectors are all different between aftermarket brands! I believe it is so they can use one pump for multiple applications.
 
GM has revised the starter for that year of s10's. This is the starter I used on mine.


You can verify fitment on gmpartsdirect.com by entering your vin.
 
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