Went to start the GTA the other morning and it wouldn't start. As this is not the norm, I turned the ignition on, listened and didn’t hear the fuel pump run. Later I checked the fuel pressure at the fuel rail and it is zero.

I am suspicious of the fuel pump being bad because of problems in the past with the fusible link from the battery to the ECM that has mimicked a fuel pump failure. Long (and stupid) story. Quick aside, if the SES isn't on when the ignition is on, ECM has no power. Anyway, I had the fuel pump, filter and strainer replaced on 6/2004 and have put about 8k miles on it since then. It’s a pain because the rear axle has to be dropped to remove the tank.

The question is what can kill a fuel pump so quickly? I haven't gotten under the car to check the wiring yet. I know this isn't a lot of detail. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

 

I'm gonna go with 'driving around with very little gas in the tank.' Alot. Like.... all the time. Since the pumps use fuel to cool them, if you consistantly drive with hardly any gas in the take, it is not submerged to keep it cool. Supposedly this can shorten the life of a pump. My next guess was going to be an old fuel filter (partially clogged) that makes the pump work harder, but if it's not that old, then you may rule that out.
You might want to check to see if it could be something as simple as a bad fuel pump relay first. Check to see if it is giving out about 12v to the pump when you turn the ignition on to 'pressurize' the system. It may be a long shot, but hey, if there is the slightest chance you don't have to drop the tank.... it may be worth it.

 

Running alot of fuel additives can kill it too like drygas. Try jumping the pump with power to the aldl connector and see if it turns on.

 

I'd be poking around on that relay underhood, as well.

 

take a jumper wire from 12-V hot terminal and connect it to terminal G on your ALDL and see if the pump runs. You could have a bad relay.
Evedently, if you've attached a pic once, they won't let you attach the same one again. So I'll describe where it is! The G term. is the one on the bottm left corner of your ALDL connector. Puting 12-V to it will cause the pump to run continiously and you can even check the pressure from your fuel line or rail port.

 

Thanks for the responses; all were definitely good suggestions. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the fuel pump. Just. Great.

$525 later, the GTA is back on the road.

 

Yea, it's always the fuel pump for me, too. I'll try all those 'other' things, but I end up having to drop the tank as well. $500 is pretty painful. It is a pain in the @#$ doing it yourself, but I like $500 more than I like having a free day to relax. Of course getting the tank in and out is a two man job...