Fuel Pumps: Everything You Want to Know, But Are Afraid to Ask

Video shows exciting inner-workings of an otherwise boring part.

You rarely think about them when they’re working properly, and when they’re not, you just chuck the whole thing and drop in a new one. But despite their being an afterthought, your fuel pump is one of the most important parts of your car. And in YouTube user speedcar99’s disassembly video, we get a look at just how ingenious and complex these parts really are.

Regardless of make or model, a fuel pump is designed roughly the same way in a Chevrolet Corvette as it is in a Honda Civic. It sits inside the gas tank, pulling fuel through a sock-like filter, and through a DC motor, which feeds it through your fuel filter into the engine. Excessively pressurized gas is sent back into the tank.

ALSO SEE: What Forum Members Are Saying About Fuel Pumps

Your fuel pump also contains the float used to indicate fuel level on your fuel gauge, as well as the sensor that activates the “low fuel warning” light when you’re running low on gas.

Sound like a lot? It is. With help from a screwdriver and a dremel, speedcar99 completely disassembles the fuel pump, running it in water and testing it with a voltmeter along the way. He even breaks it down all the way to the foam in the float, as well as the magnets in the DC motor.

Still, the removal of some fuel pumps in more conventional cars is a walk in the park compared with the complex surgery you’d have to do in any ‘Vette since the C5. This particular pump is a lot simpler-looking than the one in the C7, too, and likely cheaper. Chevrolet dealer estimates for new fuel pumps regularly top $1,000. At the end of the day, however, the mechanicals are the same, so next time you’re troubleshooting fuel system problems, this video might give you better insight into what might be going wrong with your Corvette.