If the emissions warranty covers the flex pipe, get the dealer to replace it - otherwise hit a muffler shop - they would be MUCH cheaper than the dealer. A muffler shop can often cut the flex part off, and weld on a new flex section, and flange, rather than replace the cat which can save you some major $'s. And yeah, if the leak is bad enough the mixture will be way off.

 

Possible the gas smell could be an injector(s) stuck open, flooding the cylinder(s), raw fuel in the exhaust, smell escaping into engine compartment via the broken flex pipe. Doesn't explain the multiple fuel pump failures, but maybe the gas oder under the hood. I'm just guessing here, I admit. Question to someone that might know, if an injector sticks open, will the fuel pump shutdown due to loss of pressure?????

 

Well today we worked on it for a couple hours. My buddy that's helping me is a ASE Certified Mechanic. But we tested all the wiring from front to back no pinched wires, voltage is the same from front to back. Put a new fuel pump, it's a Airtek which I heard are hit or miss in GM's. It fired right away and been driving on her for awhile today with not one problem. Had my other buddy, also a mechanic fix my flex pipe today with a new one and I can't even hear the engine anymore (Which is a change for me). But other than that, things seemingly are going well.

 

I drove with a cracked flex pipe for about 4-6 months, simply because I couldn't afford to get it fixed at the time. It wasn't loud enough to attract attention from the police, but it wasn't quiet like it should be either. Went to the local Chevy dealer, and they wanted in the neighborhood of $700 to get it fixed. They said the exhaust was all one piece, and they had to replace it from the engine back to the tailpipe. I declined, and I went to the exhaust shop. They said they could cut out the cracked flex pipe and weld a new one in. They only charged me $200. I still can't understand how the dealer can get away with asking that kind of a price. To be clear, my pockets are not lined with gold... After I got the car back from the exhaust shop, it seemed as quiet as a Cadillac. I was so used to the loud exhaust that I couldn't even hear the engine now. After so many months, you start to get used to the extra noise.

 

Was the voltage test done with the engine running?

With a 320 amp alternator, if you have a bad voltage regulator you may be running excessive voltage with the engine running and 'charring' the fuse and burning out the fuel pump. I cooked a fuel pump in a jeep when the regulator failed and my alternator was putting out 18 volts while driving.

 

Yeah my buddy charged me $160 total. When I started it, I was like dude... it's not running.. lol

But to answer your question congo.. the alternator is regulated by the ECM and most of the time, mine doesn't charge. It'll go the 13.4 and sit there, and then back down to battery resting voltage. But I do wish I could run 18V. Would run my amplifier far more efficiently!

 

While it's not out of the realm of possibility that you got a run of bad pumps, Occam's Razor says the simplest solution is likely the correct one.


In other words, I'd find out what is cooking fuses and fuel pumps. It may be an intermittent problem- those are a real pain to find- but it's unlikely that it's just the pump.

Can you get your hands on a diagnostic tool? Shotgunning this diagnosis can end up more expensive than paying for a proper diagnosis. Sometimes the most important part of fixing a problem is knowing when to call an expert.

 

Well his good buddy works at the local GM dealership as the warranty service technician and we've been on the phone with a few times with it. But if it fails again. It's going to him.

 

sounds like a plan!

 

I think I found the culprit to my problem... was right under my nose.. the ground by the passenger said tail light access hole, was LOOSE!!! Guess I'll find out if that was the main problem.