2002 Saturn LW300
 

Hey y’all!

I am Seth, fresh out of college and tackling the new normal of doing it myself.
I’ve got a pretty reliable LW300, it took me from Oregon to Colorado and back without a hitch. She does seem to have a bit of a problem when the fuel starts to run low, though… twice now my fuel pump setup has gone out, and I’m in the second round of scrounging to get her back up and running.

My introduction to this site is based on this problem: Is there some fuel pump I can buy for my car without needing to pay for the whole assembly?

Some info: it seems like brand name stores are only carrying the full sealed assembly, priced from $200-300. I’d prefer to buy only the part I need, saving money and waste. Please let me know any recommendations you might have.

Thank you, and happy to be here!
Seth

It is labor intensive to replace the pump so I always replace the complete assembly. The plastic hose connections often fail before the pump itself on the 2001-2005 models. I also purchase an OEM equivalent model pump. Now that you have learned that running your car low on fuel causes premature failure of the fuel pump you should have better success with the replacement unit.

Like Andy said, NEVER let your car get below a quarter tank. The pump relies on the gas in the tank to keep it cool. If there's not enough in the tank to keep the pump submerged, then the pump runs hot and fails. It's not that hard to understand. So, if you want to keep the car for a while, do what Andy said. He's the L series guru and knows more about these cars than most of the rest of us combined.

It's too expensive, and buying only the parts you need can save you a lot of money. Good luck