Mysterious electrical problem

CHEVROLET SUBURBAN
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SSTANIEC
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I drive a 2003 LT, 4WD, large engine, has about 83,000m. I've taken my suburban into the dealership three times because it randomly dies on the road. It always turns out to be that one or more fuses are blown, so they replace the fuses and bill me about $350.

My question: is there any known electrical problem that these models have in common that I could have corrected? I've noticed that all the suburbans and trucks running lights burn out on one side, too. Is this possibly related? Many, many thanks!
Jul 30, 2007 at 2:38 PM
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SERVICE WRITER
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What circuit (s) is it blowing on?
Aug 1, 2007 at 2:55 PM
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SSTANIEC
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The breaker to the cigarette lighter the first time, and one to the fuel pump the second. Thanks for responding!
Aug 1, 2007 at 8:13 PM
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You need to find out.

At the very least you need to find out so you can keep a few extra fuses so you don't get stuck.
Aug 1, 2007 at 8:33 PM
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SSTANIEC
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I just edited to say that the second time it was a fuse to the fuel pump. There are more than one to the fuel pump, it looks like, though.

What I do now is pack around a few of 5, 10, 15, 20, and maybe I have 25s too. These came in handy the last time this happened. Thanks
Aug 1, 2007 at 8:44 PM
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I was hoping you would say the fuel pump circuit to confirm what I thought. The harness to the fuel pumps were a problem on many of the GM trucks. I"think" that it will contribute to an electrical failure of the pump. But not positive. When we replaced the pumps on those, we would do the connector at the same time. The bad news is, is the tank will need to be lowered to get to it. You may want to call the dealer parts dept. and ask them about the connector issues and if they recommend replacing the connector when a pump is done. Have your VIN handy as maybe yours isn't one of them.
Aug 2, 2007 at 5:38 AM
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