Sorry for the late posting but I just thought this may be helpful to others in the future.
The purpose of the fuel pump resistor is to slow the fuel pump speed down in normal driving situations. The reason for slowing it down is to reduce the amount of noise coming from it. If the pump is allowed to run at full speed at idle and slow driving speeds the pump can be heard inside the passenger compartment. So they run the pump at a slower speed under those conditions. Basically it's an accoustics thing. Once at higher road speeds or wide open throttle the resistor is by-passed and the pump runs at high speed. Because of all the engine and road noise the loud pump can't be heard inside the car. Because of better insulation and other things the Bonneville doesn't need the resistor. When the engine attempts to start the pump is running in the high speed mode. But after just a second or two the engine computer (ECM) commands the pump to go to the slower speed via the resistor. If the resistor has failed the engine will stop running. Moving the resistor to the new location underhood protects if from road splash and such, thus extending it's life.
Can you just disconnect the resistor connector and jumper the two pins in the other side of the connector? The answer is yes. The only thing is that you'll probably be able to hear the pump running inside the passenger compartment because the pump will be running at the faster speed all the time. No, it won't cause the engine to run rich or hurt fuel economy. However I would think that running the pump at high speed all the time would cause it to wear out faster. And with the pump being located inside the fuel tank it's not a fun job to do. Plus the resistor is far cheaper than the cost of a new pump, not to mention less labor to do.
The resistor is only on the supercharged 3800 and is not used on the regular 3800 engine because it uses a lower volume non performance fuel pump which is quieter.
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10-25-2011, 11:09 PM
Hybrid Mode
