Fuel pump / Fuel tank - Tips and warnings

[rockchucker]

I don't remember seeing one but I do not doubt it is there. It is probably a rubber pad to help with rattle and issues with rubbing while in place. I would remove the old one and glue it on the New Tank with some 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive. This is basically Rubber Cement on steroids. It works great for adhering rubber to metal.

You could probably make one out of an old larger, thick-walled Truck Tire Inner-Tube though. Double it up if it is not thick enough.

 

[Przybysz]

I have a couple of questions before I start this... (My truck is at the repair shop waiting for my call)

1. Does this work for a 1996 ford explorer 6 cylinder?
2. Does the fuel pump assembly (factory brand) come with the clip removal tool?
3. Do I need to put excessive pressure between the floor jack, the wood, and the fuel tank?
4. Could someone elaborate on how to siphon gas? Lol, its kind of scary I'm asking someone that...


Thank you so much for reading!

 

[AmsoilGuy]

I will tell you I just did this but by cutting an access hole under the rear passenger seat. And WOW how easy that was. I Highly recommend cutting an access door. I did a custom walbro 255 lph pump and had to make a few adjustments to the float sensor and I would have froze to death up here in canada dropping the tank 2-3 times. I got a nice little 8"x11" sheet of steel to fill the hole back in with, along with some weather stripping to seal it and a few screw to seal the deal. Now I can access my fuel pump with easy hand tools from the comfort of the vehicle in about 10 mins. Thanks a lot to the suggestions from this site!!

 

[rockchucker]

You should take a pic and measurements of EXACTLY where you cut your hole to help out others in the future.

 

[SailorKane]

I bought a new tank. The old tank has a pad of some kind glued to the saddle of the tank on the top. The new tank does not have this pad. Antone know what the pad is for and how to get one? This is not the heat shield on the front of the tank.
Thanks

Just to finish this up. My explorer had sat for 6 years. Interior of gas tank was a mess. New gas tank has totally fixed the problem and it now runs like a top. 130,000 miles and it runs like new. Far out. For anyone else in this situation, just bite the bullet and shell out $195 for a new tank.
I dumped a little more techron in the tank to help clean out the injectors, etc, but its basically fixed.

 

[noruckus]

fuel pump diy

Looking for a diy on fuel pump replacement, I know I've seen a good one with great pics but just can't seem to find it, any licks would be greatly appreciated

 

[ranger7ltr]

Try this link...

Looking for a diy on fuel pump replacement, I know I've seen a good one with great pics but just can't seem to find it, any licks would be greatly appreciated

This link is to a step by step I did to pull the tank and the pump from my 99 Sport...Hope that helps you...

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=281858&page=3

 

[Davemanor]

"easy" question. I removed fuel tank and on replacing cannot get one fuel line to the tank to hook up!! the shiny black one, seems to be under pressure as it did squirt on one try. Just cannot push onto nipple!

 

[Macgiobuin]

Common problem is this: The ground wire that runs the fuel pump goes to a ground through 3 connectors and 2 splices and is shared by at least a dozen other circuits. I have found that if you take the connector that comes from the tank, which has the positive and negative leads for the pump, the positive and negative leads for the gas gauge float, inertia shutoff, reference voltage, and instrument return. Take the pigtail connector on the fuel tank side, and solder/splice the solid black wire (position #6 on the connector) to another independent 14 or 12 gauge wire. Snake it through one of the rubber grommets into the cabin under the side trim in front of the rear seat. Pull up the carpet and drill a new hole, sand it shiny and make a new ground connection exclusive to the fuel pump. A weak ground is temperature sensitive, unpredictable, and will make a good pump seem bad, a good filter seem clogged, etc. A really good first step is resolving many Ford fuel pump problems; you don't usually even have to take down the tank.

 

[SunnyInAthens]

Similar Problems

Hey, not sure if I am allowed to post here and I'm really truly sorry if I have posted my question in the wrong place, I just have similar problems and I am at my wits end. I am a decent mechanic and have been using a book that I bought for my 1995 4.0 4-door ford explorer. Here is what I have done so far.

Replaced the fuel filter
Replaced the fuel system relay
Replaced the fuel system fuse

What I am having difficulty with is trying to figure out all possible reasons for the fuel pump not coming on when I try to start the car. I can't hear the hum or it. I know I should check the inertia switch somehow but I am having trouble locating it. I know it should be on the passengers side near the transmission hump but I'm kind of lost here. What else should I check before I can definitely say that it it the fuel pump that has died? Should I just the relay at all? I really don't want to have to drop the fuel tank, replace the fuel pump, and then not have it start still. Engine turns over fine, just isn't getting fuel. Please help!!!

 

[Mustang321]

This is my first post here, and I wanted to say thanks for this thread. You guys made it possible for me to swap out the pump in my wife's 2000 XLT. I thought dropping the fuel tank would be a dealbreaker because having both sides of the car up on jacks at the same time scares the crap out of me. But you guys have been so thorough, that I felt like I knew the job inside and out before I started.

Some stuff I learned:

It's not strictly necessary to remove the rear driver's side wheel. I used ramps and dropped the spare tire. This gave me enough room to sit up underneath the car and look directly at all the connections. I also didn't have to worry about the car slipping off the jack stands. I know, it's irrational. Sue me.

Siphoning gas is a royal pain. The tube almost never ends up in the right spot, and the tank is just a little too low to get the siphon going reliably. If you have just a few gallons left in the tank, you'll find that it's a lot easier to remove the tank, open it up, and then do the siphoning. I put my tank up on my bench, and got rid of the last two three gallons. It's amazing how much lighter the tank is once it's completely empty. Of course, I don't recommend trying to remove the tank when it's half full or more. It'll be too heavy to move.

And this is my favorite thing I learned. Amazon.com had the Motorcraft fuel pump assembly for $141.00. Not just the pump, the whole thing. Pump, sender, float, prewired, for less than a third of retail, and cheaper than even 3rd party aftermarket pumps.
http://www.amazon.com/Motorcraft-PF..._1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1291188425&sr=8-1

So no labor charges, saved a couple hundred on the pump assembly, and no soldering or rewiring of a new pump. I am a happy camper. Thanks for the help!

 

[OneLever]

And this is my favorite thing I learned. Amazon.com had the Motorcraft fuel pump assembly for $141.00.

Did you happen to get the Ford part number off the pump you installed by any chance?

 

[Mustang321]

Did you happen to get the Ford part number off the pump you installed by any chance?

No. I looked up my car on rockauto.com, got the part number, then did a price comparison on Google. In my experience, rockauto usually has the best price on any given part, but Amazon beat them this time, and by a lot. I'm thinking it might have been a mistake.

 

[ranger7ltr]

Amazon has had this pump assembly for a while at $141.xx

No. I looked up my car on rockauto.com, got the part number, then did a price comparison on Google. In my experience, rockauto usually has the best price on any given part, but Amazon beat them this time, and by a lot. I'm thinking it might have been a mistake.

I found this pump when I replaced my last pump[Mar. 2010] into the new tank I bought... I didn't need the sending unit at the time so I just used the old sender and the new pump...

BTW this is a returnless assembly with pressures in the 65-72 psi range... It might fit a pre 99 Explorer but the pressures will be too high and there is no fitting for the return line back to the pump...

 

[Mustang321]

I found this pump when I replaced my last pump[Mar. 2010] into the new tank I bought... I didn't need the sending unit at the time so I just used the old sender and the new pump...

BTW this is a returnless assembly with pressures in the 65-72 psi range... It might fit a pre 99 Explorer but the pressures will be too high and there is no fitting for the return line back to the pump...

Yes. Definitely get the one that's spec for your model. No point in destroying your regulator to save a couple bucks.

 

[OneLever]

BTW this is a returnless assembly with pressures in the 65-72 psi range... It might fit a pre 99 Explorer but the pressures will be too high and there is no fitting for the return line back to the pump...

Good call. I don't need one but it always helps people to have part numbers to compare. It switched to return less fuel lines in 1998 right?

 

[ranger7ltr]

Ford went to the returnless fuel system in Model Year 1999

So 1998 is the last year for the lower fuel pressure specs of 30-45 psi and the regulator mounted on the fuel rail instead of the regulator mounted on the fuel sender in the tank and the higher fuel pressure spec of 65-72 psi...

If there is any doubt, if there is a return line back to the tank, or a vacuum line on a fuel pressure regulator and not on a fuel damper, you can't use this fuel pump/sending unit for your truck...

 

[Dean Parker]

On 98 Explorer 2wd with 4.0 SOHC .Can someone tell me what size disconnect tool(s) for the high pressure lines that connect to the top of the tank?One line in straight from the tank and the other has an elbow bend. I was able to remove one but the second will not budge. Also is the plactic vent connect a pinch type connect or need special tools?

 

[Mustang321]

It's a 5/16" coupling on both. Just be patient with the second one. I had the same problem on my fuel filter and was very tempted to just rip the damn thing off. My favorite tool for this is a little plastic one they sell at O'Reilly for about three bucks. It looks just like the usual plastic fuel line tool, but with an angled handle on it to provide a little leverage.

The fitting on the vent hose just requires a light squeeze to open up a plastic ring that hangs on to a ridge on the fitting tube. That ring becomes brittle with age. Squeeze it too hard and you could break that ring (which is exactly what I did). To fix, either get a new tube with a new fitting, or just use a skinny zip tie to replace the functionality of the broken ring. It'll make more sense once you have it off. Good luck.

 

[Bootman]

After having read all of this post and the pics and everything...Does anybody happen to know the specific pump for my ex? It's made in the USA and is a 1995 XLT Control trac 4x4. Don't wanna go through what some of us have including dude that wrote this up with the pics and find i've got the wrong pump.
Thanks!