Fuel Tank Panel. Work for 97 EB 5.0 AWD?

Just checking that the access panel can be cut for a 97 Eddie Bauer 5.0 AWD. I've read that some models have structural supports that get in the way. Thx, mbruffey

I have a 99 Mounty 5.0L AWD and I'm also curious about doing the fuel tank access cutout. How much room is between the rear floorboard and the top of the fuel tank. What is the best tool to use for this job?

Anybody?

On my 96, I juzt did this job. There is about 2-2 1/2" between the floor and fuel tank. There is way less room between the floor and the fuel lines! The fuel lines went out towards the side of the body. I used a 4" Makita angle grinder with a 1/16" wide cutoff wheel. If you go by the pictures shown on line, you will be cutting way more than you need to. My cuts went over near the seat bracing, and only to where thefloor kicks up. There is a brace there, I did not go into it. I started going by the pictures mentioned, then saw where the pump was actually located. I cut a bit smaller with the gri der, then hacksawed a couple slots, then bent the floor up out of the way. With a bit of wiggling, the pump came out quite easily.
Go easy, and dont cut too deep, tape the cuts so you dont cut your hands.

I still have a picture showing the hole I cut, before bending the floor up, if you are interested. I dont think this POS tablet will allow me to put it on this site, but you are welcome to PM me, and I will e-mail it to you.

The 2nd gen tank is a lot easier to drop then the 1st gen. I would wager dropping the tank to take less time than working around sharp cut sheetmetal.

Dropping the tank would be ideal if you are not 65 years old and have a hard time getting up and down from under your truck. The pain of working from the top is a whole lot less than working from below. Plus, I didn't have to go out and buy gas cans to siphon a nearly full tank of gas into. And the access is there for the next time. If I keep the damn thing that long, hopefully not.

deweyville65 said:

Dropping the tank would be ideal if you are not 65 years old and have a hard time getting up and down from under your truck. The pain of working from the top is a whole lot less than working from below. Plus, I didn't have to go out and buy gas cans to siphon a nearly full tank of gas into. And the access is there for the next time. If I keep the damn thing that long, hopefully not.

Click to expand...

Well, you didn't mention the full tank. That has to weigh like 200lbs. Yikes.
For others reading this---

If the pump does run at all, you can wedge a hunk of garden hose over the supply fuel line under the hood ( after it is disconnected of course) , jump 12v to the fuel pump ( at the relay socket) and let it pump it out. Sometimes a weak pump will still work for this--sometimes the pump is completely dead and will not pump at all. Run the other end of the hose into your other vehicle's gas tank, if you have one.

Thanks guys! I have 182,000 on my new-to-me 99 Mounty and suspect I'll have to change the pump soon. I'll weigh my options but you make a strong arguement for cutting out the floorboard.

Thanks for the responses, friends. I'm not getting email notifications on this thread for some reason, so pardon my tardy response.

Question 1. How much does a completely empty tank actually weigh? I'm thinking to remove the tank, and perhaps cut the access panel, too. I've seen a lot of recommendations to clean out the tank as part of the process. Hate to ruin a good new pump. This truck IS 15 years old, and this IS Minnesota . . . . RUST . . . .

Question 2. Kinda strange. I ordered a Delphi pump and hanger AND also a sock. But the new pump comes with a sock installed (didn't expect). BUT the replacement sock (also Delphi) looks better--bigger, etc. How do you remove the sock from the pump?

Thx again,

mbruffey

I can only speak from my experiences, but I could not believe how clean my tank is. Not a bit of dirt in 16 years. I do not know the weight of the empty tank, sorry. You can take a screwdriver and pry the sock off. But, what about the warranty?

For what it's worth, Dorman part F87Z9002SA lists the shipping weight at 30 pounds. Keep in mind that each gallon of gas adds another 6 pounds, plus the pump assembly. However, the real challenge isnt the weight it is moving a bulky object with sloshing liquid contents. So long as you go slowly it really isn't a difficult job to drop the tank.

Thanks to the lovely folks at BP, I recently got the opportunity to practice tank dropping. I replaced the fuel pump 3 times in my XLT (did not know the gas was killing the pumps) and once in my Limited.

I use 2 floor jacks with an 18" piece of 2x4 wired to the jack saddles to spread out the pressure on the bottom of the tank and keep it all steady. Chock front tires, lift rear axle, place on jack stands, remove left rear tire and disconnect the filler hoses. Remove the skid plate (if you have one), then put one jack towards each end of the tank. There is only 3 bolts holding it up - two in front and one on the retaining strap. Once you take them all off, drop the tank about an inch and slide it 3-4 inches to the rear to clear the front mounts (thank you floor jack casters). Then just drop another hafl foot or so until you have clear access to the pump and other hookups on top of the tank. I found that I did not need to drop the tank all the way to the ground, only maybe 8-9 inches total to give enough room to reach in through the wheel well, unbolt everything on top of the tank, and pull the pump out.

Overall impression? Not a terrible job with a smooth concrete floor that allows your floor jack to roll. Just go slow to keep from spilling gas. Only real pain is getting to the retaining strap bolt since you have to reach around the drive shaft. Impact with an extension and wobble joint is easy solution. Also, even though the fuel line disconnected with no trouble I know sometimes they are cranky. I believe you could accomplish the job without disconnecting the fuel line if you unbolted the pump assembly and then dropped the tank a little further to clear everything coming out of the tank.

Check out this thread: CLICK HERE

There is a 96 and a 97 with pictures on the last page of the thread.

Burns said:

Check out this thread: CLICK HERE

There is a 96 and a 97 with pictures on the last page of the thread.

Click to expand...

Thanks Burns, et al. I've studied that thread previously, but I suppose that by the time I got to page six, I was so engrossed with the pics that I didn't notice the year and trim of the vehicles. Otherwise, I would not have started this thread. But I'm glad that I did!

I don't have to do this job just yet (I have a gurgle at prime-time and often have to prime 2-3x to build pressure--runs "decent"), but I'll report back when I'm done, hopefully in about three weeks.

Thanks!

I did not notice it at first but then started to search for info specific to your year. I have to say that this is one of the best things I have done. Easy removal and easy access. I dont care to drop the tank when it has no fuel in it or full of fuel. We have 4 that have this new feature.

I hope it works out for you.

As someone who drops tanks all the time this sounds horrible to me. Then again I have a 2 post lift and sweet transmission jack that supports, raises and lowers gas cans nicely.

Not to mention I only cut with abrasives and lots of leaky deals come in so I dont need to get blowed up.
Did change a pump in a car with factory access panel one time, 1998 Mercury Mystake.

Windsors03cobra. So whats so horrible about it? Of course you get paid to do that kind of work. Most of us aren't so fortunate to have all the racks and jacks etc.

windsors03cobra said:

As someone who drops tanks all the time this sounds horrible to me. Then again I have a 2 post lift and sweet transmission jack that supports, raises and lowers gas cans nicely.

Not to mention I only cut with abrasives and lots of leaky deals come in so I dont need to get blowed up.
Did change a pump in a car with factory access panel one time, 1998 Mercury Mystake.

Click to expand...

the cut out in the mystake is way too small to fit the pump through it

deweyville65 said:

On my 96, I juzt did this job. There is about 2-2 1/2" between the floor and fuel tank. There is way less room between the floor and the fuel lines! The fuel lines went out towards the side of the body. I used a 4" Makita angle grinder with a 1/16" wide cutoff wheel. If you go by the pictures shown on line, you will be cutting way more than you need to. My cuts went over near the seat bracing, and only to where thefloor kicks up. There is a brace there, I did not go into it. I started going by the pictures mentioned, then saw where the pump was actually located. I cut a bit smaller with the gri der, then hacksawed a couple slots, then bent the floor up out of the way. With a bit of wiggling, the pump came out quite easily.
Go easy, and dont cut too deep, tape the cuts so you dont cut your hands.

Click to expand...

Do you think the cutout could be made with a jig-saw. That's the only cutting tool I have and don't want to purchase another expensive tool if I don't have to. Are there too many bends in the floorboard or is the area that needs cut pretty level? I don't think a short blade on a jig-saw would protrude any more than about 1/2" beyond the sheet metal floor. What do you think?

I used a Grinder with a cut off blade. Just keep it very shallow.

Jig saw would work in my opinion. Just be sure the blade is short. Floor was pretty nearly level in my case. Start near the seat bracket, go to whete floor kicks up at the rear. You MIGHT get away with not cutting along the kickup. Cut three sides and bend floor up out of the way. Make a small cut, pry up the floor enough to see the top of the pump before going too far. That
is what I did, adjusting where the cuts were made. From what I have seen in the pictures, vs where my tank/pump is located, not all tanks are in the exact same location. My truck is a 96 XLT, as if that should make a difference.