fuel pump problems!

[lawrencel2]

Hey guys!
First post, and I'm in need of some help.
I just recently purchased a 2003 explorer sport and upon the first day i had a problem.
Drove it to my brother's home to show him my new ride and it started, but then sputtered a bit and died. Then it would not start.. Tried it about 2 hours later and it started right up. No codes besides a thermostat issue showed up when i used the little scanner.
fast forward 2 months, the problem hasn't happened until last night, but this time it didn't start no matter how many attempts i gave it. it cranks, but doesn't start.

I took it to the shop and they diagnosed that the fuel pump has failed. They are quoting me 820 bucks! They say that i should replace the fuel pump, fuel filter and regulator to make sure none of them are culprits.
My question is, would it be dumb to just replace the fuel pump myself at home? Is it that hard?
I feel like its a large amount of money to throw at it for them to not be sure which component it is. Auto zone has a fuel pump in stock today for 250..
Thanks you for any help/tips!

 

[BeefMan]

First I want to say that I'm no expert, but it could be something else. I don't know the fuel system all that well, maybe someone else can chime in, but perhaps it's a relay or somehow related to that kill switch that's under the passenger side dash. You could also try pulling the filter, blowing it out, and seeing if that get's it going. Basically, eliminate the cheap, easy to fix problems first.

Anyway, I had this exact problem and ended up dying on the side of a highway. In my case, it ultimately took replacing the pump. I did it with a buddy on the side of the road, and while it's not an easy job, it's not all that hard either. Just, tedious and time-consuming. The problem is that the pump is inside the gas tank, which means unplugging, unbolting, and dropping the tank.

Personally I'd say do the work yourself. Just be careful if you do, because the pumps are apparently easily damaged. Mine pumps fuel, but the gauge has been stuck at 1/4 tank since I replaced it. Sending unit? Arm? Not sure. It's also possible it was faulty out of the box.

 

[ncranchero]

I have bought dozens of Airtex pumps never having one to go bad. Here's one for your consideration.
$142.56

E2358M

 

[HELMUT RONER]

Mine pumps fuel, but the gauge has been stuck at 1/4 tank since I replaced it. Sending unit? Arm? Not sure.

The fuel level sender is part of the fuel pump assembly. It is replaceable by itself, but the aftermarket doesn't sell it alone, only with new pump assemblies. To get the sender alone you'd have to see if a Ford dealership still has any in stock.

 

[just1me]

I don't know but this may help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bVstHX4npA

 

[01STrunner]

Just out of curiosity do you hear the pump whine for a couple seconds if you turn the key to run but don't turn over the motor? Like said above, check the cheap things like relays and fuses. Maybe ask the shop how they came to the conclusion that the pump was bad.

If you do have to replace it, I would say it's a job you can do yourself if you are okay with researching a little on how to do it. I haven't personally swapped a fuel pump out. But we all have to start somewhere. Ive found that between this forum and YouTube a lot of things can be DIY.

I didn't know how to do much of anything on mine but I was willing to look up threads and videos and for the most part everything goes as planned, it might just take a couple hours longer than expected but hey if it saves me a few hundred bucks it's worth it.