I've changed 3 this year alone. PM me if you want to know how I do it. As long as you're not dealing with a lot of rust it's not that hard to do.
I just remembered I'd written this up already, so here you go:
Fuel Pump Replacement - Return-less System:
1. One way or other, get the tank as empty as possible.
2. With the engine running (assuming it runs) pull the fuel pump relay to release pressure from the fuel line.
3. Loosen the lug nuts on the d/s rear wheel.
4. Jack up the rear of the truck as high as possible and place safety stands under the spring perches.
5. Jack up the front of the truck until the wheels are just off the ground. Place on safety stands.
6. Remove d/s rear wheel.
7. The electrical connector/plug for the fuel tank is located just over the rear axle on the inner frame-rail. Take it loose from the frame and unplug it. You must push in a clip to get it to release.
8. Remove the two 17mm bolts from the front of the tank. It does not have to be supported at this time.
9. Support the rear of the tank with a piece of wood on top of a floor jack.
10. Remove the 13mm bolt from the center tank-strap. As you do, the front of the tank will drop onto it's mounting bracket. Once down, I like to put the tie-wrap through the inner-most bolt hole to keep the tank from sliding rearward until I'm ready. Doing this also allows you to move the tank around without
dropping it.
11. Pivot the tank toward the drive shaft to allow enough room to unhook the tank strap from the frame rail. It keys into the frame from the top.
12. Begin lowering the tank at the rear. You need to lower it until you can get at all the stuff you need disconnect from the tank;
- the hose clamps that hold the fill and vent hoses to the rear of the tank.
- the other electrical plug on top of the tank (which also has a clip you must push to release).
- the evap system hose. This hose has a light gray plastic clip on the end that must be squeezed together to release. It has two flat areas that you can squeeze with your fingers, or a pair of pliers. Be careful not to break this clip.
13. Once all the stuff is disconnected from the tank, I find it easiest to drop the front of the tank (cutting the wire-tie and sliding it rearward). remove the six 8mm bolts from the fuel pump assembly and finagle the assembly out of the tank. Then you can twist it around and place it on top of the leaf spring to work on it without having to disconnect the fuel line (which can be a ***** to do). At that point you can place the fuel tank on a piece if cardboard and drag it out of your way. check the sump for any dirt and clean as necessary. I like to clean and put a little Vaseline on the gasket surface to help with sealing during reassembly.
14. Remove the single small screw/bolt that holds the clamp around the fuel pump.
15. Remove the hose clamps that hold the pump to the regulator and unplug the electrical connector from the pump. The pump is now ready to be removed from the assembly. It just slides out from a "U" shaped recess on the bottom of the assembly.
16. If your pump was replaced in the past, you may have the wide terminal plug installed on the assembly, or you may have a thin-to-thick terminal jumper wire. Most replacement pumps have the wider terminals.
17. Remove the regulator to change the hose going from it to the fuel pipe and replace it with a new hose. Be sure to use fuel line rated to be submerged in fuel. Best to use fuel injection hose clamps.
18. Install the new pump with hose, rubber insulator and strainer/sock.
19. Place the fuel tank back under the truck and use pieces of wood to raise it up evenly front and rear.
20. Place the rear of the tank on the floor jack again and begin raising it. It's a little tricky to get the fuel pump assembly to evenly line up with the hole in the top of the fuel tank so that you can put back the six bolts that hold it in place. I used pieces of 2x6 as cribbing and kept adjusting it until I got it to drop in and line up. Once it's in and tightened down you can start reconnecting everything else.
21. When everything is reconnected, put the front of the tank up and install the inner-most 17mm bolt loosely. This will hold it in place while allowing you to pivot the tank away from the frame-rail to reinstall the center tank-strap in it's slot.
22. Using the floor jack raise the rear of the tank until it is as high as it will go. Then you can bolt the tank-strap back in place.
23. Replace the remaining 17mm tank bolt and tighten everything down.
24. Install a new fuel filter.
Make sure you've reinstalled the fuel pump relay.
Make sure you've put everything back where it belongs.
Put at lease 5 gals of fuel in the tank (to make sure the pump is submerged).
Turn the ignition key from OFF to ON 5 or 6 times (to prime the fuel system).
Start the engine, which may run a little rough for 15-20 seconds until all the air is out of the system.
That about does it. Reinstall the rear wheel and take it down off the jack stands and you're done.
Tips: On my more rusty truck, the fill & vent hose clamps were rusty and would not turn. I cut them off with my Dremel tool using a thin cutting wheel and replaced them.
Wear gloves when dealing with the fill and vent hoses. Nothing will get your hands dirtier than handling old rubber lines (and it will takes days to get your hands clean again).
The 3 tank mounting bolts on my rusty truck were pretty frozen. I soaked them with WD40 and ran them back and forth at least 20 times with my impact wrench on the lowest setting until they came out. I reinstalled them with anti-seize.
Note: On a '97 you have a return type fuel system, which means you'll have 2 fuel lines at the fuel tank and your fuel pressure regulator is not in the tank, other than that the procedure is about the same.
It takes me 3-4 hours to change a fuel pump. I prefer Bosch replacement pumps, which can be had off eBay for around $50-$60. Don't forget to replace your fuel filter and pump strainer/sock.