Always carry zip ties and duct tape - CARNAGE!!

[boominXplorer]

THAT SAME HOSE BLEW ON ME YESTERDAY /rant

$5 hose that I spent 2 hours removing my electric fan belt to get at. Gave me the oppertunity to do a flush though so all is well.

 

[Jason94sport]

The times I've broken down nothing but a new tranny would have helped me. I had a tranny die on me several times while I was hundreds of miles from home.
I'm glad I have a new car as a DD with roadside so I don't have to worry about it.
Having to keep things in the car expecting to break down.... I hated that feeling.

 

[410Fortune]

My BII in 11 years left me stranded once, it was a coil wire. this was when it still had the 2.9L, cost me $50 to get fixed plus a $100 tow....it came close to not starting one other time, but eventually it did. was a weak in tank boost pump.

My trucks have alot of miles on them, some parts are new, some aren't. I don't mind troubleshooting or fixing things, so on trips I carry the necessary tools and spare parts to combat most common issues. But driving a newer car does not mean somethings not going to happen, it could happen with 5 miles on the car or 350,000.
I personally dont want a car payment, I couldnt afford it currently and I dont want to have to pay full coverage insurance, I would rather use that $$$ to fix up what I have got!

But having road side is a good thing for most people for sure and transmission problems SUCK!!

It will take me 1.5-2 hours to replace my fuel pump, I already have a used one in a ox so i dont have to buy anything, I jsut have to pump 15 gallons of gas from this tank into my BII first

New pumps are $250!!! Ouch!!

 

[410Fortune]

Pep Boys Carter (federal mogul) fuel pump, $149
Took me 3 hours including the time to transfer fuel from the Explorer to the BII.
I used a drill powered pump from Wal Mart, $8

I had to remove the fill line from the tank in order to get the transfer hose into the Ex tank (think garden hose)

I also spent some time cleaning the dried mud from the frame and heat shield above the tank, then the tank itself and skid plate.

The new pump is bolted to the in tank unit with sender for fuel gage.
I chose to solder the new pump wires to the drop in unit instead of using the supplied crimp connectors.

shes all back together and runs perfect, no leaks.
from the short time I ran it tonight (10:15 when all done and parked back inside) it seemed to run better then before, so its possible the 153K mile pump was weak

I chose a new pump instead of using my 83K mile spare, I figured with all this work I don't want to do this again soon, so I will keep it as a spare.

I am super happy it was something simple. I should add I used a multimeter to check the voltage at the fuse and relay before dropping the tank....I made sure the computer was telling the pump to prime when the key was turned to on.

Next project please.......

 

[Rhett]

Man what a bad coincidence that your fuel pump went out at the same time you happened to fix the hose.

$250 for a pump, I'm glad you got one cheaper because 250 is rough. I guess you dropped the tank from the sound of it. Some people cut a hole in their body to get at the pump but I have never done that myself. Don't know if that is workable on these trucks or not.

Regarding the big zip ties, good idea, but where do you get those? (silly question I know).

 

[11lariat]

Harbor Freight carries them, they actually have like a 700 piece pack for less than $10..i never realized how handy these things are till i picked them up..

 

[410Fortune]

Ace hardware here in town has the big ol zip ties, they have all sizes.

It takes all of 18 minutes to dro pteh tank, it would take longer to remove the carpet and then cut a hole, why?

Yeah I assume $250 was the quote for the entire in tank unit, I paid $150 for just the pump, but it must be bolted to teh existing in tank unit and the wires connected, I prefer solder/heat shrink personally over the supplied crimp connectors inside a gas tank........kinda an important two wires there! hahaha

 

[Brandons]

Are you guys getting the pump and assembly? I got a pump for like $32 canadian, the whole assembly was like $125.

 

[410Fortune]

nope just ht epump was $150, cheapest I could find in town without going to Autozone or Checker, I will never run electric pumps from those places

 

[boominXplorer]

I love my Body lift . Tranny bolts, transfer case bolts and I could probobily lay ontop of my gas tank

 

[410Fortune]

it sure did make it easier to get the inlet and vent lines disconnected, but I still had to drop the tank to release the wiring harness and pump lines

 

[Rhett]

it sure did make it easier to get the inlet and vent lines disconnected, but I still had to drop the tank to release the wiring harness and pump lines

I thought you were philosphically opposed to body lifts.

 

[410Fortune]

Rhett I am when it comes to wheeling, but this truck that I bought had one installed. I planned to remove it but I began to like the look of 33's on an Explorer and I did alot of work when I put the new drivetrain in to make the 3" body lift work, so it stays.

Believe me I think about it every single day, I think "I should not have a body lift on this truck, it would be so much better without it", but I have it, its on there, and it clears the tires

I would never put one on my BII however, its already tippy enough!
On the daily driver explorer, I have learned to accept it! hahaha

I think a body lifts purpose in life is to clear tires, if you can run a 1-2" body lift and it allows you to stuff larger meats, then I can see the benefits, but on my wheeling rig I want the lowest center of gravity possible, so I would rather run fiberglass or hack up the sheet metal, but I have learned to accept them and that they might have a place in this world after all but shhhhh it goes against everything I have preached for years!!!

Oh and the 3" body lift ont eh explorer does cause all sorts of crazy issues that need to be addressed IMO, the steering shaft on the V8 trucks being the biggest challenge.
It stresses alot of wires, ground straps, and brake cables. If you are going to put a BL on, do it right! Also the bumper brackets were a friggin PITA!!! hahaha

 

[Brandons]

Body lifts are the dark side, stay away from the dark side!
(There is a time and place for them..)

 

[old mechanic]

Zip ties, duct tape and a roll of tie wire. Don't leave home with out them.