Fuel Pump Repair

[GunnerSchenck]

I just bought a 1992 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition and i bought it just so that i could work on the mechanical pat of the vehicle, i'm an autobody tech so dont really get the inside of the car much and wanted to learn more about it before college so i bought this and i need to put in a new fuel pump, break line, and reconnect the exhaust. i have the parts, but not sure how to change out the fuel pump. help?

 

[FORD SUV GUY]

Have you tried the search option yet? It really works well on this site. I would search "fuel pump replacement" in the stock (91-94)forum. There will be as "sticky" at the top of the page explaining the process, often w/pictures. Good luck, hope this help..

 

[GunnerSchenck]

ive only really found one helpful thread on the topic and it just made it seem overwhelming. i take it, that the fuel pump replacement is more a more extensive replacement than i thought it would be? cuz im 17 and i can do anything autobody but this automotive stuff's harder than i thought. i mean, any tips you have for this cuz ive got a rough idea of what to do but just seems like im making it more difficult than it should be.

the crappy part of this is dad right here is an automotive tech but he's too lazy to help and i have 6 days left to get these repairs done and get it inspected

 

[FORD SUV GUY]

Its actually a fairly streight forward process, but it does of course deal w/dropping your fuel tank and other steps/precatuions that need to be followed. Most shadytree mechanics can successfully replace their own pump if they have the required tools and a littl determination, but if you feel uncertain or have any doubts I suggest you try to encourage your father to help or ask friends/friends parent if they have done this befor and if so would they assit you. Only other option is a mechanic and Im guessing at 17 the cash flow is a lill tight making this difficult. Best I can tell ya, other read ANY AND ALL information you can find befor attempting this by yourself.

 

[wantdeath]

i changed my fuel pump yersterday. the fuel pump is not that hard to change. but if things are rusted it will be time consuming. if you drop the tank, you need to drop the skid plate, which has 4 bolts. that is pretty straight forward. then you remove the straps. another 4 bolts. mine were rusted and i didnt feel like breaking them and drilling them out. so i cut a hole in the floor underneath the back right side seat. when you fold the seats forward, there is a little arm that connects the seats, well take that off. then take the two nuts off holding the bottom seat down. remove the two bolts that hold the seat bracket, at the seatbelt side. with those gone the seat will just slide out of the way. youll see. pul the carpet up.you will see a black plastic thing held on with two small nuts. it runs under the whole back seat floor. take it out. now that you have clean access to the floor, take your air hammer and your sheet metal cutting attachment, it looks like a v shaped fork, with three prongs. cut a hole with that. you will see the top of the tank. dont get near any of the bolt holes or studs sticking out with your hole. the pump has a plug on the frame rail. unplug it. relieve fuel pressure if you have any. using your nylon ac/fuel disconnect tools remove the lines. this is a huge pain in the butt. i ruined both my lines, but was able to save them with new fuel line retainers. they were 3 bucks at oriellys. if your fuel pump retaining ring isnt rusted out like mine, then remove it. i used a screw driver and pried it off because mine was rusted really bad. get a new one in the help section at oriellys. its 8 bucks. it will have 4 in there. one is for yours. take your blow gun and blow the top of the take really good, getting all the dirt and rust away before you pull the pump assembly out. you can get a whole new assembly for $112 also at oriellys. mine was in stock. it will come with everything but a retaining ring. put it in. put everything together. start your truck and look in the hole for leaks. mine had no leaks. i put sticky weather striping around the hole and a tube of window silicon sealer around the weather striping. then i laid two license plates down and self tapping screwed them to the floor. i used silicon to seal the two plates together. but you are a body man. so weld a panel in. put everything back together. drive.

 

[GunnerSchenck]

ill keep researching it before trying it, but a few of the forums ive read dealt with having the explorer running in the first few steps and i can't run the explorer. i can get it to start for a matter of 5 seconds if i try hard enough, will that be a problem? and have you changed a fuel pump yourself? because what ive gotten out of the forums is this.
take out the gas, drop the tank with a jack to support it, swap out the pumps, and raise the tank back up, put the skid plate back on and it's good. is it pressumable that i'm getting a fair enough idea of how to do it?

 

[Turdle]

You can cut an access hole in the floor under the driver side rear seat, and repair it with a plate. There is a how to on the forum for this. The hole will not be visible, and if you need to go back in you will thank yourself for cutting it.


Whatever you do, take your time, and do not cut the fuel lines out of desperation.

Disconnecting the fuel lines requires a tool, and patience. It will be the most frustrating pat of the repair, so please take your time.

 

[FORD SUV GUY]

Thats it in a nutshell, YUP! There is in inertia switch inside the passanger compartment on the uppeer rt corner of pass.side foot well under the carpet. Even tho your pump is "dead" I RECOMMEND you disconnect this switch anyway(killing all power to pump)then crank the engine a few times trying to make it start, VERIFYING you have gotten as much pressure as possible off the system BEFOR you start any work. GOOD LUCK, let us kno if u need help n how it goes...

 

[GunnerSchenck]

is there anything im gunna have to disconnect from the fuel tank? like fuel lines or anything?

 

[Turdle]

is there anything im gunna have to disconnect from the fuel tank? like fuel lines or anything?

If you search for the threads you will find out. Pictures have been posted, people have already typed it for you. Now you need to spend the time looking.

 

[jd4242]

ive heard you can just drop it low enough to disconnect the lines without cutting a hole.im doing mine next weekend so i dont plan on cutting a hole

 

[MrShorty]

I know it doesn't seem to be a favorite answer (haven't seen it here, yet), but do you have a repair manual? For a fuel pump R&R, I've found that even the DIY manuals (Chiltons or Haynes) give adequate instructions.

When there is minimal gas in the tank (<5 gal), dropping the tank is fairly easy with a floor jack. I think the hardest part of a fuel pump R&R for me has been disconnecting the fuel lines from the pump assembly, and I think most of that difficulty is from buying the cheap fuel line disconnect tools.

 

[GunnerSchenck]

Thanks for everything guys, did the fuel pump last night and if anyone has skid plates on their 1st gen EX then i suggest cutting the hole, because the skid plate was the longest process in the whole thing because the bolts underneath are very difficult to get out

 

[Roadrunner777]

The access panel, I feel, really is the way to go. The caviats are that you must be comfortable with cutting metal with a cutoff wheel, chisel, etc.... but not a torch or plasma cutter. You need to make enough room to do the job comfortably without rushing anything. You must cut only through the panel, no deeper. If you get too deep making the hatch, you could damage lines.

Think in terms of making 3 cuts and folding the flap out of the way. That will make assembly easier. Have a charged water hose at ready, just in case. When I did this, I also had 2 x #10 ABC's within reach. My physics says you 'shouldn't' be able to ignite the tank like this, unless you somehow got a big fat hunk of slag sitting on a plastic part of it.

In addition to the pump, buy a variety of fuel line tools, penetrating oil, and a new retaining ring. Maybe you won't need the retaining ring, but if you need it, you need it.

With the old assembly out, see if you can stick one of those telescoping magnets down where the pickup is and maybe pickup a pile of crap. In theory, the tank is supposed to be flushed, which is really not doable with the hatch routine. Anything helps, particularly if the old pump sock is clogged, you need to address this before you stick in the new pump.

Fuel line connections have been discussed plenty...

A well documented cause of pump failure is a clogged fuel filter. So, do the filter at the same time. I guess if you are anxious to see if the pump is going to work, you could just start the engine for a second, but I would not wait one day to change that filter. Your pump warranty may require proof of filter purchase. (Airtex does).

Speaking of which, I installed Airtex $85 because it was the only one I could get that day. I guess I'm coming up on 7 months, no issues at all. Bosch is out at $175, and motorcraft at over $300. Bosch is pushing a new turbine design, which I'm about 50% is sales-speak and doesn't apply to this part. I'd love to see all three on a counter. But, with my handy hatch, and the tools in back to get to it, I can change a fuel pump on the side of the road in maybe an hour.

 

[GunnerSchenck]

I did get an airtex one. and it was relatively simple to do, even with dropping the tank. the main problem was all the rusty bolts on the skid plate

 

[jd4242]

well switch out my pump for the high flow one today finally and man was it easy.you all had me scared.i have a 3" body lift so i could get to everything on top with the tank in and not cutting a hole.whole job took under an hour.so anyone with a body lift is in luck

 

[StevenT200]

Fuel pump was R&R'd and I left the "skid plate" off...highly recommend you do that...it is horrible to get off. Now the car will not start and I have replaced the MAF sensor and the CRankcase Position Sensor and made sure the pump inertia switch is back on...still won't start. Used starting fluid in the air channel and it kicked over for one second so the fuel is the problem...new pump and it works...so what it wrong now?

 

[StevenT200]

btw...I did not change the filter as it had the special connections problem which I bought a tool for but cannot make it work...anything anyone knows about how to do that would be great...it's a 1994, btw, if that makes a huge difference...

 

[MrShorty]

I did not change the filter as it had the special connections problem which I bought a tool for but cannot make it work...anything anyone knows about how to do that would be great

Assuming your '94 is using the same type of connector my '92 uses, I've found that there is quite a difference in the type of tool you buy. I've bought three sets of these tools (the cheap ring set like you get at Autozone, the "scissor" style, and a more expensive "angled" set). by far the easiest and most effective set was the more expensive angled set I bought at Carquest. I tried the other styles and ended up wrestling with them with limited success. You might try a different tool, especially if you bought one of the cheaper sets.

new pump and it works...so what it wrong now?

Would you be willing to put a fuel pressure gauge on the system and verify that the new pump is working? Can you hear the pump running when it should? The fuel pump isn't the only part of the fuel system, a fuel pressure test should tell us whether or not the fuel system is working correctly or not.

 

[StevenT200]

Ok...I'll go for a pressure test but where and how? Is there a tool readily available for that? Is there any way to put on an emergency fuel pump bypass pump in case another fuel pump gives out? Is it true that the pressure sytem is really high pressure? I need a book from some publisher to get just the specifics of the fuel system...since the "computer" I just changed is something I also don't understand...and get to the point where my Exp can be repaired...Ford wanted $1,000 to change the thing and that was impossible! The part itself was only $110! Thanks for the reply so far but there has got to be a simple answer and one that works...I need my car to run!