Replacing Fuel Pump in the morning, have a few questions...

[King$nake]

So, I've read through this thread a couple of times now:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187484


So, basically I need to: (in this order)

1.) Remove Spare Tire and Left-Rear Tire

2.) Remove entire bracket that is supporting fuel tank. (How many bolts hold the bracket on?

3.) Drop fuel tank (it's only got a gallon of fuel in it or so)

4.) Disconnect Pressure Lines (What Tool should I use?)

5.) Remove fuel tank from underneath vehicle

6.) Pull fuel pump assembly out, remove fuel pump itself and replace

7.) Re-install like I uninstalled.

I know I've got to be missing some things, so thats where I need your guys' help.

Thank you,
-Joe

 

[Xplorer82]

So, I've read through this thread a couple of times now:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187484


So, basically I need to: (in this order)

1.) Remove Spare Tire and Left-Rear Tire

2.) Remove entire bracket that is supporting fuel tank. (How many bolts hold the bracket on?

3.) Drop fuel tank (it's only got a gallon of fuel in it or so)

4.) Disconnect Pressure Lines (What Tool should I use?)

5.) Remove fuel tank from underneath vehicle

6.) Pull fuel pump assembly out, remove fuel pump itself and replace

7.) Re-install like I uninstalled.

I know I've got to be missing some things, so thats where I need your guys' help.

Thank you,
-Joe

you basically nailed it all.

there are 2 bolts. one per strap holding on the tank. and if im not mistaken to disconnect the fuel lines there are plastic clips holding them on (i have done many chevy F.P's, but only one Ford F.P.). i would replace them w/new ones since you are there. they are a dime-a-dozen

dont forget to disconnect the battery before starting, and you should relive the pressure in the fuel system before starting as well, otherwise you will get a burst of pressure and some gas shooting out once you pull the first line off.

good luck.

 

[King$nake]

you basically nailed it all.

there are 2 bolts. one per strap holding on the tank. and if im not mistaken to disconnect the fuel lines there are plastic clips holding them on (i have done many chevy F.P's, but only one Ford F.P.). i would replace them w/new ones since you are there. they are a dime-a-dozen

dont forget to disconnect the battery before starting, and you should relive the pressure in the fuel system before starting as well, otherwise you will get a burst of pressure and some gas shooting out once you pull the first line off.

good luck.

Excellent, thank you for your input.

Is there a proper way to relieve the fuel pressure before hand?

Also, is it possible to drop the tank and remove the fuel pump without removing the pressure lines?

And once I get the fuel pump assembly out of the fuel tank, is it pretty straightforward to replace the fuel pump inside?

With 2 guys (me and my dad) how much time should we allow for this job?

Sorry for the all the questions man, lol
-Joe

 

[kindred4x]

When mine went out and had to replace, you have to cut the wires and connect the new fuel pump wires to the stock wires. you got everything else though. Pretty easy job. The way i relieve the fuel pressure is to trip the fuel cut off switch and start the car and let it run out of gas

 

[Xplorer82]

Excellent, thank you for your input.

Is there a proper way to relieve the fuel pressure before hand?

Also, is it possible to drop the tank and remove the fuel pump without removing the pressure lines?

And once I get the fuel pump assembly out of the fuel tank, is it pretty straightforward to replace the fuel pump inside?

With 2 guys (me and my dad) how much time should we allow for this job?

Sorry for the all the questions man, lol
-Joe

on the engine near the intake plenum there is a line with a blue cap (mine is blue anyways) that is the pressure relief for the fuel system. just crack it open and relive the pressure (someone correct me if im wrong, but that is how i did it i believe)

you will have to take the fuel lines off because those connect to the new fuel pump anyway so they will need to be taken off to replace.

if this is your fist time doing a fuel pump, take your time and it should take you guys under 2hrs or so.give/take. just take your time..... and make sure you label the lines you disconnect from the fuel pump and also remember/label what "nipple" they came off of and you will be good to go.



edit..... yes it is pretty straight forward, once you get the fuel pump to pop out all you need to do is remember the way it sat in there and drop the new one in the same way. then secure the new fuel pump in place and connect everything along with the new connector if needed.

 

[Xplorer82]

When mine went out and had to replace, you have to cut the wires and connect the new fuel pump wires to the stock wires. you got everything else though. Pretty easy job. The way i relieve the fuel pressure is to trip the fuel cut off switch and start the car and let it run out of gas

i forgot about that. yes, you will prob have to wire up a new connector. nothing hard. just make sure you shrink wrap them, black tape likes to get hard and slip off if you dont get it good enough. i always shrink wrap fuel pump lines.

 

[Xplorer82]

oh, one more tip sorry.... after you drop the tank, take a clean rag or something and clean the area around the fuel pump so no rust or dirt drops in the tank.

 

[gilly]

I did this last week in my 98 SOHC. I'm sure it would be the same. A few points to add.

To relieve the fuel pressure, unplug the loom to the inertia switch in the front passenger footwell. Start the car and let it run out of gas.

I did the job with the rear wheel in place easy enough. I had the rear wheels up on ramps and lowered the tank onto car stands. I accessed the lines from the spare wheel area and from lying underneath and reaching up.

Fuel lines are different sizes so you can't get them confused anyway. The pressurised fittings are the hard bit - invest in some fuel line disconnect tools - they're cheap and make it much easier.

Don't forget to unplug the wiring loom - in my case it needed a thorough clean as it was sandy and a bit corroded from driving on the beach.


Hope that helps...

 

[CobraSix]

Oh the joys of dropping the fuel tank!

A few other pieces of advice:

1) wear long sleeves and gloves while handling the fuel tank. It seemed weird, but my fuel tank seemed to be made partially out of some type of fiberglass resin (I'm not an expert on fuel tank construction methods these days). I was washing out fiber glass from my arms for a week.

2) I used a hydraulic jack to support, lower, and raise the fuel tank. At least on the Gen 1s, it takes some manuevering to get the tank into position since it's partially obscured by the frame. If you use a jack, be sure to place a 2x4 between the jack and the fuel tank.

3) Chances are, all the bolts will be rusted, so start spraying them with PB blaster now. SInce you are close to the fuel tank, using a propane heating torch is not a good idea. Again, at least on the Gen 1s, all the skid plate bolts were obstructed by either the frame or the driveshaft, which meant no luck using an impact to pull them out. Don't be surprised if you break a quick clip or two.

The fuel lines are different sizes. While it's possible to put the larger line to the smaller line, you won't be able to do it for both.

 

[marragtop]

If you think you might ever have to go in and do this again, once you have the tank down would be the time to cut an access panel in floor. There are some good posts that describe how to do that.

 

[King$nake]

Ok -

I was able to replace the fuel pump on Friday, then drove out to Vegas, now Im back lol.

Thanks for the help guys. The installation wasn't too difficult. We wasted time on a few of the steps but if I had to do it again it could probably be done in less than an hour.

The main problem I had was in the instructions (in the Writeup link I posted) it says to remove the entire mount from the frame. I spent like 45 min. trying to get those (2) bolts off that are mounted to the frame that hold the bracket in.

I ended up just taking off the (2) main bolts that hold the tank to the frame. They didn't have any loc-tite on them, they came off easily (I only tried this after I wasted so much time on the top 2 bolts).

Thanks again

 

[King$nake]

Oh -

Few questions.

Ever since we did the replacement, my Check Engine light is now on and it has never been on before since I've owned the vehicle. What could be triggering this?

Also my fuel gauge is pretty sporadic now, doesnt seem to be quite as accurate as before. It reads up to a 1/4 swing within just a few minutes. Also the idle is a bit rough at times for some reason.

But other than that the truck is running great now!

 

[marragtop]

DId you replace the entire assembly, or just the pump?

 

[King$nake]

DId you replace the entire assembly, or just the pump?

I ended up replacing just the pump.

We didn't even have to disconnect the pump from the fuel lines - we were able to remove just the pump itself from the left-rear tire well, saved us some time.

 

[King$nake]

Well, I went and got the oil changed yesterday, and asked if they could turn off the 'Check Engine' Light for me. They did, and it came back on. The guy plugged in a scanner to it and there were like 6 codes that came off of it.

The truck seems to be running fine, but at idle the RPM's will go from 1000 to 500 and back to 1000, and keeps doing it. The truck hasn't died, but the idle is def. irregular. What could be causing this?

The only thing I can think of was I may have slightly bent something trying to pull the fuel pump assembly out, but I doubt it. Im really questioning myself, and double checking everything in my head. I really dont want to drop the tank again just to see if there is a loose connection or something.

Another thing that comes to mind is there was a sensor that screws into the top of the fuel tank. I had to remove it (turn counterclockwise and it comes off) to drop the tank, but I had a real hard time trying to get it back in. I wonder if it's not seated correctly?

Any input would be appreciated

 

[marragtop]

Can you post the codes that came up?

 

[King$nake]

Can you post the codes that came up?

Hey marragtop,

I wasn't able to get the codes, though I wish I would have. He basically just told me he couldn't turn off the CE light because the 6 or so codes keep coming back.

 

[cockfrito5]

i changed my fuel pump twice already , and when i looked there was no gasket, but the replacement fuel pump came with a gasket and i cant figure it out how it goes on, it came with two gaskets

 

[King$nake]

i changed my fuel pump twice already , and when i looked there was no gasket, but the replacement fuel pump came with a gasket and i cant figure it out how it goes on, it came with two gaskets

hmm - I didn't replace the fuel pump gasket - just left the old one on there. I wonder if this could be causing the codes?

 

[ranger7ltr]

Some of your codes MIGHT be coming from the Evap System...

When you removed the tank, did you remove the evaporative system lines from the tank or did the tank hang down by them? In a lot of cases, those lines can leak and cause a slight to major leak when a vacuum is trying to be applied to the tank to remove vapors...

Also check the filler clamps as they can cause a leak as well if they are not tight..

The last time I dropped my tank there was a thick round gasket on the sending unit. Is that the gasket you are talking about? I guess the old one should be fine unless you could see signs of leakage... Did the bolts to the sending unit/pump get tight but not overtight?

If the codes are coming right back, I would go to Autozone and have them scan your truck and see what they come up with code wise...Then post them and see what advice you get for resolving them...

"Another thing that comes to mind is there was a sensor that screws into the top of the fuel tank. I had to remove it (turn counterclockwise and it comes off) to drop the tank, but I had a real hard time trying to get it back in. I wonder if it's not seated correctly?" If that sensor is not sealed to the tank, this is be the cause of one of your codes.. This will relate to the evap system..


The hunting idle can be a dirty IAC/throttle body/injectors... And BTW, when you changed the pump, did you change the fuel filter on the frame as well as the sock on the pump?