Unplug fuel pump electrical?

[briwayjones]

I'm trying to change the fuel pump on my '03 Sport. I don't know if it's different from older Explorers but how does the fuel pump electrical connection unplug? It doesn't seem like a plug at all. Since the tank is only half dropped it's hard to see but there doesn't seem to be any kind of clip on it.

 

[Turdle]

Can you get a picture of where you are looking?

 

[briwayjones]

This is a picture from 2000StreetRods thread and is not mine. But basically mine looks like the wiring on the picture that goes directly into the top of the tank. Mine does not have the pig tail connector that comes off to the side however. It also does not have a plug further up the wire run to unplug the wire from and bring down a whole piece of wire like in the picture.

 

[briwayjones]

You know let me check again. Maybe it does have a plug further up the wire. It goes from the tank and then clips on top of a hard to reach rail just under the floor board. Maybe where it clips to the rail it is a plug.

 

[2000StreetRod]

fuel pump connector

On my 2000 Sport the connector is just inside the left frame rail.

You have to lower the tank quite a bit to access it.

 

[briwayjones]

I looked at it some more. The rail I'm talking about where the wire goes to is a cross piece. It doesn't go to the frame rail until after it clips to the cross piece. There is a plug there where it clips to the rail. The problem is between the rail and the floor board there is only about an inch clearance. And the plug sits on top of the rail and takes up all of that space. It's more or less wedged in there. No way to access the clips on the plug to disconnect it. So far I haven't been able to unclip the whole thing and pull it out because the edge of the rail is also curled up and it not a flat piece further reducing the clearance.

I'll have to get you some pictures, but as a side note 2000Street, I think I read in your thread that Ford went to a return less system in '99? Well I'm pretty sure mine is a return system. It has the two lines that go out to the fuel filter as well as a third large line that runs to/from the tank.

 

[briwayjones]

Ok, I managed to get some pictures.

The first picture is the wiring on the top of the tank. Looking forward from the back.

The second is the plug wedged up on that rail I was talking about. Looking back towards the back from the front of the tank. You can see the wiring going up to it from the tank.

And the third picture is all of the fuel lines at the fuel filter that look like a return system to me.

 

[Turdle]

That is one fuel line. The large one is the vent tube from the solenoid under the battery.

The fuel pump connector is held up there by a lock tab it can slide off of, "if" you can get something small under it to pry down and open.

It is frustrating until you get it-

 

[briwayjones]

Oh one of those clips holding it up there. I know what you mean. This is going to be frustrating. I have to drop the tank and get it out of the way to get to the clip and I have to undo the clip to drop the tank. ugg

 

[briwayjones]

The large line is a vent for the starter solenoid under the battery? It's connected to the tank in two places and I found a label on it that says supply return?

 

[Turdle]

The large line is a vent for the starter solenoid under the battery? It's connected to the tank in two places and I found a label on it that says supply return?

No, the vent solenoid under the battery. the hose goes from there to the tank. It is a vent tube-

At least I am pretty sure it is a vent tube.

 

[briwayjones]

Well I managed to get the plug down to where I could unplug it. I just broke the clip and and unwedged the plug. I'm not going to put it back in the same spot anyway. And then it started raining. You know working on vehicles in gravel, or sloped uneven pavement, or in the yard is starting to get old. I guess I'm in a complaining mood today.

 

[briwayjones]

To close things off I finished installing the new pump and low and behold it runs again.