Fuel Pump Replacement

[dilligaf]

Just wondering what is easier, dropping the tank to replace the fuel pump or cutting a whole in the floorboard under the back seat? The backseat seems to be easier but I'd rather hear it from experience.


Thanks guys.

 

[SHObill]

I just did mine last week! Cut hole in floor! EASY! Just follow write up here or on SHOtimes. All dims r good cept frt to rear=go 1" further rear on start & end dim. I think its 1" to 8" so go 2" to 9"! I used an air hammer with a slightly modified bit to cut shallower.Frt,driver & rear have nothing in way. Only pass side has fuel lines & harness,still have 3/8-1/2" clearence & they will move if carefull. I had hole cut,pump out on bench,cleaned ,swapped & back in in 1.5 hrs. got a piece of 2mm aluminum cut 1" larger than hole size.Lay on hole,mark theoretical intersections(center of high points), bend to match floor contour,add foam or putty seal,screw in place! Call if u got ?'s 248-842-5911 bill s.

 

[sdpatt]

You need to remove the tank before you cut the hole. Don't try to do it with the tank in place. Great opportunity to cut tank and make a nice ignition spark. SHO BOOM!

 

[dilligaf]

Thx guys, might be a week before I get the pump in but at least I can start cutting the hole to get ready.


Thanks again.

 

[jasonty]

Scott, if one was very careful not to cut too deep into the floorboard with the tank installed, couldn't this be done? I'm almost positive that CrazySHO did this and did a write up on it. I'll see if I can dig up the link... CcrazySHO's Fuel Pump Install Method There ya go folks...

<small>[ May 19, 2003, 08:59 PM: Message edited by: jasonty ]</small>

 

[SHObill]

I just did this last week & did not remove tank! The tank itself is 2" below the sheetmetal floor in that area. Top surface of floor is coated with a sound deadener/tar. I used an airhammer bit that I ground down on bench grinder to limit depth I was cutting, which after I cut hole it was not required. Only thing u could hit was fuel lines & wire harness which are still 1/2 to 1" below floor.Only way to cut anything would be to use a saber saw with a standard length blade!

 

[rlw001]

How much easier is to remove the rear seat and cut a hole, seal a hole, replace the seat, than to remove 2 bolts and drop the tank?

I have replaced 2 fuel pumps by dropping the tanks. Both times it took under 2 hours and I did the job by myself.

 

[bigpappy]

To each his own...consider the tradeoffs -- possibly mis-measuring your hole, having a full tank of gas...simpler replacement 100,000 miles later...resale value (not that anyone would notice...)
I am not at all mechanically inclined. I found dropping the tank pretty simple, although siphoning out 14 gallons of fuel first was a pain, as my SHO has a screen in the filler neck to keep out large impurites from the pumps. I had to lower the tank onto a floor jack, slip off the retaining ring, then siphon out the fuel. I wanted to look inside the tank, so I dropped the whole thing and thoroughly inspected the tank and the fuel assembly.
I would suggest dropping the tank, I know it can be reinstalled. I'm not sure if one can undo a hole under the rear right passengers seat.

If you do cut a hole, are you going to create a hinge or a latch of some kind to keep it covered when you finish, or just not worry about it?

Either way, good luck!

 

[SHOfun 93]

I would also concur with dropping the tank. You would not believe the junk that accumulates in the bottom of the tank. Just run it nearly empty before you do the job, drop the tank, then you can siphon out all the pieces of crap lying in the bottom of the tank, and make sure none of that stuff works its way up into the fuel filter like it did mine! wink

 

[SHOinNC]

Pretty easy job to drop the tank. Just spray the long bolts that attach the tank straps with p blaster before you go cranking on em'. Installed a 155lph in mine.

 

[SHObill]

If u could plan a fuel pump swap & run her till almost empty I would agree with dropping the tank! Then u could do the proper procedure that is called for in directions of all fuel pumps=clean & inspect tank. As they say debris in tank is most common cause of pump failure.
In my case,it was fri afternoon,just filled tank with premium, I had a dyno appointment 2hrs away early sat morn.Made another stop & she would not start,pump growned! Let her set 20min,she started finally & put her back in barn.Finally found & picked up a pump before they closed. At that point I felt more comfortable cutting the hole cause I'm used to doing that kind of custom work.I got a michigan SHO=rust belt,I'v read posts on difficult tank removals.Instead of getting her up on jack stands & dealing with a full tank & unbolting stuff on my back I did it the way it should be done=ACCESS HOLE. FORD just forgot to put one in like all the nice European cars have access doors!!

 

[SHO_Driver]

Does anyone know if Crazysho's measurements for the trap door are identical to a '90?

 

[shojuan]

SHO_Driver:
Does anyone know if Crazysho's measurements for the trap door are identical to a '90?

Yes! His measurements were spot on. Used them for my '89 and it worked perfectly. On initial inspection it will look like you need to cut a little further back but that is not the case. There was plenty of room.

I used a dremel cutoff wheel (3 actually. The cheap ones. 2 broke in the same spot where there is a little **** in the metal). In my quest to not blow myself up I cut a little bit on the drivers side, got my nose down there and sniffed to make sure there were no gas fumes (from a deteriorated O-ring at the top). Not the case, no fumes. Still I flooded the area with CO2 while cutting as a safety precaution. Totally unnecessary after looking at how much of a safety margin I had between the sheet metal and the fuel lines. There was at least 3/4" clearance. With the cutoff wheel I never went more than 1/16" past the metal. Pretty easy to control. If I do any more fuel pumps this way on other cars I won't bother with the CO2. Make sure to vacuum everything up.

When I was done and was satisfied that the new fuel pump was working properly (and after several days driving without a back seat with the flap sticking up. Extra loud exhaust note! thumb ) instead of the quick method of drilling four holes and using two zip ties to secure the flap down I made several "spot welds* with some 5 minute epoxy putty and then a few more with some JB weld. I put the epoxy where I wouldn't have any worries just doing a quick and dirty cut though with the dremel if I ever have to revisit that area. Hehe on the forward facing epoxy "spot weld" I went so far as to lay a strip of fiberglass cloth across, with a little liquid epoxy to wet it down. That flap isn't going any where but it will only take a minute to cut through in the future. The remaining gaps I sealed up with silicone.

I would much rather do it this way (it was easier than I make it sound) than dropping the tank. And anybody not in California or the South is going to run the risk of rusted strap bolts that either don't budge or break. A lot more hassle dealing with those than using silicone and zip ties or epoxy "spot welds".

Really when it comes down to it the only thing that matters is that the job gets done and the fuel pump gets replaced. Do whichever method you feel most comfortable with. Just use good common sense (first ask yourself if you even *have* good common sense! Important!) if you decide to cut the flap.

 

[SHO_Driver]

Thanks Rick. I was also thinking of sealing the area with fiberglass instead of just using zip ties.