Which Fuel Pump?

[JRA2000TL]

Pretty sure I need to go ahead and replace the fuel pump in my 95. Reason: The car always takes 2 starts if it's been sitting any length of time. The car often smells like gas or running rich. This leads me to believe there is a check valve or something that is leaking (causing the smell and lack of pressure). The pump does prime still.

Now with that said, I went to RockAuto, and there are several pumps. Since I'm a stocker SHO kinda guy, I don't need a performance pump. Some of these contain the pump, looks like some small hoses, clamps, clips, etc. for the $80 range. Then there are the $150 pumps which look like the whole entire assembly (alot larger) with floats and everything. Do I need the whole shebang or just the simple cylindrical looking pump that runs 50-80 bucks?

My car is a Southern car and while I love to always take the lazy and easy way out, I don't want to cut a hole in my car, so I'm just going to drop the tank. If I can do rod bearings, I can do a fuel pump.

 

[SHOtime2511]

1. I'd go with a Walbro 155,good quality no FPR required.
2.the larger setup is probably the whole sending unit which I doubt you need.
Just the pump and a new sock filter.
3.drop the tank,its easy as long as you wait untill its low on gas.

 

[SHOhopefull]

X2 on dropping the tank... Only problem I had with mine was the wiring, which was REAL tight, and already had one tab broken off...I promptly broke a second one off during the reinstall...

 

[sperold]

Have you tried priming it 2X before you hit the start position? If it starts well by doing that, then the check valve is pooched. If there is no difference, it may not be the pump.
The smell should be checked out first. Get it up in the air and see if any section of the plastic lines are damp.

 

[JRA2000TL]

Ok, there are half a dozen of these things on RockAuto. Some come with JUST the cylindrical looking pump itself, looks like some include the pump, clamps, and clips; then the whole shebang is the sendnig unit--I read further. No gas gauge issues so I suppose I don't need that.

I'll wait until it gets really low on gas. I read where you can jump the fuel pump to get it to dispense the rest of the fuel; or harbor freight has a hand pump for 30 bucks.

 

[JRA2000TL]

Have you tried priming it 2X before you hit the start position? If it starts well by doing that, then the check valve is pooched. If there is no difference, it may not be the pump.
The smell should be checked out first. Get it up in the air and see if any section of the plastic lines are damp.

Yeah, I did that once and it seemed to start up better. I will try it again later. I'm pretty certain it's the check valve. When I had it at the exhaust shop, the guy said he smelled gas and we looked around back there and didn't see anything obvious.

 

[91PDXmocha]

I agree a 155 is plenty for a stocker SHO . I would only replace the float if your gauge didn't work or it looks really nasty coming out of the tank . Have you changed your filter first ? I would try turning the key on , wait a second for the lines to prime , then try and start . also if you can smell gas I think u have a leak ( I had same problem found at least a small crack in the return line rightafter the coupling .

 

[JRA2000TL]

I may get one of these pumps that has the clamps/fittings then; brand-wise it doesn't matter really I don't guess. The Walbro 155lph is really about the same price as these other regular ones that come with fittings.

Now..I don't have a tranny jack, so can I jack the car up slightly and put it on jack stands; then use the floor jack and a board or something to support the tank? Not sure if my jack will go high enough after it's on stands.

 

[kevinspann]

Check the schrader valve on the fuel rail as well. I worked on a Buick where that was the problem. Bad gas smell, long cranking until it started, and wouldn't hold fuel pressure.

I don't know if it went bad, or was just loose, but it only takes a couple minutes to change if it is the issue.

 

[itwonder]

I just went through fuel pump replacement. I researched it and found that many brands of fuel pump gather complaints, but Bosch and Walbro get consistently high marks. i elected to install a Bosch from Rockauto because it is a newer technology turbine pump and does not require the pulse dampener that is installed in the stock pick-up assembly. I view that dampener as something else to possibly leak.

The Bosch kit has a couple of minor issues. It does not include the strainer, but that is available from NAPA for under $5, PN BSH N68014. The lock-ring o-ring that comes with it is slightly too large. Those are not available separately, but the old one on mine was in fine shape and reusable. The fit was fine, and the pump works very well with plenty of flow for the SHO.

Walbro is the other alternative, and it is the original pump in the SHO. If you go that way, be careful what you get. The correct Walbro kit is PN 526-1. That includes everything one needs and is a drop-in replacement that is identical to the original. SHOsource sells another Walbro kit, PN 516-1, as a stock replacement pump. But it is not a direct fit because it is longer. To use it, one must either remove the pulse dampener, or force it into the bracket and accept that the pulse dampener will be askew and the wiring terminals very close to the pickup tube. Some forum members have installed this pump, but I found it unacceptable for the reasons noted. Some also assert the pulse dampener can be removed and have done so, but neither Walbro or Ford have any data to verify that is okay with a Walbro pump. SHOsource indicated to me that they were planning to offer a direct fit Walbro, but I do not know the status. Some assert the Walbro 516 pump from SHOsource is a higher flow than the stock Walbro 526. This is not the case despite one being rated 155lph and the other 140lph. Walbro engineering verified they are in fact the exact same pump with identical flow curves; just different housings. One was apparently rated based on 13.5V and the other 12V.

See http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?t=113683 for more details.

 

[itwonder]

Now..I don't have a tranny jack, so can I jack the car up slightly and put it on jack stands; then use the floor jack and a board or something to support the tank? Not sure if my jack will go high enough after it's on stands.

Dropping the tank is really quite straightforward. I supported the rear end on jack stands located at the rear jack points, just forward of the rear strut tension rods. After the fuel filler is loosened at both ends and disconnected at the tank, it was easy to siphon out the fuel through the hole. There were only about 3 quarts left the siphon did not get. I used a floor jack and a piece of plywood to lower it. It is not very heavy. I replaced the tank strap bolts and clip-on nuts. Both are discontinued from Ford, but suitable replacements are readily available at Ace Hardware. While I had the tank out, I swished it out with a gallon of Purple power and then dried it on a serving plate warmer so it was factory clean when it went back in.

 

[SHOhopefull]

Like the above Jeremy, I was able to get almost all of the gas out once I had the filler tubes out of the way. This might seem obvious, but loosen the straps a good bit before you drop them, so you can get the jack under it. It's not heavy empty, just bulky when on your back LOL. Also, my bolts were real stiff coming out, no rust or stripped threads, just hard to turn... their also longer than you would think LOL.

Reinstalling, I had the tank balanced on the jack and board, and rasied it up enough to start the straps.

 

[oldkat]

You might want to check the fuel pressure at the rail on top of the engine. My 15 year old son and I resurrected our 92 MTX after about 6 years. The "new" fuel pressure regulator bleeds off as soon as the engine is turned off and that causes a long crank. It starts instantly if it is primed about twice (key on till the pump cycles and shuts off then repeat). My original regulator holds pressure all afternoon but is set too low. With the old regulator it starts instantly but the engine won't make power above 3000 rpm.

 

[JRA2000TL]

Thanks itwonder....a huge amount of useful info there. As for bolts...I will take a look and see how rusty they are. I had an issue with exhaust bolts doing rod bearings, and it cost me $150 for the exhaust shop to fix broken studs. I don't screw (no pun intended) with stuff like that. I do have air tools now...so if the strap bolts aren't rusty, I'll get them loose ok.

 

[SHOtime2511]

I'd also replace the fuel filter while your at it.

 

[SeanMc]

I completely agree with everything SHOtime2511 says.

 

[itwonder]

One thing I want to add is that when lowering the tank, the fuel and vent lines are long enough that the tank can come all the way down. But the electrical harness is not. So when the tank is about half-way down, reach in and pop the connector loose from the tank. X2 the recommendation to change the filter.

 

[fast4door]

Glad I found this thread cause my 93 is doign the same thing. Tested pressure at the rail with the car running and it has 40psi as soon as you shut the car off it doesnt hold pressure at all. Checked Regulator and its fine so seems the check valve went **** up. Reading this thread helped me narrow it down thanks guys. Car still satrts fine just needs to be primed a couple times to crank easily.

Joe