Silly fuel pump assembly question

Carl Smith

Carl Smith

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I'm swapping out the fuel pump on my 2000 LS V8. Take the passenger side electrical & two hoses lose, get the large plastic flange unscrewed, and go to lift the assembly out of the tank and the damn thing is stuck in there ?? Is this normal ? Not my 1st fuel pump rodeo by any means, but 1st with these cars & I cant figure out why the assembly won't come out of the tank. It's stuck firm to the tank on the inside not the flange area and afraid of breaking it. What gives ?
 
Sorry, I finally found out you have two tabs on the inside. leaving for future reference.
 
Carl - I am going to attempt to replace my fuel pump in the coming weeks. How hard was it to break the blue collar loose? Also, about how long did the job take you?

Thanks!
 
MisterRoy said:
Carl - I am going to attempt to replace my fuel pump in the coming weeks. How hard was it to break the blue collar loose? Also, about how long did the job take you?

Thanks!
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Took an hour tops. I got a Bosch pump and didn't do the assembly swap for cost reasons. The hardest part are the two plastic lines. You don't have enough room to lift those out as the flange sits. You need to remove the large plastic screw on retainer so the flange can be lifted out and moved toward you which will give you extra space to get those out. I used a 12 inch pry bar and a hammer to tap the retainer lose and to re-tighten it. Just don't beat on one area all the time and be sure to start the threads straight and tighten as far as you can by hand to assure they are on straight. It's and easy job with these tips in place or it can be a nightmare depending on your patience level hahaha. Just be extra careful with those plastic inlet lines and don't break them. Here is the pump I got. It requires you to splice on a new pump electrical connector.

Bosch Fuel Pump Kit BO38-K9194 For Ford Lincoln Mercury Mazda 1992-2007 | eBay
 
Carl Smith said:
Took an hour tops. I got a Bosch pump and didn't do the assembly swap for cost reasons. The hardest part are the two plastic lines. You don't have enough room to lift those out as the flange sits. You need to remove the large plastic screw on retainer so the flange can be lifted out and moved toward you which will give you extra space to get those out. I used a 12 inch pry bar and a hammer to tap the retainer lose and to re-tighten it. Just don't beat on one area all the time and be sure to start the threads straight and tighten as far as you can by hand to assure they are on straight. It's and easy job with these tips in place or it can be a nightmare depending on your patience level hahaha. Just be extra careful with those plastic inlet lines and don't break them. Here is the pump I got. It requires you to splice on a new pump electrical connector.

Bosch Fuel Pump Kit BO38-K9194 For Ford Lincoln Mercury Mazda 1992-2007 | eBay
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Thank you for the info. I am going to do the entire assembly. It seems like once the retainer is off, the whole assembly slides out and the new one in.
 
MisterRoy said:
Thank you for the info. I am going to do the entire assembly. It seems like once the retainer is off, the whole assembly slides out and the new one in.
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Saves some extra work once its removed sure but saves ya some money just swapping the pump alone.
 
MisterRoy said:
Thank you for the info. I am going to do the entire assembly. It seems like once the retainer is off, the whole assembly slides out and the new one in.
Click to expand...
Many ppl will tell you to stay away from the Spectra fuel pump assembly but I paid $79.20 for it on eBay or Amazon can't remember ...anyway it's been working great and it's a perfect fit for Gen I LS's I see Amazon has a fuel pump assembly on Open Box warehouse automotive for $40 Its Like new you're saving 70%
 
You can buy a tool that fits the retaining rings to make it easier to work on. I made one out of flat stock and 8020 aluminum. I'll post an image of it in the morning.

What kinds of issues did you guys have to point to the fuel pump? did you not look at the transfer pump?
 
TooManyToys said:
You can buy a tool that fits the retaining rings to make it easier to work on. I made one out of flat stock and 8020 aluminum. I'll post an image of it in the morning.

What kinds of issues did you guys have to point to the fuel pump? did you not look at the transfer pump?
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I was having long cranks after about 30 minutes of turning the car off. No issues when the car was cold. I watched my fuel rail pressure drop to below 26psi after 30 minutes of the car being off. Looks like check valve in the fuel pump.
 
TooManyToys said:
You can buy a tool that fits the retaining rings to make it easier to work on. I made one out of flat stock and 8020 aluminum. I'll post an image of it in the morning.

What kinds of issues did you guys have to point to the fuel pump? did you not look at the transfer pump?
Click to expand...

Car has 139,000 and original pump. It was time for it to go. I replace before issues esp something that will strand you. If you be careful you can use a hammer and something blunt to tap the retaining ring off and back on.
 
Just make sure it has a plastic handle. Don't strike something metallic and cause sparks lol
 
In my diesel truck community we pull tanks to do what is known as "Harpooning" to gain more volume with those designs, so it's handy to have a tool for ring removal around. There are a lot of commercial units available, including at places like Advance auto.

Screen Shot 2017-09-30 at 2.10.22 PM.png



Since I make a lot of things from 8020 aluminum profiles this was easy to make, it's adjustable, and I just put some 1/4" flags bar in the groove rather then a ratchet like the commercial tools. Brass and aluminum don't spark if a hammer happened to be used.
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IMG_2893.jpg
 
Oiling the seam and giving it some time to wick helps with the removal, as well as marking the ring and unit so you know when you have it tightened back up the same as the original install. I also put petroleum jelly on the nut threads to assist in reinstall, just like we do on the diesel tanks.
IMG_2786.JPG
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IMG_2775.JPG
 
TooManyToys said:
Oiling the seam and giving it some time to wick helps with the removal, as well as marking the ring and unit so you know when you have it tightened back up the same as the original install. I also put petroleum jelly on the nut threads to assist in reinstall, just like we do on the diesel tanks.View attachment 828567225 View attachment 828567226 View attachment 828567227
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Nice customization...Now that is one hell of a tool and I bet the price was right also! It's amazing what we come up with when we start to brainstorm...Very Nice!!! I know those two hoses the red top and the white top are a PITA to get out after 17 years mine broke so I had to push a plastic fitting I believe it was 1/16 inside the existing plastic hose/ tube and it had pressure and locked tight so she was good to go the fuel line is a PITA to get at and if I'm not mistaken you would have to drop the tank to replace it... good luck everyone and yes patroleum jelly is a great idea...
 
TooManyToys said:
Oiling the seam and giving it some time to wick helps with the removal, as well as marking the ring and unit so you know when you have it tightened back up the same as the original install. I also put petroleum jelly on the nut threads to assist in reinstall, just like we do on the diesel tanks.View attachment 828567225 View attachment 828567226 View attachment 828567227
Click to expand...
The hose/ gas line is #9324 on the blue print above just for everyone's knowledge I know you know all this already just helping out the new guys...
 
MisterRoy said:
How easy is it to wreck that hose piece?
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It's a poor design. The two plastic housings that connect to the fuel pump assembly and the fuel line are like many plastic housings that are produced in plastic mold factories not worth a crap. They are in a tight spot and not much room is given to disconnect them but at least you don't have to drop the tank to replace the fuel pump and/or assembly. It takes some patience and strength but you can de-house them. I rushed this job and should've been more patient. Be careful when pulling them out make sure you have the flange pressed all the way in and if you are handy with tools you may be able to use needle nose pliers or just a pliers to press the housing in...then pull those plastic housings out of the assembly there is a red one and a white one...one is bigger than the other...good luck
 
Just an update...I have decided to hold off. I took my car to a friend who is a retired mechanic and we looked at fuel pressure for a bit and he is not convinced that the pump is the issue. However, if something comes up and this changes, I will use this post as reference.

Thanks!
 
MisterRoy said:
Just an update...I have decided to hold off. I took my car to a friend who is a retired mechanic and we looked at fuel pressure for a bit and he is not convinced that the pump is the issue. However, if something comes up and this changes, I will use this post as reference.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Yes, your described symptom does not sound like a fuel pump issue. A leaky fuel injector(s) or marginal coils would be my first suspects.
 
joegr said:
Yes, your described symptom does not sound like a fuel pump issue. A leaky fuel injector(s) or marginal coils would be my first suspects.
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I ask these questions not to be disrespectful, by any means, but wouldn't there be more symptoms? If an injector was leaking, wouldn't there be a smell of fuel, smoke in my exhaust, stumbling when starting as if the car was flooded? If it were coils, wouldn't there be other issues with spark, not just a longer crank before starting after a hot soak?
After the car starts, there seem to be no issues at all. Not yet, at least.
 
MisterRoy said:
I ask these questions not to be disrespectful, by any means, but wouldn't there be more symptoms? If an injector was leaking, wouldn't there be a smell of fuel, smoke in my exhaust, stumbling when starting as if the car was flooded? If it were coils, wouldn't there be other issues with spark, not just a longer crank before starting after a hot soak?
After the car starts, there seem to be no issues at all. Not yet, at least.
Click to expand...

Usually, yes on the fuel smell and stumbling.

On the coils, a lot of people miss the symptoms of marginal coils. They can be very subtle.

Of course, it could be something else.
 
TooManyToys said:
Do you have anything to monitor fuel pressure real time?

Like an ELM adaptor, iPhone and Forscan?
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Yes, I have the ELM adapter and Forscan lite on my iPhone. My mechanic buddy used his real time scanner as well. We used both just to be sure one wasn’t faulty.
 
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