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Some clarification on this subject (I hope) Posted by Gene N [Email]  (#1094)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Gene N) on Tue, 4 May 2004 07:42:31
In Reply to: If you change the whole fuel pump assembly, do..., georgev, Tue, 4 May 2004 06:35:26 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Once you take the access cover off of the trunk floor and look at the fuel tank, I think you will understand what the fuel line discussion is about.
The two fuel lines (feed and return lines) are made of a hard plastic material that can become brittle with age. If you want to see the material they are made of, open the hood of the car and look at the fuel lines that run to the back of the firewall. If you change the whole assembly or just the pump alone, you will still have to deal with the fuel lines on the top of the tank. One of the fuel lines has a check valve that is contained in a 90 degree fitting and the other fuel line just has a 90 degree elbow. These check valves/elbows are press fitted into the plastic fuel lines and are difficult to re-fit without a tube clamping device, and possibly the application of some heat to soften the plastic. (Keep in mind that the open gas tank can be quite dangerous. If you are going to apply heat, do it with the lines off of the car.)
The two elbows are each fitted with two o-rings and pressed into receiver tubes at the top of the fuel pump assembly, which also contains the gas gauge float mechanism. Removing these two elbows requires that you pull up with enough force to overcome the static friction of 10 year old o-rings, but not so much force that when the fittings do yield, you pull the lines too high and bend the plastic tubing.
Once the fuel lines are removed, you can then work on the fuel pump assembly. There is ample discussion of techniques for unscrewing the large retaining ring on the tank. I used the open water pump pliers method; someone described a u-shaped wooden tool that looked pretty clever.
Once the retaining ring is removed, the fuel pump assembly can be removed. You will have to tilt the assembly to one side when it is removed to clear the fuel gauge float. If you are replacing the whole assembly, you just reverse the removal process. Renew the o-rings on the fuel line fittings and also the big o-ring that seals the top of the tank.
If you are replacing the fuel pump in the assembly, then you will have to take apart the cage that contains the pump. The assembly is held together with slots and tabs. You work around the perimeter with a small slotted screwdriver to release the tabs. Once again, the hard plastic fuel line is used, this time from the pump to the top of the assembly. This line is not reusable. I cut off the plastic line and used a length of flexible fuel injection hose with high quality stainless steel clamps. This was 5 years ago and I haven't had any problems since then, nor did I have any kinking problem when I installed the line.
I don't think I spent more than 30 minutes disassembling the cage and replacing the pump with a new line. The most difficult part was cutting the old plastic line off of the fuel pump and the fitting inside the assembly at the top.
The major problem areas with this job are: removing the fittings at the top of the tank, removing the retaining ring, getting the plastic lines off of the pump.
None of these areas are insurmountable for the backyard mechanic, and with some knowledge of the weaknesses you should be able to avoid major problems.
posted by 155.104.24...
, Tue, 4 May 2004 07:42:31 <-- Viewing This Message
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