whtbronco
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I did a fair amount of research, but was not as prepared as I thought I was. So I typed up my 3 day fuel pump replacement experience. This is long, but does include a little bit of useful info in the midst of my rambling.
Just thought I'd share the fiasco(err I mean story), since I always seem to struggle with auto repairs lately. The tank removal pretty much kicked my tail. It's kind of a comedy of issues, some due to my perfectionist issues and some due to severe rheumatoid arthritis.
The fuel pump sounded slightly funny on morning startup Thursday morning. Seemed to be running fine, I'll look into it this weekend. So off to work I go. Sure enough it sounded a bit funny again at startup, but it ran fine on the way home so good I'll just deal with it this weekend it's probably that dang relay again. I stopped 2 miles from home for my monthly chiropractor appointment, I don't miss these anymore. Well that was the last straw, after my appointment the pump sounded really bad, it started, but was missing badly and could not maintain even 400rpm. It died after ~20 seconds and cycling the ignition switch the pump did not run. Dang it I should have gone straight home. My son brings my ODBII scanner and digital multi-meter. The fuel pump relay is good, we have the expected voltage on the output wire as appropriate, the battery voltage is good and with no fuel pump sound the pump is done. It'll sit here for the night and I'll tow it home in the morning. It was gonna be $10 more to rent a trailer than to have a local company tow it home. Okay they can tow it, and they did a great job. They adjusted the drivers schedule to meet my needs, he secured the truck properly strapping each tire with chains at both sides of the frame front and rear, I've always had to request proper tie down in the past. The driver then released it so I could roll it off the roll back right into my garage. I had to get the truck home and be 1.5hrs away pretty early. A staff member at Capital Rehab, they provide me both chiro and PT, saw me and offered me her car for the day if needed. That blew my mind, she's awesome, thankfully not needed. I drove my wifes torture mobile, '02 Monte Carlo Dale Earnhardt edition with 12k miles, to take the diamond for my Army officer daughters engagement ring to the jeweler as scheduled by my future son-in-law.
Saturday is here and it's time to work on this fuel pump issue. The Monte Carlo is empty so I can put 15 gallons of my fuel in there and I planned to put another 5-6 gallons in my sons Ranger. Nope, I found out I had no way to siphon fuel out of it. I hate those check valves, but siphoning is part of what they are designed to prevent.
I decided there was no where to put jackstands that wouldn't likely be in the way. So I put the front tires on my 9" tall stacked 2x10 homemade ramps. They have 3 steps so cars can get up on them. I then took 2x4's and 2x10's and made 9" tall blocks to set the rear tires on. Took an hour to make the blocks and get it jacked up enough.
Disconnecting the filler neck required me to remove the 12mm screws holding it to the frame and loosen 3 7mm(might actually be 6.5mm) screws holding it to the quarter panel. Then I was able to get just enough movement to slide the hose back and off. Then I found that the stinkin' check valve was in the tank so no draining it, despite 24-25 gallons or close to 150lbs of fuel in it.
Disconnecting the fuel lines at the front of the tank was a bit of a challenge to figure out. That took at least 30 minutes. I'm not sure I've ever seen the red connector that needs to be released with a screwdriver and then both sides pushed inward and the entire clip pressed through the hose end. Depressing the 2 sided release style connectors wasn't too bad, these are the connectors I'm accustomed to. I often struggle with connectors due to a lack of strength in my hands now days and very poor feeling in my finger tips. Add to that almost 20yr old connectors and I was quite concerned about breaking them. The 2 rear connectors disconnected fairly easily. I slipped the filler neck as well as the front and rear hoses back on to reduce fumes and fuel dripping. The fuel tank pressure sensor hose I still have to locate.
1 of the swaybar mount retainers was broken loose from the bolt. So I removed the other 3 nuts and the swaybar end links and then was able to remove it. With vise grips and my impact I was able to remove the final swaybar mount bolt/nut. I don't think I can weld that thin metal, but I'll try later when I replace the rusted rocker panel. For now I found a spare bolt that fits and will have to use a stubby wrench inside the frame rail to tighten the nut. I use the big 2lb peanut/cashew containers with screw on lids to hold spare auto bolts/nuts etc...
I then got distracted by some rust and 1hr later I said screw it and went in for dinner. 4hrs today and my body said it was time to stop. Told ya I was slow.
Day 2
Took the cross beam for my 3-ton jack, removed the rubber pads and screwed 17" 2x4's to it to support the tank, kind of formed an H. Basically it was 30" long with a 17" 2x4 at each end. This worked out to support the tank in all directions very well and made the fuel weight basically a minor issue.
Got all the hoses and the electrical connectors disconnected except the fuel tank pressure sensor hose. I lowered the tank ~3" and used a mirror to look around the top and I finally found it. I spent 30 minutes or so struggling to loosen the 6mm hose clamp and finally realized I could not get the hose clamp off from the passenger side. After a frustration break of 90 minutes I found that I could move the tank towards the passenger side 3-4" and reach it much easier from the driver side. Pulling the hose off once the clamp was removed wasn't very easy either. Rotating it back forth and pulling on it was the trick.
Dropped the tank down, pulled it out and cleaned that nasty thing. Wow I clean under my vehicles 3-4 times a year and it was still crazy dusty, course it's been in there for 287k miles. One small recess about 1/2" deep was completely full of dust and small gravel. I used disposable rubber glove fingers and twist ties to securely cover the hoses, ports etc so no dirt got in despite a pretty thorough cleaning. I was able to leave the tank on the jack and roll it around. Out to the driveway to clean it up, back to the garage to swap the failed pump and plastic weld the split vent seam.
Plastic welding the split seam is next up. I wasn't able to melt the V into the seam like I had planned due to the hose fitting it just didn't allow quite enough space, but I was able to fill it pretty well anyway I believe. It's sealed up. Took 30-45 minutes to get setup, cut my plastic welding rods and weld it.
I had trouble getting the pump retaining ring back on, my fingers tend to be quite weak and unsteady now days and the springs on the pump were not so weak making the ring very hard to turn. I found that having my son hold the pump down made it much easier to get the retaining ring on and tightened without the pump moving. I just put a hammer handle right in the middle for him to push down gently on so his hands weren't in my way. This took 45 minutes, I gave up after 30 minutes on my own and had my son come help me.
Time to finish dealing with the rust I found above the tank. 90 minutes later this is done, stopped for dinner in the middle though.
Woohoo, time to put the tank back in. Getting that fuel pressure sensor hose near the pump back on was a real challenge. I ended up needing help from my wife to work the jack so we could move the tank around to find the best place to get the vent hose back on since there is basically no movement fore/aft in the hose and dang near no room to get to and grip it. I ended up putting a thin player of dielectric grease on the hose fitting to get it seat fully and then used a stubby 1/4" ratchet to get the hose clamp tightened up, 44lb-in. Jacked it up a bit more and got the remaining 4 hoses and the filler neck connected(44lb-in), these went pretty easy. I always hot the hose fittings with a quick shot of silicon spray so the connectors slide on easy with less risk of tearing an o-ring. Put the tank brackets back in(41 lb-ft) and had my wife test the pump while I checked for leaks. Cycled the pump 4 times, man is it quiet, she couldn't even hear the Bosch pump from the drivers seat which is unusual as we always listen for the fuel pump at start up. I couldn't find a Motorcraft pump or I'd have bought it, but I've had good luck with Bosch fuel pumps in the past. I checked for leaks and then started the engine. Fired first try as usual and ran great. Phew, well the wondering if I had done the troubleshooting and diagnosis correctly was over and confirmed. I often second guess myself. 6hrs today.
Day 3.
Time to reinstall the 2 screws that hold the filler neck to the frame and tighten the 3 at the quarter panel. Then put the sway bar back in(bracket-frame 30 lb-ft, end link-sway bar 66 lb-ft). Nothing special here, but I greased the end links while they were disconnected. Driveshaft is next, nothing special here either. I put it in, but torqueing(83 lb-ft) will have to wait until I get the truck off the wooden blocks/ramps. I have my wife hold the brakes while I torque the rear bolts on the driveshaft, release and turn it so I have good access, hold the brakes again, repeat.
I had to put a temporary repair on a rusted area that turned out to be a hole when I started removing the rusty metal. I sprayed it with acid to neutralize some of the rust and covered it with foil duct taped. My body is not up to cutting and welding right now. Maybe next weekend. Not sure what this area is, it's kind of like a box in the drivers side rear corner below the tail light. Behind the metal there is an expanding foam adhesive holding it to plastic. 3.5hrs today, including cleaning up and putting everything away.
Plug for FedEx, the pump was ordered Thursday evening, shipped Friday and was expected to be delivered on Tuesday. FedEx dropped it off Sunday morning which was really awesome. It's a hassle to drive a different vehicle to work due to being required to register any vehicle I bring onsite. Takes about an hour to complete the 1/3 mile walk each way and the paperwork to register a different vehicle.
AllData says the fuel pump replacement is a 2.7hr job, plus draining the fuel. Not sure how you'd drain the fuel without removing the failed pump, and you'd have to be a durn hotshot to do it in 3hrs I think. A lift so you can stand under it would help quite a bit, as usual. I spent 13.5hrs start to finish, including building vehicle support platforms, figuring out how to safely support the tank since it was dang near full of fuel, dealing with the rust I found before the tank removal and then a really bad spot above the tank, cleaning everything up once complete. I'm sure it could have been cut down by 3-5hrs had I not also dealt with rust and had to make stuff. I'm pretty sure rust is gonna be what finally kills this truck. It still meets our needs, runs great, smooth, quiet, comfortable and I'm no fan of any of the new vehicles so I'm not looking forward to the day it has to be replaced. Most likely it'll be another 78 Bronco with full-time 4WD that replaces it. I loved the simplicity and durability of that truck, the handling was darn good with full-time 4WD, parts are cheap and still available, and it had 613k miles on it when I sold it, stupid mistake.
Just thought I'd share the fiasco(err I mean story), since I always seem to struggle with auto repairs lately. The tank removal pretty much kicked my tail. It's kind of a comedy of issues, some due to my perfectionist issues and some due to severe rheumatoid arthritis.
The fuel pump sounded slightly funny on morning startup Thursday morning. Seemed to be running fine, I'll look into it this weekend. So off to work I go. Sure enough it sounded a bit funny again at startup, but it ran fine on the way home so good I'll just deal with it this weekend it's probably that dang relay again. I stopped 2 miles from home for my monthly chiropractor appointment, I don't miss these anymore. Well that was the last straw, after my appointment the pump sounded really bad, it started, but was missing badly and could not maintain even 400rpm. It died after ~20 seconds and cycling the ignition switch the pump did not run. Dang it I should have gone straight home. My son brings my ODBII scanner and digital multi-meter. The fuel pump relay is good, we have the expected voltage on the output wire as appropriate, the battery voltage is good and with no fuel pump sound the pump is done. It'll sit here for the night and I'll tow it home in the morning. It was gonna be $10 more to rent a trailer than to have a local company tow it home. Okay they can tow it, and they did a great job. They adjusted the drivers schedule to meet my needs, he secured the truck properly strapping each tire with chains at both sides of the frame front and rear, I've always had to request proper tie down in the past. The driver then released it so I could roll it off the roll back right into my garage. I had to get the truck home and be 1.5hrs away pretty early. A staff member at Capital Rehab, they provide me both chiro and PT, saw me and offered me her car for the day if needed. That blew my mind, she's awesome, thankfully not needed. I drove my wifes torture mobile, '02 Monte Carlo Dale Earnhardt edition with 12k miles, to take the diamond for my Army officer daughters engagement ring to the jeweler as scheduled by my future son-in-law.
Saturday is here and it's time to work on this fuel pump issue. The Monte Carlo is empty so I can put 15 gallons of my fuel in there and I planned to put another 5-6 gallons in my sons Ranger. Nope, I found out I had no way to siphon fuel out of it. I hate those check valves, but siphoning is part of what they are designed to prevent.
I decided there was no where to put jackstands that wouldn't likely be in the way. So I put the front tires on my 9" tall stacked 2x10 homemade ramps. They have 3 steps so cars can get up on them. I then took 2x4's and 2x10's and made 9" tall blocks to set the rear tires on. Took an hour to make the blocks and get it jacked up enough.
Disconnecting the filler neck required me to remove the 12mm screws holding it to the frame and loosen 3 7mm(might actually be 6.5mm) screws holding it to the quarter panel. Then I was able to get just enough movement to slide the hose back and off. Then I found that the stinkin' check valve was in the tank so no draining it, despite 24-25 gallons or close to 150lbs of fuel in it.
Disconnecting the fuel lines at the front of the tank was a bit of a challenge to figure out. That took at least 30 minutes. I'm not sure I've ever seen the red connector that needs to be released with a screwdriver and then both sides pushed inward and the entire clip pressed through the hose end. Depressing the 2 sided release style connectors wasn't too bad, these are the connectors I'm accustomed to. I often struggle with connectors due to a lack of strength in my hands now days and very poor feeling in my finger tips. Add to that almost 20yr old connectors and I was quite concerned about breaking them. The 2 rear connectors disconnected fairly easily. I slipped the filler neck as well as the front and rear hoses back on to reduce fumes and fuel dripping. The fuel tank pressure sensor hose I still have to locate.
1 of the swaybar mount retainers was broken loose from the bolt. So I removed the other 3 nuts and the swaybar end links and then was able to remove it. With vise grips and my impact I was able to remove the final swaybar mount bolt/nut. I don't think I can weld that thin metal, but I'll try later when I replace the rusted rocker panel. For now I found a spare bolt that fits and will have to use a stubby wrench inside the frame rail to tighten the nut. I use the big 2lb peanut/cashew containers with screw on lids to hold spare auto bolts/nuts etc...
I then got distracted by some rust and 1hr later I said screw it and went in for dinner. 4hrs today and my body said it was time to stop. Told ya I was slow.
Day 2
Took the cross beam for my 3-ton jack, removed the rubber pads and screwed 17" 2x4's to it to support the tank, kind of formed an H. Basically it was 30" long with a 17" 2x4 at each end. This worked out to support the tank in all directions very well and made the fuel weight basically a minor issue.
Got all the hoses and the electrical connectors disconnected except the fuel tank pressure sensor hose. I lowered the tank ~3" and used a mirror to look around the top and I finally found it. I spent 30 minutes or so struggling to loosen the 6mm hose clamp and finally realized I could not get the hose clamp off from the passenger side. After a frustration break of 90 minutes I found that I could move the tank towards the passenger side 3-4" and reach it much easier from the driver side. Pulling the hose off once the clamp was removed wasn't very easy either. Rotating it back forth and pulling on it was the trick.
Dropped the tank down, pulled it out and cleaned that nasty thing. Wow I clean under my vehicles 3-4 times a year and it was still crazy dusty, course it's been in there for 287k miles. One small recess about 1/2" deep was completely full of dust and small gravel. I used disposable rubber glove fingers and twist ties to securely cover the hoses, ports etc so no dirt got in despite a pretty thorough cleaning. I was able to leave the tank on the jack and roll it around. Out to the driveway to clean it up, back to the garage to swap the failed pump and plastic weld the split vent seam.
Plastic welding the split seam is next up. I wasn't able to melt the V into the seam like I had planned due to the hose fitting it just didn't allow quite enough space, but I was able to fill it pretty well anyway I believe. It's sealed up. Took 30-45 minutes to get setup, cut my plastic welding rods and weld it.
I had trouble getting the pump retaining ring back on, my fingers tend to be quite weak and unsteady now days and the springs on the pump were not so weak making the ring very hard to turn. I found that having my son hold the pump down made it much easier to get the retaining ring on and tightened without the pump moving. I just put a hammer handle right in the middle for him to push down gently on so his hands weren't in my way. This took 45 minutes, I gave up after 30 minutes on my own and had my son come help me.
Time to finish dealing with the rust I found above the tank. 90 minutes later this is done, stopped for dinner in the middle though.
Woohoo, time to put the tank back in. Getting that fuel pressure sensor hose near the pump back on was a real challenge. I ended up needing help from my wife to work the jack so we could move the tank around to find the best place to get the vent hose back on since there is basically no movement fore/aft in the hose and dang near no room to get to and grip it. I ended up putting a thin player of dielectric grease on the hose fitting to get it seat fully and then used a stubby 1/4" ratchet to get the hose clamp tightened up, 44lb-in. Jacked it up a bit more and got the remaining 4 hoses and the filler neck connected(44lb-in), these went pretty easy. I always hot the hose fittings with a quick shot of silicon spray so the connectors slide on easy with less risk of tearing an o-ring. Put the tank brackets back in(41 lb-ft) and had my wife test the pump while I checked for leaks. Cycled the pump 4 times, man is it quiet, she couldn't even hear the Bosch pump from the drivers seat which is unusual as we always listen for the fuel pump at start up. I couldn't find a Motorcraft pump or I'd have bought it, but I've had good luck with Bosch fuel pumps in the past. I checked for leaks and then started the engine. Fired first try as usual and ran great. Phew, well the wondering if I had done the troubleshooting and diagnosis correctly was over and confirmed. I often second guess myself. 6hrs today.
Day 3.
Time to reinstall the 2 screws that hold the filler neck to the frame and tighten the 3 at the quarter panel. Then put the sway bar back in(bracket-frame 30 lb-ft, end link-sway bar 66 lb-ft). Nothing special here, but I greased the end links while they were disconnected. Driveshaft is next, nothing special here either. I put it in, but torqueing(83 lb-ft) will have to wait until I get the truck off the wooden blocks/ramps. I have my wife hold the brakes while I torque the rear bolts on the driveshaft, release and turn it so I have good access, hold the brakes again, repeat.
I had to put a temporary repair on a rusted area that turned out to be a hole when I started removing the rusty metal. I sprayed it with acid to neutralize some of the rust and covered it with foil duct taped. My body is not up to cutting and welding right now. Maybe next weekend. Not sure what this area is, it's kind of like a box in the drivers side rear corner below the tail light. Behind the metal there is an expanding foam adhesive holding it to plastic. 3.5hrs today, including cleaning up and putting everything away.
Plug for FedEx, the pump was ordered Thursday evening, shipped Friday and was expected to be delivered on Tuesday. FedEx dropped it off Sunday morning which was really awesome. It's a hassle to drive a different vehicle to work due to being required to register any vehicle I bring onsite. Takes about an hour to complete the 1/3 mile walk each way and the paperwork to register a different vehicle.
AllData says the fuel pump replacement is a 2.7hr job, plus draining the fuel. Not sure how you'd drain the fuel without removing the failed pump, and you'd have to be a durn hotshot to do it in 3hrs I think. A lift so you can stand under it would help quite a bit, as usual. I spent 13.5hrs start to finish, including building vehicle support platforms, figuring out how to safely support the tank since it was dang near full of fuel, dealing with the rust I found before the tank removal and then a really bad spot above the tank, cleaning everything up once complete. I'm sure it could have been cut down by 3-5hrs had I not also dealt with rust and had to make stuff. I'm pretty sure rust is gonna be what finally kills this truck. It still meets our needs, runs great, smooth, quiet, comfortable and I'm no fan of any of the new vehicles so I'm not looking forward to the day it has to be replaced. Most likely it'll be another 78 Bronco with full-time 4WD that replaces it. I loved the simplicity and durability of that truck, the handling was darn good with full-time 4WD, parts are cheap and still available, and it had 613k miles on it when I sold it, stupid mistake.
