When it comes to getting fuel to your engine it is the fuel pumps job to maintain a constant flow of fuel from your tank through the fuel lines into the engine. A common problem with fuel pumps is that they wear out over time and simply fail. Replacing a worn out fuel pump is not that difficult of a task, but it can be extremely dangerous. If you think about it you have a tank full of fuel and lines containing pressurized fuel. This is why it is important that you follow these steps to help you accomplish the task of replacing your fuel pump safely. The Procedure
- Park your vehicle where you can work on it if possible.
- Back the back end of your vehicle onto car ramps.
- Get a fire extinguisher and have it handy just in case a situation arises that you may need to use it for.
- Before starting to disconnect any fuel lines or start this task you will want to relieve pressure in the lines. Some vehicles have a special button that you can push, while others you will have to locate the fuel pump fuse or relay. Then start the car and pull the fuse or relay until the car dies. THIS STEP IS VITAL; OTHERWISE YOU CAN RISK DANGEROUSLY FLAMABLE GASOLINE SPRAYING OUT OF FUEL LINES AT EXTREMELY HIGH PRESSURES.
- With the pressure relieved, you can now disconnect the negative cable from the battery to prevent any accidental sparking.
- Now you will need to locate the fuel pump. On some vehicles it is connected to the outside of the tank. Other vehicles the pump is located inside of the tank. I recommend consulting a service manual to determine where your pump is located. Also on vehicles where the pump is located in the tank, you will want to determine if there is an access panel of some sort to access the pump, or if you have to drop the fuel tank.
- We will start with the removal of a pump located outside the fuel tank. To remove this you will want to use flare nut wrenches to remove the fuel lines. If you don’t have flare nut wrenches these SKT381 Flare Nut Wrenches will work for standard vehicles. If your vehicle use fuel lines that do not use nuts then you will need to purchase a fuel line disconnect set such as this LIS37000 Fuel Line Disconnect Set to remove the lines. Have a rag handy to catch any fuel that drips out of the lines.
- With the lines disconnected you can remove the bolts holding the fuel pump onto the tank.
- Then remove the electrical connectors.
- If your pump is located in the tank and you have an access panel, remove the access panel.
- Then do like step 7 says and disconnect the fuel lines.
- Then use a screw driver and a SOFT FACED HAMMER (hard faced hammers could spark causing an explosion) and tap the ring in the counter clockwise direction gently turning it until you can remove the ring. If you don’t have a soft faced hammer this ATD4073 Non Sparking Hammer will work.
- With the ring removed, disconnect any electrical connections and remove the fuel pump.
- If your pump is located in the tank and does not have an access panel you will have to remove the fuel tank.
- This is where the job becomes difficult. If your tank is more than half full, it is recommended that you use some sort of siphon to remove the fuel. I recommend for safety reasons that you use a siphon no matter what and remove all of the fuel.
- With the fuel removed, you will need to disconnect the fill neck from the fill cap. There should be bolts or screws holding them together. Disconnect the fill tube.
- Next locate the fuel lines and disconnect them like you did in step 7.
- Disconnect any electrical connectors.
- Locate the bolts that are holding the straps in place on your fuel tank. Remove these bolts. I recommend getting a friend to help hold the tank in place once you removed these. Also this is where it is a good idea to have removed all of the fuel to prevent holding in your hands a bomb.
- Set the tank aside, and make sure to keep all flames or sparks away, even though the tank is empty it is still full of explosive fumes that could explode.
- Then do like step 12 says and use the soft faced hammer and screwdriver to remove the ring holding the fuel pump in place.
- We have now removed the fuel pump from all three variations. Now we will go into what to do next.
- With the pump removed it is a good idea to check the fuel line conditions and electrical connector conditions. If they are damaged replace them.
- With everything in good shape you can reinstall the fuel pump. Installation is the reverse of removal. Make sure to follow all torques for fasteners.
- After everything is back in place you can reinstall the fuse or relay.
- Then reinstall the negative cable on the battery.
- Start the vehicle, it may take a couple times of cranking the engine over, and this is because the fuel in the engine has been used up when you relieved the pressure.
- After the vehicle is running you will want to crawl under it to make sure that you do not have any fuel leaks.
You just completed the removal and installation of the fuel pump on your vehicle. Written by: Cody Mammenga an NDSCS Student
Tags: ATD, blz, explosion, fuel, fuel lines, fuel pump, fuse, gas, gasoline, lis, lisle, relay, sk, skt, Tools
