So my boyfriend and I recently picked up an 89 firebird to restore but as fate would have it he was too busy fooling with other rear ends instead of the firebird. He's now out of the way and i need help fixing this thing. We were told the car needs a fuel pump but not 100% sure. He sprayed starter fluid into the intake and the car ran. How can i test if the fuel pump is running. Second if the fuel pump is bad I've seen videos of people cutting an access port to get to it. What are the pro's and cons of doing that?

 

Well, if it runs with starting fluid, you've got compression and ignition. Fuel, being the last key ingredient, would be the issue. It is possible that you have a bad fuel pump, and even likely, but not necessarily true. I would start by checking the fuel pump relay for a signal, and for function first. If you have signal and function, then I would move on to the fuel pump.

To your question about an access port: Generally frowned upon on this forum. The metal there is a shield against fuel sprays in the event you find yourself rear-ended. It can be done, and can be worthwhile, but if you're just putting in a stock replacement... 90% of us are just going to tell you to drop the tank and do it right. Cutting the access port the right way would likely require the tank dropped anyway.

 

he put a new fuel pump relay in but that didn't help. how do I test the fuel pump?

 

Under absolutely no circumstances cut an access hole to replace the fuel pump!!!

What kind of 1989 Firebird do you have? Base Firebird, Formula, Trans Am, or GTA? Which engine does it have? V6 or V8? If V8 is it a Throttle Body Injection or a Tuned Port Injection. TBI has a round black air cleaner on top of the engine. TPI is aluminum with 8 tubes running down the intake.

Cutting an access hole is what trailer park 3rd gen owners did back in the day. That might have been somewhat OK back then when these cars were somewhat still new and just cars and not worth anything.

Now these cars are worth something and the gas tank/fuel system are 35 years old cutting a gapping hole in the rear hatch area is a DUMB idea.

Because when you get into it you very well going to find the gas tank full of crap rotten fuel, varnish, and massive rust.

Then you are going to have to rip it all out the right way and install a new tank, fuel pump hanger/sending unit and fuel pump. Then realize you just ruined your car by cutting a gaping hole in it for nothing.

 

Here is the best step-by-step to properly troubleshoot a fuel pump/no fuel situation

https://austinthirdgen.org/troublesh...-pump-circuit/

 

I borrowed some pictures from @Drgnbld from his 89 GTA Refresh thread.

These pictures show the horrible gapping mess of a hole that has to be cut into the hatch area of a 3rd gen to remove and replace the fuel pump with the gas tank still installed in the car.






The first pic with the brown metal covering the hole shows the size of the hole that has to be cut into the body of the car. The next two pics show the horror of it. That is a structural brace cut in two to be able to get the metal lines of the fuel hanger out of and back into the car. These cars are unibody construction, not body on frame construction. The car's body and braces are the frame and strength of the car.

What you see in the pics ahead of the gapping mess of a hole is the back seats and the cabin compartment where you and your friends will be at.

When you get hit in the rear end by some idiot texting while driving the car will crush due to being weakened even more than these car are to begin with and the gas tank will rupture spraying the gas in your tank inside the cabin compartment where you and your friends are at.

The end result could be a Jenn and Friends BBQ.

 

Do you have access to a lift? That makes the job 100x easier.

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The fuel tank is not too difficult to drop on these cars. I have seen a car 3rd gen upside down after a wreck with an occupant pinned inside. That person survived with minor injuries, but if that car had a poorly improvised fuel tank access panel and a leaking tank, that could have easily changed.

Having just had to change a tank on a G-van that sat a while and the fuel varnished. I went with a new tank, pump, sending unit, mounting straps, filler hoses, vent hoses and always change the filter. Having a nice clean tank, working fuel gauge and a pump that works properly is well worth the effort.

I will never put an access hole in the floor. Some factory cars like my 2007 G35 sedan come with them though (that car actually has 2, one for each sending unit) and I make darn sure they are correctly re-installed and sealed when they go back into place.

 

Go to a decent auto-parts store that has a loaner-tool program. O'Reillys and AutoZone around here, other stores in other locations, I suppose.

Get a fuel-pressure testing kit from the loaner-tool program. You'll probably have to "buy" it, and then when it's returned you get your money back.

If you have a TBI, be sure they include a TBI adapter with the gauge assembly. TBI is a pain in the tuckus to test fuel pressure on, because the vehicle plumbing does not include a test port. Verify pressure at prime (key turned from "Off" to "Run") and also when cranking the engine.

How old is the fuel filter? Not surprising if it's plugged.

The car should have a wiring short-cut that allows you to put power directly to the fuel pump in order to run the pump even without cranking the engine or engine running. Some cars have a separate wire in the engine compartment you'd connect to battery + with a jumper cable, others have a wire within the ALDL connector under the dash.

 

At a minimum, you will need to drop the tank. You won't be able to test all the connections end to end without doing that or doing the fuel access hatch. You can check to see if you hear the fuel pump kick on just turn the key to accessories right before you kick it over to start and the pump should kick on. You should be able to hear it when you click on the key before a start attempt.

 

Absolutely do not cut a hole to access the fuel pump!!! As you can see in the pics of my car that were copied and posted by AIRWOLF. I was pissed when I found that level of butchery under the rear carpet. I have since fixed that issue with a new brace and sheet metal from a donor camaro. It still gets my blood boiling when I think about what one of the previous owners did to the car.

 

Where are you located. If someone on this forum is near you, that kind of help would be a lot faster/better, I'd think.

The tips above are all good ones though, start working through them if you have the ability to do so.

 

Well that was a bust. I was doing some exploring in the rear and felt a lump under the trunk carpet and someone has already cut a hole. On the bright side the fuel pump is bad for sure. I want to weld the trunk up eventually but does anyone have a good write up for gas tank removal? The tank is pretty dirty and i want to replace it. Probably what caused the pump to crap out if i was guessing

 

Unfortunate, but not the end of the world if you get some quality welds and the hole isn't completely hacked.

really generalized steps for removing the tank below: I've done it in a driveway on jack stands before I had a lift, its not horrible but does take time. the most challenging part was getting the rear end high enough in the air, and wiggling the filler neck out at the end of the removal.

Disconnect the exhaust at the cat
disconnect the sway bar end links
disconnect the rear shocks
removed the panhard bars
(support the rear end pumpkin with a jack)
disconnect brake lines from the body
remove the gas filler door and plastic surround
remove the aluminum shields
unbolt tank straps

 

Props to you for getting a solid diag on the pump.

To remove the tank you need to remove the rear axle, which is pretty straightforward. Then remove the filler neck hardware, then the tank straps...the drop it down and remove the fuel pump lines and harness.

 

BTW - when you drop the fuel tank, get a boroscope and have a good look inside the tank for corrosion - you don't want any of that pumping thru the fuel lines

 

Hi LiquidBlue, it appears she is planning on replacing the tank, so no colonoscopy required.....