It sounds ignorant but i've done pumps on MANY cars but from what i hear, doing them on a third gen is isanely hard, from what i can tell you have to drop the rear axle to get the tank out is this correct? because i just did a search and one of the mods/supporters said you only have to remove the rear exhaust, which one? Because i have to do this pump change soon or my poor baby is gonna sit and im gonna be S.O.L on a car, if i can do it fast enough i'll have a lift and full shop of tools, if its gonna take more than 3 hours im gonna have to do it in my driveway with jackstands, HOW exactly do i clear up room for my tank to drop and can i get details on the job from people who have already done this?

 

remove rear axle, disconnect gas lines, drop tank, replace, reverse order, lol. If you got a couple guys there and all the parts you'll need then you should have her done in about 3 hours. Get a couple friends together to ensure that you'll have people to move things and what not when you need it. It would probably be easiest to remove the exhaust, and if you think about it, you can drive the car home and put the exhaust back on there, so as long as you get the tank swapped with new pump and axle back on you can drive her home to finish it all up.

 

well i'm getting it done on sunday and i'm gonna have full access to a shop and a lift so it'll make it easier, any tips on dropping the tank? (besides draining it) lol

 

When I did mine, I pulled the exhaust from the cat back, dropped the rearend from the lower shock bolts and left it connected to the LCA's but broke the bolts loose so they wouldnt bind. I unbolted the rear brakes hard line from the chassis(one bolt) for slack and sat the rearend down on the ground. Pull the wheels(at least the passenger side), undo the fuel lines, then the straps and it will come out the passenger side wheel well with ease.
-Greg

 

make sure you have a buddy help especially when you literally pull the tank out and put it in. the only tricky part is pay careful attention to the way it has to twist and drop to come out its kinda like a counter clockwise twist if youre at the passenger side of the tank while holding the side down and twisting. everythign else is easy and can be done really quickly. its not as hard as it sounds. and remember to remove the black plastic piece around the filler neck behind the gas door.

 

yeah i got used to havin to twist tanks around in obscure fashions to get them out lol, I had to do like 6 fuel pump jobs on a line of infiniti Q45's that were donated to us for faulty pumps and you had to like roll them out except those were in a cavity between the trunk and the back seat lol, As far as i can tell this should be easy after blowin through the hype of the job, seems easy now, i'll be at a shop and my dads technician is gonna be watchin and helping me so i dont mess it up lol but what makes me madder than a hatter is i JUST filled my tank lol first time its been completely full in about a month now and now it has to be drained! GAY!

 

Right; the fuel pump in these cars is in the gas tank, like it is in nearly all FI cars, and although details of removing the gas tank vary from car to car, it's about the same in these as in any other kind of car. Seems when you're working on them, like in about all cars, they put the gas tank on the production line first, and then began assembling the car around it; so it's never very much fun.

As is the case in most large jobs, one of the keys to doing it efficiently is to make up your mind to simply do what it takes to do the job, up front; and avoid the temptation of taking "shortcuts". Spending an extra 2 hours yanking on a stubborn tank trying to clear some obstruction that should have been removed, and maybe bending it so it no longer fits back in right, for example, rather than take out a couple of screws or loosen a couple of bolts somewhere or something like that, is NOT a "shortcut". In other words, go ahead and do whatever it takes, because THAT'S the shortest way.

Draining the tank DRY first is a great idea. Fuel is heavy, in any significant quantity.

 

Well I'm probably gonna start a riot with this one. They'll say it's a short cut, a hack job or whatever but I found it to be a very usefull modification when done properly. Especially if you plan/need to get back to the pump or sending unit later.

I pulled the carpet up from behind the rear seats to get to the rear deck just above the fuel tank and cut a hole 6" x 11" directly above the sending unit. . I snipped the return and emission hard lines and used a tubing cutter to do the pressure line. It's the 3/8" line on the passengers side. Once I got the sending unit out I was able to cut/trim the other lines. I used a brass compression connector to re-connect the pressure line and HP rubber fuel line for the other 3. I made a 8" x 13" aluminum plate to cover the hole. Fittings, hose and clamps were $10. Note: make sure the lines are deburred before reassembly. The tubing cutter tends to reduce the ID of the line so file/de-burr them as necessary.

It sure made this process a heck of a lot easier for me. I'm not saying it is a better way but just letting you know it is an option.

 

It's an awful job imo. It makes no sense to make a non-fool proof item so difficult to access. The pump should be in-line near the tank, not exposed to the elements, but enclosed within a protective enclosure. But that's not the way it is. It was a pain to get the tank lined back up where it belongs, and the tank straps really aren't made to be used again. In order to remove the tank, the straps loose their shape. Just make sure it really is the pump, and not a fuse before doing all this. Did you check for fuel pressure at the shrader valve on the pass fuel rail? Make sure you turn the ignition to "run" to activate the fuel pump. Good luck.

Also, once you get the new pump installed and wired, make sure your new pump is working before getting things back together.