I want to know how you did it. Literally, what you did, and how long it took, I'm trying to knock this out quickly.

This guy has a 91 Z28 I want to go buy, but the fuel pump is dead. He said I could swap the pump there, so I would like to get out there and get the car. So I'm reading up on all of these fuel pump installs to be more familiar and help the process along quicker.

But I can't decide if cutting a hole really saves any time due to all of the BS you have to do with the hoses and all of the fittings. If I drop the tank, I don't have to mess with all of that. I'm not opposed to just hacking it up and driving it away, and making a nice little "hatch" that is well finished and riveted in place when I get home, but that's only if it will actually save me time.

I would just tow it home, but I recently grenaded the transmission in my truck and am waiting on the rebuild. Any insight?

 

If you have a working fuel pump from anything, you can limp it home by using the working fuel pump externally and sucking through the dead pump. It ain't gonna spin wheels, it might cut off, bog out, run like hell - but it will run and you can limp it home.

I did this when my pump died on my 1990 TBI - it died 2 hours away from home. My brother had just replaced his intank pump on his Dodge Conquest with a new higher gph pump, and I used his old intank pump - just duct taped it in the engine bay, cut it into the flexible hose, added 12v, and away I went. Took me about 30 extra minutes to get home than usual from there, as it wouldn't run above about 50mph, and every so often it would bog out and die - but it made it home none the less.

Unless the car is like 8 hours away or something, it's worth a shot.

 

Hacking is probably the fastest way to it, as long as you dont cut the tank. Doing it the right way, have to get the rear of the car very high. If you dont cut the exhaust off or disconnect the brake line to the rear its even more fun to get the tank out of the car. A 91 if it has the dual cats might be easier to get the exhaust out, I took the exhaust out on an 86 from the tailpipes all the way to the cat in one piece but it was a severe PITA to get out. The next time I just left it in the car, but not a fun environment to work in.

I like the above idea, that might be a good option to use if you dont want to work on it in a strange place.

 

TPI going to have rubber lines to assimilate?

Having just dropped my gas tank yesterday, i don't think you want to do that in some random stranger's front yard.

it took me most of the day working at a leisurely pace with getting sidetracked, etc.

 

"Assimilate" ... You've watched way too much Star Trek haven't you?

 

shhh...

 

the PO hacked mine up, I replaced it last summer and when I did it only took me maybe 30-45 minutes

are you 100% sure the pump is dead? I would double check the fuse and relay just to be safe

 

Are we talking about the same fuel pump inside the gas tank? Because, there's just no way that you ever replaced an in-tank pump start to finish in 30 minutes, even IF you cut in from the top.

 

Thanks guys. I went and checked it out, looked at the fuse and relay, and checked out the exhaust, and decided to pass on it. It sounded like a couple hours either way from what you're saying. I've dropped several tanks on a lift with air. But I don't want to do it on my back for the first time in a strangers driveway. Not having my truck running really bit me in the a$$ on this one. I already got the seal kit and red alto clutches though, it'll be rebuilt soon, hopefully the car will still be there!

I think he meant that it was already cut up from someone else. All he had to do was replace it through the hole, LOL

 

Having it all cut up from the guy who owned the car before me, it did go pretty quickly, just undo the hose clamps, pop the ring off, unplug, and it came right out. Its actually covered by a decently thick peice of sheet metal sealed to the body with silicone and about 12 screws.
Made the mistake of not replacing the harness at that time though.

 

Beg, Borrow, Steal, or rent a truck and tow it. It's not a huge job, it's just pretty high up there on the PITA scale. What are you going to do if you change the pump and it still doesn't run? Just go to Uhaul or whoever and get yourself a truck to haul it home and deal with it on your own time in your own work area.

 

I actually did the fuel pump today.
I have nothing against from the top method except it doesn't save anytime to speak of.
Some people at least make it clean looking but I've seen some total hack jobs and I can assure you they didn't save any time.
I had ideal conditions but if you're going to cut something for crying out loud cut the filler neck like this!!

Instead the tards have to remove all the panels, pull the carpet, cut a panel, then either hack the whole thing up to the connections or cut 4 hoses. Now you have 8 hose clamps and rubber hoses you have to splice in, then when it's all done you have to find a bigger panel to put back in place so it overlaps and reinstall the carpet and panels.
Forget the hack job you just did in your hatch, you don't ever think those might leak or dry rot over time?
Meanwhile I spent maybe an hour each way.
Not exactly sure because I let it siphon the gas out while I changed all the spark plugs up front.
Took out the trac bar and disconnected the one end of the panhard bar. Because the neck was cut that's all I undid. Never touched the torque arm, LCA,'s or shocks.
Again I had ideal conditions and know what I am doing, but I promise you I could pull this fuel pump out the bottom like I did today faster then 90% of the people can hack up the top.

Let's say worst case OMG I have 2 hours in to mine and you have 1.5. Yeah that's worth the hack job you now have.
Now if you can't get the car in the air then yeah you pretty much have no choice but to hack job it from the top.

Again I think I'm the only one that cuts the neck and not the floor pan.

 

i changed my 85 today i cut a hole through the trunk i dont care what they say about hack job who cares if nobody will ever know its there and doin it at someone els's house is gonna b hard enough cutting is easier and much cleaner as far as im concerned. the whole job took me about an hour an with very minimal tools i used a cordless drill out four holes(the courners) then used tinn snips cuz i didn't want to blow up then cut the lines with the tin snips once loose re cut lines with a mini pipe cutter that was the hardest part of the job changed the pump then just 1 foot of fuel inj hose 16 hose clamps (4 for each line) and thats it i think tools i used were drill snips dykes pliers flathed and hose cutters thats it!

 

Not everyone does a hack job! lol

heres a few shots of how i did mine..




i never took finished pics, but i made it hinged, and used those rivet in fastener things along the sides and edge, and used rubber stripping to weather seal it.

 

this is wrong on so many levels, 1st why in the h@ll would you eben consider cutting up ur car for a fuel pump change?

second i have a 91 camaro i had to do a tank sump, so i remove tank. and yes I could do it the right way in 30 mins, I have lift air tools, tranny jack for holding rear, its actullay pretty simple to do compared to the cars i wark on everyday, Vovlo, bmw,mercedes, etc, u ever took a fuel tank out 0f a 2009 mercedes? lot worse than this....... what im trying to say is dont cut up ur car because you afraid to drop the rear and exhaust, really dont cut the car at all.......

And if anyone thinks it cant be done in thirty minutes is crazy, with the right equitment it can be, but I dont have to worry about dropping my tank again its been sumped and im running the holley red external pump, i can change it in 5min if need be

 

2.5 hours or so, working at a normal pace. But the car was in good shape and the bolts all came right out. nothing as rotted together, the fule lines came apart without any drama. Could have done it faster im sure.

 

i dont think cutting the hole in the trunk is ever an option to do this kind of work, unless the car is a stripped out race car that still uses an intank pump. IMO.

however, props to you for taking the time and doing the access job correctly and cleanly. no rubber hose splices either, i like how that was done. Good job.

 

I suggest opening up the hole that the filler neck passes through, thats the biggest problem I had when I had to replace my tank. The hole is just small enough for the lip of the neck to catch and stop you from getting it out. It bends pretty easy and it doesn't take much to get the lip to clear. You can pull the pump without cutting anything. Just drop the exhaust, unbolt the 2 suspension pieces, undo the lines and the fuel door trim, drop the tank. There should be enough room to get the job done, maybe its one of them rare perks of being skinny lol.

 

5 MIN!!!! I always eliminate the inline pump... well worth the effort