Hello to all, here is my issue. In June of last year I changed out the fuel pump on my car. I basically bought a CarQuest (local parts store) pump, stock replacement. The car was running fine. I parked the car for about 3 weeks (car sits outside) & when I went to start it 3 days ago....DEAD fuel pump...

Last time I went through the trouble of cutting a small hole in the back of the car as I tried to change the pump w/out dropping the tank. At the end I could not get the old pump out without removing the exhaust, lowering most of the rear suspension + rear end & dropping the tank. At that time I have access to a lift, so it was a chore, but not impossible. Now I DO NOT have access to a lift.

I am thinking about going to an external fuel pump. That way if this happens again, I do not have to lower the tank. Here are my questions:

1. Has anyone done this, if so what in-line/external fuel pump did you use?

2. The cars motor (1990 305 TBI) is stock & will stay that way, is there an external pump that flows what the stock in-tank flows?

3. What lines (if any) would I have to change?

I plan to do this conversion w/out dropping the tank (wish me luck, maybe I'm nuts). Thanks in advance!!!

 

Going to an external in-line pump will have a few challenges, I ran both a Holley Black and Holley Blue external pump and burned both of them out. The biggest issue that I see, is that most external pumps are "pusher pumps", that need to have the fuel gravity fed to them and are required to be mounted below the tank. I did this by mounting it on the back of the floor pan beneath the rear seat-back cushions. What did me in, was that when the pump engages and turns on, it needs to pull fuel up and out of the tank, through the lines and to the pump. A 2-5 second process most likely. However, in that time the pump is running "dry" and overheating. When the pump stops pumping, the fuel retreats back into the tank and away from the pump, so every time the pump is running dry. This is what burned up my pumps. Also, if you ever let the tank run dry, the pump won't shut off when the car shuts off like on your in-tank pump, you'll have to remember to shut the "key" off, depending on how you wire it.

I would suggest, spending the weekend with the rear on jacks and replacing the in-tank pump. Took a friend and I two days in my garage since it was the first time I'd ever done it. Since you've also got the tank out, you can re-assess your "hole in the trunk" approach because several people here have done it successfully. I'm pretty sure most people here will tell you the same, that the in-tank pump while a pain to replace, is the most reliable you can get outside of a mechanical pump for the older carbed cars. Hope this helps.

 

Ozz thanks for the advice! All great points, my dad came over (he was a mechanic for 30 + years & he also told me we could make "the hole in the trunk" work. He actually thinks he can do the job w/out pulling the tank. Thanks again!!!