Access to Fuel Pump?

Just wondering if the engineers will be designing an access panel inside the car for the fuel pump? Or will the fuel pump be externally mounted? I'm still dissappointed at GM for not making this a must on new cars. Maybe its just me but I didn't like cutting my exhaust, dropping the axle just to get at the fuel tank and I didn't want to cut that dreaded L shape into the sheet metal behind the back seat. Anybody in the know or with connections so that this can be done? Thanks for reading my rant!

Colin

Just wondering if the engineers will be designing an access panel inside the car for the fuel pump? Or will the fuel pump be externally mounted? I'm still dissappointed at GM for not making this a must on new cars. Maybe its just me but I didn't like cutting my exhaust, dropping the axle just to get at the fuel tank and I didn't want to cut that dreaded L shape into the sheet metal behind the back seat. Anybody in the know or with connections so that this can be done? Thanks for reading my rant!

Colin

I would not be surprised if there is an access panel if the pump is mounted in the top of the tank

http://members.aol.com/gmlsx/commodorevessxray.jpg

Looks like 2 Pumps at the bottom to me

Calls for Exhaust (under the Axle and Tank), Driveshaft, Rearaxleassammbley removal from my POV.

http://members.aol.com/gmlsx/commodoresuspension.jpg
Spring and Shocks are fixed within the Assambley (?)

Why did you cut your exhaust anyway?

Why did you cut your exhaust anyway?

I cut the exhaust because it made it easier to remove the tank, you have to slide the tank towards the passenger side, where the exhaust is because of the filler neck on the other side plus the tank was full, Murphy's Law eh :cry:. With the exhaust out of the way it made things alot easier plus it gave me a good excuse to get a new muffler :D .

I sure hope they do an access hole the next time around for those of us that actually like to work on our own cars.

I sure hope they do an access hole the next time around for those of us that actually like to work on our own cars.

Oh ya, that would be nice. I hate being held hostage by the damn hack shops. Man, they tore up my 89 that last time the fuel pump went out. The job they did on putting the exhaust back in after they cut it was horrible. Is GM the only manufacture that does this? All other cars I've seen seem to have an access panel.

Hopefully we get a panel....cutting up my new Camaro is a hard thing to do. I've had to do it and my 89 and 94....and I don't want to have to do it again.

I cut the exhaust because it made it easier to remove the tank, you have to slide the tank towards the passenger side, where the exhaust is because of the filler neck on the other side plus the tank was full, Murphy's Law eh :cry:. With the exhaust out of the way it made things alot easier plus it gave me a good excuse to get a new muffler :D .

You should have tried the "Trap Door" mathod...MUCH easier :D

You should have tried the "Trap Door" mathod...MUCH easier :D

:yes:

I highly doubt there will be an access panel. It would cost extra and serve no real purpose from GM' stand point, also i don't know of any cars that have access panels.

I highly doubt there will be an access panel. It would cost extra and serve no real purpose from GM' stand point, also i don't know of any cars that have access panels.

almost all imports do, i have changed vw fuel pumps in less than 12 min before, also i know cadillac cars do have an access panel also

almost all imports do, i have changed vw fuel pumps in less than 12 min before, also i know cadillac cars do have an access panel also

When I was working at the VW dealer there were no access door in any of the fuel pumps that I saw. :shrug:

When I was working at the VW dealer there were no access door in any of the fuel pumps that I saw. :shrug:



how long ago was that,, i have been a vw tech for 9 years and have always used the access door on them, passats even had a recall on them for 2002 and i can do them in 12-15 min

im also a gm/cadillac certified tech and several gm vehicles are now coming with access doors

all depends on the fuel tank design, if the tank is above the driveshaft, it will have a door

that'd be nice.. knock on wood, I haven't had to drop mine yet.. I don' think I want to till it's time to mod it..

GM wont make a trap door. They would never grace technicians (I am one at a chevy dealership) with such pleasures. If they were to make a trap door, they should have on the c5 vettes. With those you have to drop the exhaust just to get to the tanks. I sometimes wonder with the designs if Chevy engineers ever even think of a technician having to work on a car/truck when designing something. (Ie 6.6L diesel vans :eek::alert::death:)

GM wont make a trap door. They would never grace technicians (I am one at a chevy dealership) with such pleasures.

That's exactly how my friend who used to be a GM service manager feels as well...

GM wont make a trap door. They would never grace technicians (I am one at a chevy dealership) with such pleasures. If they were to make a trap door, they should have on the c5 vettes. With those you have to drop the exhaust just to get to the tanks. I sometimes wonder with the designs if Chevy engineers ever even think of a technician having to work on a car/truck when designing something. (Ie 6.6L diesel vans :eek::alert::death:)

I think about that on a good number of the foreign cars when doing a simple thing.. an oil change. There's some model Infinity where I've never been able to even GET the to filter. And I have very small hands. Suzuki has some terrible designs...

It's ridiculous. Sometimes I burn the **** out of my arms on the exhaust just trying to change the filter. Sometimes I wonder why I bother

I'm a natural cynic, so take the following for what it's worth.

Do you really think that GM would waste extra design or manufacturing money/time/effort to create something that would enable the fuel pump to be changed in less than an hour? GM could care less.

I'm sure some Chevy dealer mechs know the real numbers, but being that I don't, I'll go ahead and GUESS that labor is $60 an hour and the standard time to change the pump (to include removing the exhaust, suspension, and tank) is 6 hours.

I can see an engineer talking to someone up top now: "Hey guys, here's a GREAT idea, lets design an access panel so you can change the fuel pump from inside the trunk. Wouldn't it be swell if our customers only had to pay our service departments $60 in labor instead of $360 to have a fuel pump changed?" I think the silence would be deafening.

......like I said though, I'm a cynic! ;)

I highly doubt there will be an access panel. It would cost extra and serve no real purpose from GM' stand point...
As well as GM not being able to justify charging ONE MEEELIIEEEEOOOON DOLLARSSSSS to change out a pump.

I think that there is a really good possability that they will put one in there. I had to replace the fuel pump in my 2002 Grand Prix this morning and I found (to my surprise) that there was an access panel in the trunk for it. Took me about an hour to do it.