leon96z

Hi all.
My car has 192K miles on it now, and my fuel pump died Thursday. I had the car towed home. I will pick up the new pump , a complete delphi unit (not just the pump) and a fuel filter tomorrow. I have read the threads and watched youtube videos of the trapdoor method for replacement and I think I can do it by myself. In one video a guy was having trouble removing the electrical connector from the top of the pump, but he was just replacing the pump itself and did it without removing the connector. Is there some trick to removing this connector? I haven't seen mention of it being a problem elsewhere. I have a quick disconnect tool I got from autozone that I used to replace the FPR, but it's metal with two sizes , one on each end. I may not be able to reach these connectors with it. In one of the threads I read that there are plastic clips on the FP lines and I don't need the tool. Is this correct? If not I will buy a set of the small plastic tools - they're pretty cheap. What kind of sealant should I use? I take it that bathroom silicone caulk is not right for this job. I plan to use sheet metal shears to cut this, I hope it's not too hard to do by hand. I have read that 1/2 inch #10 panhead self tapping screws are good for attaching the plate. Is this right?
Thanks in advance for any info you can give.
Leon

Injuneer

If you buy the complete sending unit - support frame, pump, flex hose, electrical harness, bucket, sock, and level sensor - you should not have to do anything with the electrical connection right on the pump.

When cutting the hatch, start with a round hole in each corner. That eliminates the stress risers inherent to a sharp 90* corner, and reduces the chances of cracks as the unit body flexes. Overlap the patch panel by an inch all around. Use sealer intended for sealing body panels. Insure you have a good seal, use lots of screws. You don't want to risk fuel entering the passenger compartment in a severe crash or roll-over.

leon96z

Thanks for responding, Fred. The fuel pump is replaced and the car runs great now. Before, the fuel pressure at idle was 32 psi, it's now 38. After installing the new fuel injectors a couple of years ago I got an OBD2/bluetooth converter and a copy of Torque on my phone. At that time I saw that the LTFT was running at about 17%. I figured it was the new fuel injectors being different and since it was within the ability of the car to adjust I didn't worry about it. Now the LTFT is about 12%, so the old fuel pump was not performing well even then.
I cut the trap door myself after drilling 1/2 holes at each corner. I found I couldn't siphon the gas (about 1/2 tank) and I was really hesitant about opening the gas tank in my garage, so I took it to a mechanic . He quoted me $250 to do the job by dropping the gas tank. I wish I had talked to him BEFORE I cut the hole! He did the job for $200 using the trapdoor. Two dealers quoted me $1200 ($500 part, $700 labor). I got the Delphi pump from NAPA for $215. I could have gotten it cheaper online, but I like to do business locally when I can.
I do have one question I would appreciate your advice on. The mechanic used the sheet metal I bought to cover the hole. It is only 24 guage steel. Should I replace it with something thicker, like 18 guage? Is this a strucural issue, or just sealing the hole in case of fuel spillage? He sealed the hole with the RTV I bought and put in plenty of screws.
I plan to make one more post on this describing the symptoms I had. I thought it was ICM/coil or maybe Opti at first becuse it seemed to be heat related. Maybe someone else would benefit from it.
Thanks again for your help.
Leon

FirstYrLS1Z

the sheetmetal used to cover the hole is no longer a structural component.