My speed shop guys are a bit lost and can't confirm that the part shown in the link below is all I need for my 97 LT1.

The pump I have in my hands is this one:

http://www.racetronix.com/product/RX...-FLT1-FPAa.jpg

From what I can gather both on this forum and on the Racetronix site, this component is all that I need to replace my defective OEM pump and has the correct connectors to attach directly to the factory wiring harness.

I was just looking for some confirmation from people who have actually done it that this unit is a direct plug and play replacement for the factory unit. i.e. no cutting or splicing and I don't need any other wiring harness beyond the wires that are shown in the picture at the above link.

Sorry for the confusion but my speed shop is trying to tell me I need this big $75 harness that connects to the back of the alernator and has an extra relay in it etc.

I just want a plug and play replacement for the stocker.

Thanks, lads.

 

I'm waiting on this info as well. As far as I know it is but I'm going to call Racetronix and ask.

Hal

 

The pump shown in my original post is a direct plug-and-play replacement for the original unit (i.e no additional wiring harness is necessary).

All you need to do (at least from a wiring perspective) is to transfer the fuel level sender wire (purple) from the original pump wire harness connector to the wire harness connector that comes with the new Racetronix pump. This task is a bit fiddly but not a big problem.

The instructions that come with the pump aren't great (no pictures and could be more clearly worded) but you can still find your way through the procedure.

A few observations that may help others, particularly those with convertibles like mine:

Cut the trap door as shown in various write-ups, cutting right up to (but not into!) the cross brace that the convertibles have. At this point, I could not get the second (farther) quick click connector to come undone, no matter what I did. Others have suggested jacking the car and loosening the tank strap bolts, but that didn't appeal to me so I cut another small (1 inch by 2 inch) notch in the opening I had just cut. This notch was situated in the forward-leftmost corner of the new opening. You will see what I mean when you get to that point.

After that, I was able to properly squeeze the connector and get it apart.

One thing to remember, especially with all the sharp metal around is to protect the metal ends of the fuel lines that go into the quick click connectors so that they do not get scratched - otherwise you will have a leak and huge problems.

On my 97, the pump bucket had a little plastic overhang on one corner that made it a bit more difficult to get the top off the bucket. I just used the dremel with a sanding roll to get that off then I cut the seam around the top of the bucket a few times with a utility knife and it came apart fairly easily. Some guides have suggested to just try to pry the top off with a screwdriver but that wasn't working to my satisfaction and I was afraid that I might snap something.

The Racetronix instructions (and other instructions I have read) seem to tell you to remove the quick click female connector from the end of the corrugated flex tube on the old pump in order to transfer it to the new pump.

As of this writing (August 2009), the Racetronix pump comes with a slightly different though functional version of a quick click connector that seems to work perfectly fine so there is no need to transfer the old one.

Also, for what it's worth, my 97 with about 45,000 miles did not have a trace of crud in the bottom of the tank (none that I could see in any event - it looked like the inside of a new tank) - so I don't think I would have gained anything by dropping the tank and cleaning it out.

After all that the pump primed first time and the engine fired up immediately so I'd have to call the whole thing a success.

Better than spending $1000 to have the dealership violate me. Though I sniffed enough gas to be high until easter.

I hope this helps somebody out.

 

The wire kit they said you need is their kit that supplies a few more volts from the alternator to the pump than the battery supplies to the pump at WOT. Not needed, but you figured that out already.

 

I ran into this also when I first did that trap door & kit. That fuel connector is really hard to reach back up in there - I didnt cut the extra notch though but it sure entered my mind to do it. You are right on with your assessment of the Racetronix kit and directions. I made sure I ran a good ground wire back as well as that big alternator wire. Too bad the pump wires are all so small, but there shouldn't be much of a voltage drop if all the connectors are clean, including that yellow one on the sending unit plate. I've since got rid of all that junk and built my own which I feel is better than any of the ones I've seen so far that don't involve sumping the tank and going external - but that was only after looking at what every one else and all the vendors were doing, then taking it one step further to improve on all the weak points, and it required some fab skills. Glad you got it done and hope it works out for you - I'm sure your writeup will help others.