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I have read the archives and according to what I see I can change the fuel pump from the fuel door. I have a 1988 and the manual says I have to drop the tank. I dont think so but I thought I would check what everyone else does.
1. Remove fuel pump fuse.
2. Run car until it dies of starvation.
3. Try to start car for 10 seconds to get it all out.
4. Disconnect negative battery cable.
5. Open gas door.
6. Use torx bolt to remove gas door lid and black part.
7. Disconnect all rubber hoses.
8. Disconnect wire connector
9. Use (I think 10mm) socket to remove bolts.
10. Pull straight up.
11. Carefully remove the fuel strainer from the bottom of the pump. Don't jerk on the strainer unless you have a new one ready. Note the angle and direction the strainer sock is pointing - you'll want to put it back on in the same orientation.
12. Disconnect the wiring harness from the pump.
13. Pull down to pull the old pump off. Catch the small metal can (surge suppressor) between the pump and the intake. Shake the can. If you hear fuel in the can, you're supposed to replace the can (I didn't).
14. Put the new pump on. Put everything back the way you found it.
Useful parts needed to do this right -
new fuel pump
new surge suppressor (the metal can)
new strainer
new fuel unit-to-tank gasket
I replaced mine in about one hour. Easy job. I wound up having to go to the dealership to get the rubber gasket that goes between the fuel pump assembly and the gas tank. Couldn't find it anywhere! :chevy
All I can add to this is be carefull of sparks and such (but you knew that!)
Years ago we hired a kid out of high school as a mechanics helper at a garage I worked at. He was a great guy who really wanted to help. We pulled the tank from a Vega to replace the in-tank pump and had it sitting on the floor with the pump/float unit out waiting for the new one to arrive from the parts house.
Our helper thought it would be a good idea to vacuum off the top of the tank so dirt wouldn't fall in. KABOOM!
He vacuumed the fumes into the shop vac and it exploded! No one was hurt thankfully but there was dirt and shop vac fragments everywhere! Still makes me laugh.
When I put my new fuel sending unit in, I had to recalibrate myself to the gas gauge.
I replaced the unit because my gauge quit working. But the new unit reads one bar left when the tank still has five gallons in it. I haven't tried to fiddle with it, because I know the gauge will never lie to me on the wrong side of 'empty'.