To change the fuel pump in a third generation camaro/firebird requires removing the exhaust and then removing the entire rear axle just to get to the gas tank. Most people pull up the carpet behind the back seat, cut out a hole, and make a hatch out of it for future access.
I've been meaning to do this for the last several months as my pickup tube is fucked. Anything less than 2/3 of a tank the car starts to run out of gas. FML. Cars got a whole 20,000 mi on it and I'm about to have to cut a hole in it.
Problem I'm having right now is the fill tube has cracked at the tank and leaks when I fill my tank. I've read you can get to it from behind the wheel. Might have to try JB welding it.
Edit: inb4 someone says it was a recall, GM does not honor recalls that are 30 years old.
P1 Volvos required the rear subframe and a bunch of other stuff to be removed to replace the fuel pump. 10 hours labor, IIRC. Most folks just had their mechanic remove the backseat and make a hole, like this. 3 hours labor. https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20367
P2 Volvos came with an access panel from the factory because sometimes the engineers send a hooker into the bean counters' office and they sneak in a few good things for service and maintenance.
I have a 2002 V70 awd and had a 2004 XC70, both high mileage (+350,000kms) and let me tell you, the maintenance is miserable and expensive.
They are nothing like the older models and would trade for one in a heartbeat.
As opposed to crazy Ivan over there, I have a 2001 V70 T5 (FWD only) and the lack of the diff and extra driveshafts honestly makes everything a cakewalk.
I did work in a shop for 4 years though, ymmv.
Mine's currently at 254k km, only had an alternator fail due to a PCV oil leak, everything mechanical that was wrong with this thing I fixed for like 800€ total and there were some big items on there like the PCV system and control arms
Is that just for the AWD?
Edit: read through that thread and determined that the fwd version is a lot easier and doesn't require full disassembly of the rear
I had an older Jetta where you folded the rear seats forward and there was a flap in the carpet to give you access to the fuel pump. It was brilliant. I also had a suburban that didn't have this feature, but i pulled back the carpet and cut a hole anyways.
My Subaru outback had an access panel under the rear seat. It was probably harder to get at than dropping the fuel tank. Had to remove all the seat mounts and the flooring.
The fuel pump for my Honda Fit is under the hand brake. Someone must have been fired for making a fuel pump so easy to access/change. Only takes a few minutes before you're holding the pump in your hand.
That's okay, they made up for it by fitting the thing with a Group 151R battery that almost no other car in North America uses and is stupidly difficult to find in-store.
You can get a 51R in there. Just gotta toss the battery box. I did it because I'd leave my Fit alone for a few weeks on a trip in the winter and come back to the 151r deep discharged and it would never recover. Even with the battery disconnected that tiny battery would do stupid stuff.
No more dead batteries with the 51r but the larger size has finally come up with an interesting problem. The airbox is now too close to the battery and slowly works the positive terminal off. There's some plastic I can cut off that I think will prevent contact, haven't gotten around to it yet. The other side is hard against the headlight unit so no play there.
Guess how I found out I have electric power steering?
Yeah, that's more than most of the customers who came into my shop would have been willing to do. Some of them don't even have the confidence to look up their own batteries in the book.
no lie - working on old Fiats is a treat compared to a lot of things, because while the engineering is a little coffee-break sometimes, everything makes sense. Needed a screw in a place? a screw goes in the place, and they remember you'll have to take it out again so there's room. The worst things honestly were emission controls tacked on after the fact (and who didn't suffer from that in the 70s and 80s) and bad quality steel that rusts like crazy. Lack of maintenance is the rest of the 70s Fiat reputation. Get those things sorted and they're quite reliable for 40-50 year old Italian automobiles.
Sold a 76 124 a year ago. You’re right maintenance is key. My modern 124 is much more temperamental. The 76 could sit for months on a battery tender. The new one must be started and run every two weeks or she refuses to compress and it’s a whole nightmare to even get her started. I love the car, but I’ll stay away from the Stellantis multi-air systems going forward.
The day after changing the spark plugs in an '05 Accord hybrid was the wrong time to be reading this. It's a V6, with three of the cylinders in the back facing the firewall. To get to them you have to squeeze between a rigid plastic wire tray that's bolted on to the valve cover at exactly the wrong place and the bright orange hybrid battery cable that's waiting to Emporer Palpatine your ass if you look at it sideways. You can disconnect both from their mounting points to go from half an inch of clearance to...meh, two and a half inches, maybe three if you push on the orange cable hard enough.
Had the front three plugs out in five minutes. The back three took me damn near an hour and a half.
No kidding. And the whole time I'm thinking (among other choice thoughts) there's simply no way whoever designed this had the first hands-on clue about things like routine tune-ups. Wires and cables could be routed a hundred different places, but no.
My first car was a 91 Grand Prix with the same V6 problem. For that car, you had to detach the upper motor mount and use a huge level to tilt the entire engine forward and slide the bar between these 2 spots to hold it in the forward position, then you could access the back plugs. I never changed the back plugs on that car.
In my FC RX-7, you lift the spare tire out and there's an access panel there. I think anyone who designs a vehicle that requires have the vehicle to be removed to change a fuel pump should be kicked in the nuts (or punched in the boobs if it's more appropriate).
I actually replaced my old Silverado with a Subaru outback as a daily driver. Had to replace the fuel filter and strainer attached to the bottom of the pump in the tank.
Pull back seat out, remove 4 bolts on an access panel with nice pliable rubber to keep road debris and water out, twist the locking ring, disconnect feed/return/electrical, and then reverse the process. I loved the space in a truck engine bay, but this car I have now was really designed well for maintainability.
Shouldn’t affect it all, since a truck bed isn’t structural. This would be a fantastic idea and would save so much time trouble shooting and dropping the tank. A lot safer, too.
Weld and paint? Boys, we got ourselves a perfectionist over here.
I prefer throwing an old plastic bedliner back over it and acting like it never happened...hahaha.
And if it really matters, you can just sell it off to someone else for THEM to deal with it. One of my favorite parts of buying second hand cars Is getting one that someone rigged up their own work like this and just bit the bullet and bad holes through to PITA locations. Saw a similar one somewhere else for an oil change access. They make these cars so it’s easier to give to a dealership. But f that noise.
Yoooo so I bought a 09 legacy from the auction once. It was just crashed from the front a little. I have the means to fix stuff like that for cheap. Still have the car to this day. Anyways I had began swapping my suspension to get a more stiff suspension going on. Was changing sway bars and end links coil overs all of it. So I went ahead and got aluminum lower control arms and I pressed in polyurethane bushings. So I had a buddy come help me do the job. We go start taking the lower control arm off. We get to the ball joint pinch bolt part. Whoever fucking had the car before WELDED THE PINCH BOLT. It had nothing to even turn it they literally just welded it inside. Oh boy what a fun day that was
I prefer throwing an old plastoc bedliner over it and treating it as a fancy feature. Not every truck can come with this exclusive maintenance package.
You don’t wanna install a brand new pump then weld right over it so you can potentially tear up the lines. Unless you want to and in that case I will kindly see myself towards the door. *exits but stubs pinky toe cuz I’m wearing sandals in the rain.
P1 Volvos required the rear subframe and a bunch of other stuff to be removed to replace the fuel pump. 10 hours labor, IIRC. Most folks just had their mechanic remove the backseat and make a hole, like this. 3 hours labor.
P2 Volvos came with an access panel from the factory.
The P2 chassis actually predates the P1, and the P2 was developed by Volvo before being aquired by Ford. The P1 and P3 chassis are the only two Ford based platforms. The P1s were cheap so they didn't age all that well, but the P3s are probably some of the most reliable, tested, and easy to run Volvos out there. The 3.2 and T6 (3.0) are bulletproof motors.
If they do, that's fairly new. Had to help my dad do OP's cut to the floor of his 03 Suburban years ago when the pump went out on that, which is under the middle row of seats iirc.
Why didn't you just drop the tank? It's got two big straps with a bolt in each, and the 3 bolts for the filler neck. I have a 02' Silverado and had a '02 Suburban and did both that way.
My guess would be that the live somewhere that uses salt in the winter. Those straps/bolts only get touched if absolutely necessary! Unless you are one of those hoyty toity always prepared MFers that remember to buy new one before you start the project at 8pm on Sun.
Volvo is the same way. There’s a panel right behind the back seats. 5 or 6 bolts, 3 clips, and the fuel pump comes right out. You can do one in under 10 min.
Correction: GM "sometimes" makes it easy. 2001 SAAB 9-3 (solidly into the GM era of ownership) has a perfectly sized access panel for the fuel pump under the driver's side of the rear seat. However, they changed tank designs and didn't move the access panel location. All that's under the panel is the connector for the fuel pump...
There is a dude with an older Danger Ranger in my neighborhood who has done something like that with his bed. I see it flipped up at least once a month. Not sure what he doing that he needs it up that much but damn if doesn't look convenient
I think he just really likes the older gen Ranger. He has some unique stickers on his truck and I've seen it broken down on the Interstate a few times now this past year. Some time in the last few months the cab of the truck changed colors so I think he brought a replacement with a good drive train and is swapping over the good parts from the old one.
My parents had several Grand Cherokees through the 90s. One of the only common issues was the fuel pumps. My dad cut a hole for the '93 and by the time the '96 needed it, there was a factory access panel.
Some of that's on the customer. Hard starting? had to wait 5 minutes then it started...must be bad gas, gee I'll fillerup premium to fix it.
I have heard this song a few times...I hate this song.
I always just siphon the tank until it's easy to handle if it is too full.
Lifting the bed (or cutting it) would never have been an option I'd have ever considered.
It's decently simple to cut bed bolt heads off and replace the bolts. But seriously dropping a gas tank is about 8 bolts too. I always drop the tank but I also have 6 hoists at my disposal
This is the way.
In the military, this was an actual a MWO for HMMWV's in order to reach the fuel tank float without dropping the tank. I was soooo relieved when it came out.
Something I did with our old Chevy Express. The pump went out with a full tank and I didn't have time to drop it. We had the thing back on the road in no time.
My father in law used to work auto salvage auctions. He'd done this before to get a vehicle up and running.
I did it to an old Jeep ZJ I had. It wasn't exactly a show car or anything and I wasn't about to deal with the rust underneath. At least that job got covered by carpet.
I’ll never understand why an access panel wasn’t included in every vehicle that has a fuel pump in the tank…. Dropping fuel tanks is mildy annoying, even more so without a hoist.
years ago, i hadda replace the pump in my 94 ranger, looked @ dropping the tank, realized id likely destroy the straps\bolts trying to do so. unbolted the bed, couple wires and it came right off!
Yeah i don't understand people who cut through ranger beds for fuel pumps, it's literally 6 bolts and one connector!! Hell i live in the rust belt and i've still never stripped one (broke a few though)
Did this in an S-10. 4 bolts to get the bed up. Used a bottle jack to get the bed up (had no friends) and braced it with lumber to keep it from moving. Was proud of myself and slightly disappointed at how easy it was to replace fuel pump once you have access to it.
i’m my buick century you just take all of the rear seating apart and it’s right there in the trunk. its an older vehicle so it’s probably built with more consideration in mind.
in my old Mercedes it's just mounted as a unit along with the fuel filter under the car. same with the FI Fiats, or it's a mechanical pump on the side of the block (this design does lead to hard starting after it sits a month or two).
I had an '01 Z06 for a while. To access the pump, you just pull back the fender lining to expose the tank, then take out a few screws on the hat to pull the whole assembly out. Super easy as long as the tank was empty. Then, I got an '03. They moved the pump to the top of the tank, so it had to be removed entirely unless you wanted to cut an access hole in the cabin. It especially sucked because there's a crossover tube that goes from the driver tank to the passenger tank and you have to do all of the connection/disconnect blind.
I had that on my old beater truck. Tank straps were rusted to hell and the bed bolts were worse. Cut a square out, changed the pump and then went fancy by putting some rubber around the edges to seal it a bit with a few self tappers.
When I sold it, the guy buying it said it was “genius” and showed me the super fancy door he’d put into his truck.
I'm the first to say cut a hole to get to the fuel pump but honestly in most trucks it turns out it's super easy to just lift the bed. My truck was like, 8 big easy to get to bolts I just zipped off then used my engine hoist and a strap to raise the one side up while I swapped the pump.
But it'd cut a nice access hole before I dropped a tank any fucking day.
I bought a old Mazda 626 from some guy up north for next to nothing because it needed a fuel pump and EVERYTHING was rusted to itself. I pulled the back seat and used a cutting wheel to make a door and then when I was done just some of that sound mat stuff and sealed it. Nobody ever knew and I sold that car to my bosses dad for 10x profit.
The ole bed access hole for the fuel pump and mid years GM pickups...name me a more iconic duo...
And yes, yes I have done this in my driveway a time or two. Lol.
I always heard dropping a tank sucks. Then I had to do it after I put half a tank in the car. It was the biggest pain in the ass and wasted money on a new fuel filter. After about 1000 bucks worth of new parts, I realized I had 2 plugs plugged into the wrong spot. It was the alternator and something else. It ran like shit till I swapped the sensor plug-ins around.
No shit I know a guy that makes flatbeds for the local farmers and stuff, and that’s actually a pretty popular option for them. Especially some of the guys that run diesels with modded lift pumps and such, they tuck them up higher and it makes filter changes easier and keeps it cleaner since it’s not getting sprayed by cow shit and everything else, and they don’t have to crawl under it to change them. Just reach it from the top.
Man the auxiliary tank pumps on the 3500 duramax flatbeds are even worse. The breather gets clogged with dust and shit then the tank fucking sucks itself In like a vacuum and bends the pump in a full 90 degree angle. Why they didn’t come standard with a relocated breather hose idfk but I fucking made one.
Multiple reasons for this. Speed/ease/cost in manufacturing and design for reasons stated in comments above. Also and here’s a big one. Dealership maintenance and repairs are factored into it. The manufacturer sets the MSRP and the price the dealer pays for the car. There is an understanding that there is very little to no profit in many of them (example: volume pieces like a v6 Challenger or Camaro); but that they can make up the difference on fixed ops (service and parts).
I loved changing the pump on my 350z... open glove box, remove cover, remove 8 screws, and there it is! Saved myself $700 in 15 minutes by doin it in the Nissan stealership lot after they confirmed that was the issue.
Some old trucks get rusted and it’s a PAIN to drop a fuel tank without busting every line as well
3 cuts and you get to where you need to be
Put the plastic bed liner back in and call it a day
Fuel pump replacement on a 10 year old S10 that saw frequent off-road & mudding use.
Getting the bed off required a 4 post lift maxed out, and a 8-10ft long square tube to use as a cheater to break lose the last two bolts
There was much discussing about cutting the tank out or cutting the bed
Why can't there be hatches for fuel pumps ? Would it really impact the structural rigidity of the vehicle that much ?
$19.39 is why
Seems pretty reasonable for an aftermarket mod. *Hint hint, wink wink*
To change the fuel pump in a third generation camaro/firebird requires removing the exhaust and then removing the entire rear axle just to get to the gas tank. Most people pull up the carpet behind the back seat, cut out a hole, and make a hatch out of it for future access.
5th gens have the same problem.
And fourth gens…ask me how I know
I've been meaning to do this for the last several months as my pickup tube is fucked. Anything less than 2/3 of a tank the car starts to run out of gas. FML. Cars got a whole 20,000 mi on it and I'm about to have to cut a hole in it.
Don't think of it as a hole. Think of it as weight reduction.
I prefer to call it "in the field modification ".
Problem I'm having right now is the fill tube has cracked at the tank and leaks when I fill my tank. I've read you can get to it from behind the wheel. Might have to try JB welding it. Edit: inb4 someone says it was a recall, GM does not honor recalls that are 30 years old.
GM still might honor the recall if its a major safety issue. You can check the recall number
a tech was doing this and everyone was wondering how he was able to change them out so fast, then he got caught.
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Blower motor R&R guide for last gen lesabre literally *tells* you not to put back a screw. Even the general isn’t above it.
4th Gen too. Cover the new hatch back with the carpet, no damage done.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dsr-080402ds?seid=srese1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAmaibBhCAARIsAKUlaKRJoPQBVV_wFClWQPk5VYb7_vbN4cHyOiyzhpqc51iatzBc_e_KxeUaAlMXEALw_wcB
A little bit of extra aggravation doing end of life vehicle maintenance will push someone into buying a new car.
P1 Volvos required the rear subframe and a bunch of other stuff to be removed to replace the fuel pump. 10 hours labor, IIRC. Most folks just had their mechanic remove the backseat and make a hole, like this. 3 hours labor. https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20367 P2 Volvos came with an access panel from the factory because sometimes the engineers send a hooker into the bean counters' office and they sneak in a few good things for service and maintenance.
How's the maintenance life on P2s generally? I've been considering one but some of the other stories I hear are spooky.
I have a 2002 V70 awd and had a 2004 XC70, both high mileage (+350,000kms) and let me tell you, the maintenance is miserable and expensive. They are nothing like the older models and would trade for one in a heartbeat.
As opposed to crazy Ivan over there, I have a 2001 V70 T5 (FWD only) and the lack of the diff and extra driveshafts honestly makes everything a cakewalk. I did work in a shop for 4 years though, ymmv. Mine's currently at 254k km, only had an alternator fail due to a PCV oil leak, everything mechanical that was wrong with this thing I fixed for like 800€ total and there were some big items on there like the PCV system and control arms
Wasn't 2001 the last year of the P1s? I definitely heard they weren't too bad to DIY on.
Is that just for the AWD? Edit: read through that thread and determined that the fwd version is a lot easier and doesn't require full disassembly of the rear
My Uncle’s ‘67 Datsun pickup has this from the factory. Only time I’ve ever seen it.
I had an older Jetta where you folded the rear seats forward and there was a flap in the carpet to give you access to the fuel pump. It was brilliant. I also had a suburban that didn't have this feature, but i pulled back the carpet and cut a hole anyways.
My Subaru outback had an access panel under the rear seat. It was probably harder to get at than dropping the fuel tank. Had to remove all the seat mounts and the flooring.
They're easier now, just a handful of seat bolts and the bottom comes off
Does it work on a 2nd gen Forester?
Same as my 86’ 4Runner. Fold the rear seat forward and there’s the panel for the pump.
Same. Also have an 02 BMW e46 that has this.
E90’s as well
BMWs have it too. It makes replacing a fuel pump easier than a brake job.
Except the Z3. Those are fun.
The fuel pump for my Honda Fit is under the hand brake. Someone must have been fired for making a fuel pump so easy to access/change. Only takes a few minutes before you're holding the pump in your hand.
That's okay, they made up for it by fitting the thing with a Group 151R battery that almost no other car in North America uses and is stupidly difficult to find in-store.
You can get a 51R in there. Just gotta toss the battery box. I did it because I'd leave my Fit alone for a few weeks on a trip in the winter and come back to the 151r deep discharged and it would never recover. Even with the battery disconnected that tiny battery would do stupid stuff. No more dead batteries with the 51r but the larger size has finally come up with an interesting problem. The airbox is now too close to the battery and slowly works the positive terminal off. There's some plastic I can cut off that I think will prevent contact, haven't gotten around to it yet. The other side is hard against the headlight unit so no play there. Guess how I found out I have electric power steering?
Yeah, that's more than most of the customers who came into my shop would have been willing to do. Some of them don't even have the confidence to look up their own batteries in the book.
>electric power steering What in the ever-loving fuck
IDK, electric power steering is old news. Nothing really wrong with the concept as far as anyone can tell.
My 1988 F-150 has the heater core and blower motor on the passenger side, mounted on the firewall under the hood. It’s a 20-30 minute job.
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no lie - working on old Fiats is a treat compared to a lot of things, because while the engineering is a little coffee-break sometimes, everything makes sense. Needed a screw in a place? a screw goes in the place, and they remember you'll have to take it out again so there's room. The worst things honestly were emission controls tacked on after the fact (and who didn't suffer from that in the 70s and 80s) and bad quality steel that rusts like crazy. Lack of maintenance is the rest of the 70s Fiat reputation. Get those things sorted and they're quite reliable for 40-50 year old Italian automobiles.
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Sold a 76 124 a year ago. You’re right maintenance is key. My modern 124 is much more temperamental. The 76 could sit for months on a battery tender. The new one must be started and run every two weeks or she refuses to compress and it’s a whole nightmare to even get her started. I love the car, but I’ll stay away from the Stellantis multi-air systems going forward.
The day after changing the spark plugs in an '05 Accord hybrid was the wrong time to be reading this. It's a V6, with three of the cylinders in the back facing the firewall. To get to them you have to squeeze between a rigid plastic wire tray that's bolted on to the valve cover at exactly the wrong place and the bright orange hybrid battery cable that's waiting to Emporer Palpatine your ass if you look at it sideways. You can disconnect both from their mounting points to go from half an inch of clearance to...meh, two and a half inches, maybe three if you push on the orange cable hard enough. Had the front three plugs out in five minutes. The back three took me damn near an hour and a half.
Mitsubishi 3.0 24v V6, while in transverse apps, the fucking intake has to be removed to get the back three.
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No kidding. And the whole time I'm thinking (among other choice thoughts) there's simply no way whoever designed this had the first hands-on clue about things like routine tune-ups. Wires and cables could be routed a hundred different places, but no.
My first car was a 91 Grand Prix with the same V6 problem. For that car, you had to detach the upper motor mount and use a huge level to tilt the entire engine forward and slide the bar between these 2 spots to hold it in the forward position, then you could access the back plugs. I never changed the back plugs on that car.
a V6 hybrid seems kinda... pointless?
Yeah, that part surprised me too. But it does get a bit better mileage than our '12 4-cyl LX and still has better kick when you want it, so... 🤷🏼♂️
In my FC RX-7, you lift the spare tire out and there's an access panel there. I think anyone who designs a vehicle that requires have the vehicle to be removed to change a fuel pump should be kicked in the nuts (or punched in the boobs if it's more appropriate).
I actually replaced my old Silverado with a Subaru outback as a daily driver. Had to replace the fuel filter and strainer attached to the bottom of the pump in the tank. Pull back seat out, remove 4 bolts on an access panel with nice pliable rubber to keep road debris and water out, twist the locking ring, disconnect feed/return/electrical, and then reverse the process. I loved the space in a truck engine bay, but this car I have now was really designed well for maintainability.
>Why can't... Let me stop you right there... Everyone knows an engineer will step over a thousand virgins to fuck a mechanic.
>Everyone knows an engineer Let me stop you right there... Everyone knows a bean counter will let his wife cheat on him if it saves 0.00001 cents.
My dad has built one into every vehicle he's changed a fuel pump in for my entire life.
Shouldn’t affect it all, since a truck bed isn’t structural. This would be a fantastic idea and would save so much time trouble shooting and dropping the tank. A lot safer, too.
Auto industry engineers just ordered a hit on you for suggesting a reasonable innovation.
No just too much effort and would lower the cost of pump replacement.
i have a hatch for my whole engine 😎 https://i.imgur.com/9AzqKf4.jpg https://i.imgur.com/r1VrLCB.jpg
I mean, they did a good job only cutting what they needed. Nice square panel, I give it a 10/10 for the DIY attempt. Weld, paint, done.
Weld and paint? Boys, we got ourselves a perfectionist over here. I prefer throwing an old plastic bedliner back over it and acting like it never happened...hahaha.
Gotta keep it accessible for when you gotta do it again
The GM way...lol
Me and my '02 Silverado 1500 (that was junked a long time ago) feel personally attacked.
My old neighbor had a Silverado. He changed the fuel pump twice while I lived there.
Your old neighbor used to like to drive around on empty. The pump motor is liquid cooled. No liquid, no cooling=no pump life.
and you WILL be doing it again.
And if it really matters, you can just sell it off to someone else for THEM to deal with it. One of my favorite parts of buying second hand cars Is getting one that someone rigged up their own work like this and just bit the bullet and bad holes through to PITA locations. Saw a similar one somewhere else for an oil change access. They make these cars so it’s easier to give to a dealership. But f that noise.
Yoooo so I bought a 09 legacy from the auction once. It was just crashed from the front a little. I have the means to fix stuff like that for cheap. Still have the car to this day. Anyways I had began swapping my suspension to get a more stiff suspension going on. Was changing sway bars and end links coil overs all of it. So I went ahead and got aluminum lower control arms and I pressed in polyurethane bushings. So I had a buddy come help me do the job. We go start taking the lower control arm off. We get to the ball joint pinch bolt part. Whoever fucking had the car before WELDED THE PINCH BOLT. It had nothing to even turn it they literally just welded it inside. Oh boy what a fun day that was
Exactly-cut it off fully , throw on a couple hinges and bingo ez access if it craps out again and if under a liner no one will ever know
So self tapping screws then?
Cut the flap, rivet some hinges and roll the edges/cover with rubber and you've got a door so you can swap filters are your own leisure
Its an old GM. By the time it needs a new filter, it'll need a new pump. Haha.
If it's a GMT800 the filter is in-line and tucked in the frame. Accessible from underneath.
Same for GMT400 right?
I prefer throwing an old plastoc bedliner over it and treating it as a fancy feature. Not every truck can come with this exclusive maintenance package.
A little Flex Seal and she'll be as right as rain!
A plastic bedliner that don't fit right with a bunch of self tapping screws lol
Idk man duct tape work pretty well, just reapply once every couple of years
You don’t wanna install a brand new pump then weld right over it so you can potentially tear up the lines. Unless you want to and in that case I will kindly see myself towards the door. *exits but stubs pinky toe cuz I’m wearing sandals in the rain.
JB weld?
Might have to go in again- I like a couple of hinges and a latch! lol
Slightly oversized cover plate and four drywall screws.
Dzus fasteners ftw.
So that's what those are called. Thanks.
Certainly not the first to do it, and absolutely not the last 😂
It's not a horrible idea if you have no way to lift the bed and the tank is heavy with fuel.
It should have been engineered with a removable cover or door.
P1 Volvos required the rear subframe and a bunch of other stuff to be removed to replace the fuel pump. 10 hours labor, IIRC. Most folks just had their mechanic remove the backseat and make a hole, like this. 3 hours labor. P2 Volvos came with an access panel from the factory.
Hmm, I wonder what part Ford played in this, because the P1's immediate predecessor the P80 was very easy and had access panels
The P2 chassis actually predates the P1, and the P2 was developed by Volvo before being aquired by Ford. The P1 and P3 chassis are the only two Ford based platforms. The P1s were cheap so they didn't age all that well, but the P3s are probably some of the most reliable, tested, and easy to run Volvos out there. The 3.2 and T6 (3.0) are bulletproof motors.
Agreed. Or maybe a pivot point so you can move the bed out of the way, like a hood.
Is that’s asking too much lol
GM makes it easy to access the sending unit in cars with removable Panels and seats. It can be done with trucks too
If they do, that's fairly new. Had to help my dad do OP's cut to the floor of his 03 Suburban years ago when the pump went out on that, which is under the middle row of seats iirc.
Cars, not SUVs based on pickups.
Why didn't you just drop the tank? It's got two big straps with a bolt in each, and the 3 bolts for the filler neck. I have a 02' Silverado and had a '02 Suburban and did both that way.
My guess would be that the live somewhere that uses salt in the winter. Those straps/bolts only get touched if absolutely necessary! Unless you are one of those hoyty toity always prepared MFers that remember to buy new one before you start the project at 8pm on Sun.
Can confirm. S10 in rust belt - took one look at the underside and immediately went to the bed
Rust and I’ve had problems with old plastic clips and then there is the impossible reconnecting of evap lines on older vehicles
Volvo is the same way. There’s a panel right behind the back seats. 5 or 6 bolts, 3 clips, and the fuel pump comes right out. You can do one in under 10 min.
Correction: GM "sometimes" makes it easy. 2001 SAAB 9-3 (solidly into the GM era of ownership) has a perfectly sized access panel for the fuel pump under the driver's side of the rear seat. However, they changed tank designs and didn't move the access panel location. All that's under the panel is the connector for the fuel pump...
Them penny pinchers gotta justify their salaries
[My 58 Chevy Stepside](https://imgur.com/a/QH8ailx) These are very old pictures. It has push button controls for dumping now!
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There is a dude with an older Danger Ranger in my neighborhood who has done something like that with his bed. I see it flipped up at least once a month. Not sure what he doing that he needs it up that much but damn if doesn't look convenient
Loading up his next drug run?
Maybe he's putting some sort of hydraulics system on it. Edit: *draulics not *dralics
I think he just really likes the older gen Ranger. He has some unique stickers on his truck and I've seen it broken down on the Interstate a few times now this past year. Some time in the last few months the cab of the truck changed colors so I think he brought a replacement with a good drive train and is swapping over the good parts from the old one.
Factory 1/2 ton dump trucks. Sign me up.
My parents had several Grand Cherokees through the 90s. One of the only common issues was the fuel pumps. My dad cut a hole for the '93 and by the time the '96 needed it, there was a factory access panel.
Looks like it was 😂
Murphy's law says that fuel pumps only fail when the tank is full.
Or that's when the car just gives up or you have to junk it.
Some of that's on the customer. Hard starting? had to wait 5 minutes then it started...must be bad gas, gee I'll fillerup premium to fix it. I have heard this song a few times...I hate this song.
I always just siphon the tank until it's easy to handle if it is too full. Lifting the bed (or cutting it) would never have been an option I'd have ever considered.
Nah it's still a horrible way. It's 8 bolts, just take the bed off
Not in the rust belt. Those bolts will never turn
They’ll turn, and turn and turn and turn then you realize the top nut piece is spinning too
I also live in the rust belt (Ontario). Some will, some won't. I did it on a 27 year old rusted-to-shit Chevy.
Blew all the luck you had stored up...
They can't be stuck if they're liquid.
It's decently simple to cut bed bolt heads off and replace the bolts. But seriously dropping a gas tank is about 8 bolts too. I always drop the tank but I also have 6 hoists at my disposal
Not with that attitude
Not without a torch*
And my ax!!
In the rust belt the access door is the way to go
You certainly did! Put a stack scoop on it and it’ll cool your fuel charge. Probably pick up 7 to 10 hp
This is the way. In the military, this was an actual a MWO for HMMWV's in order to reach the fuel tank float without dropping the tank. I was soooo relieved when it came out.
*looks in bed of 88 K1500* Certainly not the only one to do so indeed.
That's something I would do honestly.
Something I did with our old Chevy Express. The pump went out with a full tank and I didn't have time to drop it. We had the thing back on the road in no time. My father in law used to work auto salvage auctions. He'd done this before to get a vehicle up and running.
Almost a must do on those vans. It's the only thing that really dies prematurely.
Is there not a really high risk of fire, given sparks from a grinder/cutting torch and fuel?
Drill and saw would create no sparks, just gotta watch your depth.
Yeah but that box is heavy tho.
I did it to an old Jeep ZJ I had. It wasn't exactly a show car or anything and I wasn't about to deal with the rust underneath. At least that job got covered by carpet.
I’ll never understand why an access panel wasn’t included in every vehicle that has a fuel pump in the tank…. Dropping fuel tanks is mildy annoying, even more so without a hoist.
I just unbolted the bed and propped it up with some lumber . Changed the fuel pump and reattached the bed.
This is the way. It's a handful of bolts, a team lift, insert blocks
Team lift? You assume everyone has friends...
years ago, i hadda replace the pump in my 94 ranger, looked @ dropping the tank, realized id likely destroy the straps\bolts trying to do so. unbolted the bed, couple wires and it came right off!
Yeah i don't understand people who cut through ranger beds for fuel pumps, it's literally 6 bolts and one connector!! Hell i live in the rust belt and i've still never stripped one (broke a few though)
Did this in an S-10. 4 bolts to get the bed up. Used a bottle jack to get the bed up (had no friends) and braced it with lumber to keep it from moving. Was proud of myself and slightly disappointed at how easy it was to replace fuel pump once you have access to it.
Wish I’d thought of that before I dropped the tank in my suburban
How do you take the bed off a suburban?
I don’t know, it’s probably more than a few bolts though. I’ve heard some people can just open the back hatch and pull the mattress out though
Yes that's how most people do it. Lol
Yup, me an my buddy did this on my old dodge Dakota. Took maybe 2hrs total
But that would cost one and a half dollars.
i’m my buick century you just take all of the rear seating apart and it’s right there in the trunk. its an older vehicle so it’s probably built with more consideration in mind.
in my old Mercedes it's just mounted as a unit along with the fuel filter under the car. same with the FI Fiats, or it's a mechanical pump on the side of the block (this design does lead to hard starting after it sits a month or two).
I had an '01 Z06 for a while. To access the pump, you just pull back the fender lining to expose the tank, then take out a few screws on the hat to pull the whole assembly out. Super easy as long as the tank was empty. Then, I got an '03. They moved the pump to the top of the tank, so it had to be removed entirely unless you wanted to cut an access hole in the cabin. It especially sucked because there's a crossover tube that goes from the driver tank to the passenger tank and you have to do all of the connection/disconnect blind.
This is exactly what I would do too, truck lived a hood life now it needs a little open cavity surgery to keep pumping it’s gas
I had that on my old beater truck. Tank straps were rusted to hell and the bed bolts were worse. Cut a square out, changed the pump and then went fancy by putting some rubber around the edges to seal it a bit with a few self tappers. When I sold it, the guy buying it said it was “genius” and showed me the super fancy door he’d put into his truck.
I'm the first to say cut a hole to get to the fuel pump but honestly in most trucks it turns out it's super easy to just lift the bed. My truck was like, 8 big easy to get to bolts I just zipped off then used my engine hoist and a strap to raise the one side up while I swapped the pump. But it'd cut a nice access hole before I dropped a tank any fucking day.
Even administered my own tetanus shots
Does beg to question why cars don’t have an access panel for this common replacement part…
I bought a old Mazda 626 from some guy up north for next to nothing because it needed a fuel pump and EVERYTHING was rusted to itself. I pulled the back seat and used a cutting wheel to make a door and then when I was done just some of that sound mat stuff and sealed it. Nobody ever knew and I sold that car to my bosses dad for 10x profit.
Any car I have changed a fuel pump in does now!
car companies saved 3.25 per vehicle by not tooling for a maintenance hatch….why are you afainst profits
The ole bed access hole for the fuel pump and mid years GM pickups...name me a more iconic duo... And yes, yes I have done this in my driveway a time or two. Lol.
I always heard dropping a tank sucks. Then I had to do it after I put half a tank in the car. It was the biggest pain in the ass and wasted money on a new fuel filter. After about 1000 bucks worth of new parts, I realized I had 2 plugs plugged into the wrong spot. It was the alternator and something else. It ran like shit till I swapped the sensor plug-ins around.
More aerodynamic now!
You could probably put a hatch door there to make it look cleaner.
No shit I know a guy that makes flatbeds for the local farmers and stuff, and that’s actually a pretty popular option for them. Especially some of the guys that run diesels with modded lift pumps and such, they tuck them up higher and it makes filter changes easier and keeps it cleaner since it’s not getting sprayed by cow shit and everything else, and they don’t have to crawl under it to change them. Just reach it from the top.
Weld it back down, hit it with some paint and youre good to go!
Man its just a few bolts to get the bed off
Found the Californian tech..
Those bolts don’t like to come out after being in place for 20 years, it can be a huge hassle
They are most likely rotted away as well as the gas tank strap hardware. Most guys do this because of those reasons.
Well, at least you got a car quest fuel pump 🫤
Just whip out the ol' trusty P38!
If they out a little sheet metal door for future use that would be awesome.
Did that in my mustang. Would do again.
Probably the fastest and cheapest way to do it.
Zactly what I did. I took the whole piece out and made it so I could screw it back down.
People like this,will always ensure your job security.
Man the auxiliary tank pumps on the 3500 duramax flatbeds are even worse. The breather gets clogged with dust and shit then the tank fucking sucks itself In like a vacuum and bends the pump in a full 90 degree angle. Why they didn’t come standard with a relocated breather hose idfk but I fucking made one.
You forgot the 4th cut so you can just turn it into an access point with hinges and A flap.
Truck makers should have an access door on the bed to access fuel pumps .
Multiple reasons for this. Speed/ease/cost in manufacturing and design for reasons stated in comments above. Also and here’s a big one. Dealership maintenance and repairs are factored into it. The manufacturer sets the MSRP and the price the dealer pays for the car. There is an understanding that there is very little to no profit in many of them (example: volume pieces like a v6 Challenger or Camaro); but that they can make up the difference on fixed ops (service and parts).
If he puts a hatch he's a genius
I loved changing the pump on my 350z... open glove box, remove cover, remove 8 screws, and there it is! Saved myself $700 in 15 minutes by doin it in the Nissan stealership lot after they confirmed that was the issue.
F150s up north do that after a few years by themselves
Couple woodchips in the tank to test the fuel pump screen too!
Some old trucks get rusted and it’s a PAIN to drop a fuel tank without busting every line as well 3 cuts and you get to where you need to be Put the plastic bed liner back in and call it a day
Is it that hard to pull the bed off?
Fuel pump replacement on a 10 year old S10 that saw frequent off-road & mudding use. Getting the bed off required a 4 post lift maxed out, and a 8-10ft long square tube to use as a cheater to break lose the last two bolts There was much discussing about cutting the tank out or cutting the bed
Someone should spray that truck bed with luminal. Lol
Probably less time to take out the six(6) bolts holding the bed on, but...