LT1 Hatch Method Fuel Pump Install
I'm going to apologize ahead of time about the poor quality of the pictures. My digital camera doesn't have a close focus function, and I did the best I could to clean them up with what I had.
The time finally came for me to change my fuel pump, after a year of swapping various things, to include a shortblock, in order to track down a hesitation issue which has been very persistant.
Credit should be given here to those whose guides I used:
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/12533/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/formulapower2/fuelpump.html
These were instrumental in me accomplishing this task.
To start we need to locate where the hatch is going to be cut. If you remove the rear deck flap, rear 1/4 panel interior trim, and pull back the carpet, you will get a visual of the sheetmetal we will be cutting. Remember to disconnect your speakers in the back or risk tearing the wires off.
Using the above guides, I masked off the approximate area which should be cut, and made a couple of very small "test" patch cuts. Reason for doing this was two fold: I didn't want to nick any lines, so I made the small cut to get a bead on where exactly the lines are sitting. Second, there was some controversy as to the exact location of the fuel pump on a 93. As shown, it's in the same location as the rest, on my car at least.
For the cutting order, I started with the driver side about midway down, as shown above, and then brought that cut to the back. Next I made the incision along the back of the panel, then started up the passenger side, as shown below.
The front and final cut is where you need to be the most cautious. The fuel line and electrical wiring run directly underneath this cut. Below you can see the finished and removed hatch for the fuel pump. At the top left you can see the quick-connect fittings for the fuel lines.
Ok, now the fun part. Remove the 5 retaining nuts using an 8mm socket. At least that's what I used. Make sure these end up in a safe place so none are lost. Hence the plastic baggy.
Now the really fun part. There are four lines which need disconnecting. A fuel feed line, return line, and two vapor lines. The vapor lines are easy, rubber connector. Just pull to separate. The Feed and Return lines however are the squeeze type quick disconnect and, well, quick disconnect my nut. The one closest to the hatch wasn't bad, but the one further in was a PITA. If you can't get your fingers in there to squeeze the fitting down, try using a screwdriver. MAKE SURE not to scratch the fuel lines at the ends where they connect or they'll leak like a sieve. Once those are disconnected pull the pump assembly up and rotate it around as you see fit to extract it. Be careful not to damage anything while pulling it out. Below you can see the removed pump assembly.
So, first things first, lay some towels down (unlike me) to soak up the spilled fuel, there will be some. Take a flathead screwdriver and pop the filter sock off the bottom of the bucket. Then, pop the two retaining tabs off the bottom of the bucket with the same screwdriver. Now the hard part. Take a very thin headed flathead screwdriver, or the like, and work it into the seam at the top of the bucket. You need to remove the bottom section of the bucket without breaking it. If you take your time you can do it. Once the bottom of the bucket is off, disconnect the last quick disconnect fitting from the clear brown ribbed tube coming from the top of the pump, disconnect the wiring harness from the top of the pump, and pull the pump and tube down through the top of the bucket. You should end up with three pieces as shown below.
Pause, have a beverage of your choice. You're halfway done!!!
Ok, back to work. Get out your new pump from Racetronix, and remove the zip tie around the foam padding at the top of the pump. I removed the wiring harness from the pump, so all you're left with is the fuel line. Do as you wish. Remove the red cap from the bottom of the pump, and using the supplied grease, lubricate the O-Ring at the bottom of the pump. Don't worry about excess, it will dissolve in the system and is harmless. Install the pump into the bucket. NOTE!!! Some buckets have ribs on the inside of them. If yours does, the bottom two need to be removed to allow the pump to sit straight. Use whatever, but a pair of snips or a dremel with a sanding wheel work well. Simply press the pump straight down into the bucket, it should be firmly held in place. Now, using the supplied glue, run a bead around the top of the bucket. Being VERY careful not to let it come into contact with your skin, put the bottom of the bucket and top pieces back together and use something like a C-Clamp to hold them together. Minimum set time at room temp is 3 hours, recommended 24 hours to fully set. That's the major portion of the pump assembly. Now lets move on to the wiring harness.
As you can see in the pic above, Racetronix furnished me with a completely new harness with exception to the fuel level sending unit wire (the purple one). In the picture, to the left is the pump connection, center on the black wire is the spade, and to the right is the connector for the top of the pump assembly. I know some people in the past have had to pull and replace the power and ground wires, but not in my case. ALL I had to pull and replace was the purple wire. Simply disconnect the original wiring harness from the pump mounting point, and remove the spade from the connector about mid way down the pump assembly. Take the paperclip supplied (or get one, they're easy to come by) and using a straightened side, insert it into the little notch under the pinout for the purple wire. TAKE NOTE OF THE POSITION OF THAT WIRE IN THE HARNESS PLUG. It shoud just pop out. Bend the very small tab on the bottom out a tiny bit (you flattened with the paperclip to remove it in the first place) and insert it into the new harness. Then simply reinstall the wiring harness to the pump, spade connector, and top of the pump assembly. Time to move on to the quick connect fitting for the hose.
Above and to the right we can see the original pump and hose. The quick connect fitting at the end of the hose is what we need to reuse. It's not going to just pull right out of the hose unfortunately. Take a razor blade or knife and make a small incision starting at the edge of the hose and move down the hose past the end of the fitting. The hose should separate once completely cut due to pressure. Now the fitting will slide right out. We're done with the stock pump now. Take the fitting and insert it into the end of the new pumps hose, until it's on all the way. Once on, tighten the band clamp just enough to make sure the fitting won't slip out. DO NOT overtighten it. Once it's back together, reinstall the quick connect fitting to the line.
That's it. Lastly press on the new pump sock, and Voila!!! You are now ready to reinstall the pump. You'll have to rotate it around as you lower it into the tank, so be careful not to damage anything. Make sure the float is unobstructed and that it's able to move freely, lest you need to open everything up again. Once you get the pump in the tank, reconnect the feed and return line quick connect fittings, and the rubber vapor line fittings. Make sure the rubber o-ring is seated all the way, and set the pump in place. Using the 8mm ratchet, tighten the 5 retaining nuts. You're done with the pump!!!!
So what do we have left??? Oh yeah, new hatch cover and installation of the wiring harness. On to the hatch cover.
I started with a 12" X 18" piece of .025 Aluminum Sheeting. Not my preferred choice, but it's all I could readily find. Taking measurements, I trimmed that piece down to XX" by XX". Next, I marked the approximate locations of where I want to put the screws. I used a 25 pack of 6 X 1/2" sheet metal screws. Then using a 7/64" drill bit I drilled holes for the screws, as seen below.
Time to drill the holes into the car. I laid the plate in place and holding it steady with one hand, I drilled two starter holes along the bottom line. I then "tacked" the plate in place with two of the screws to hold it, as seen below.
With the plate held in place, I used the drill and made starter marks through each hole, just enough to show bare metal so I knew where to drill. I then removed the plate so I could see better, and drilled out the rest of the holes.
NOTE!!!!!
Be very careful when drilling to not puncture the gas tank. Fuel fumes are very flammable and an explosive situation could quickly develop.
Here's the finished holes for the car.
So, now that we're supposedly ready to put the plate on, it's time to use some forethought. Aluminum isn't going to rust too easily, but what about the car?? Taking into account this rust factor, I used some RTV around the edge of the incision into the car to cover any bare metal (I don't trust the paint I got too much) and some spray paint to paint both sides of the aluminum plate, as seen below:
I also took this time to add a little something to the top of the plate. A buddy of mine had once tried to think of a name for my car, and came up with "Immobulus" which is a word from the Harry Potter movies. Using google, I came up with the meaning "to make immobile or to hold in place." Fitting, considering the car hasn't been really driveable for over a year now. So, using an enlarged text as a template and rubber cement to hold it down, I painted the following on to the top of the plate.
After the paint had dried, it was time for the final installation!!!!
Now just put everything in the car back together and happy motoring. I chose not to install the Racetronix wiring harness at the current time, but will be doing so eventually.