fuel pump replaced!

[00TourSVT]

well, had some time off from work this weekend and replaced my fuel pump in my 2000 CSVT that was having the 1/4 tank fuel problem. what a PITA dropping the tank that was, anyway the filler neck grommet wasn't seated correctly from the factory (i've heard of this being a regular occurance) and man the bottom of the fuel tank looked like the bottom of our fish tank! :nonono: gravel dirt you name it. i cleaned for probley a couple of hours on it. well, put the new pump in and then proceeded to install the tank and could see how they screwed up the filler neck, it was even a harder battle to correctly get it installed. anyway, it runs great now!

so if anyone gets the chance to drop there tank and clean it (or are starting an aquarium in their house and need some gravel,) i highly recommend it if you have a late model returnless. i don't see how it was running at all and my car only has 70K and never seen gravel.:shrug:

p.s. thanks for the how-to on here as well, it helped out alot.

 

[Icefury]

Yep, me and Palehorse did this. Replaced the fuel pump with the Focus 255lph one (perfect fit). Fuel pump sock was pretty clogged and there was numerous particles in the tank. Cleaned the tank, sock, and removed the disc filter before reinstalling the tank. Has run perfect ever since.

 

[00TourSVT]

yeah, the pump sock was horrible, i don't know how it got any fuel, and i did remove the disc filter as well.

 

[todras]

Why did you drop the tank? :help:

 

[00TourSVT]

Why did you drop the tank? :help:

because the other way looked too easy......jk.

honestly for a few reasons; i didn't want to cut up the metal around the grommet to get the fuel pump out, I wanted to clean it really well, and i wanted to see if indeed the factory messed up the grommet for the filler neck, which they did. now that the grommet is fixed, it won't more than likely fill up with crud again.

 

[99SE]

Same issue here. Gravels. I had to drop mine around 30k miles. My fuel pump went early. I dropped it down and it looked like a "fish tank" in there. The sock was filthy too. My problem was getting the filler neck to seal right afterwards. It would slowely drip gas so I had to drop it again and try to get it sealed. Then finally I was like the hell with it. If I would only fill the tank to 3/4 mark it would leak so I did that for a couple months and then I just happened to fill it up and it doesn't leak anymore. It fixed itself. Its been leakfree for 40k miles now.

 

[00TourSVT]

Same issue here. Gravels. I had to drop mine around 30k miles. My fuel pump went early. I dropped it down and it looked like a "fish tank" in there. The sock was filthy too. My problem was getting the filler neck to seal right afterwards. It would slowely drip gas so I had to drop it again and try to get it sealed. Then finally I was like the hell with it. If I would only fill the tank to 3/4 mark it would leak so I did that for a couple months and then I just happened to fill it up and it doesn't leak anymore. It fixed itself. Its been leakfree for 40k miles now.

oh my, just the thought of having to drop it again makes me cringe, the filler neck is the only problem i had as well, it was definately a two man job, three would have been even better. mine hasn't leaked yet [crossed fingers].

 

[turbo_fox]

this is why i always have been, and always will be an advocate of dropping the tank. Everyone blames the disc filter, but i am convinced it is the grommet. mine was full of dirt too. The previous owner had done the cut-the-floor method, and i welded it back shut! then again, i have a lift in the garage so it was cake to drop the tank anyway. I always say drop the tank, its how it is supposed to be done. If you buy a new assembly from ford (not just the pump), it comes with a new style grommet, hmmmm, i wonder why???

no focus pump for me, and no problems anymore either. mine tank was nasty at 43k.

 

[Big Jim]

this is why i always have been, and always will be an advocate of dropping the tank. Everyone blames the disc filter, but i am convinced it is the grommet. mine was full of dirt too. The previous owner had done the cut-the-floor method, and i welded it back shut! then again, i have a lift in the garage so it was cake to drop the tank anyway. I always say drop the tank, its how it is supposed to be done. If you buy a new assembly from ford (not just the pump), it comes with a new style grommet, hmmmm, i wonder why???

no focus pump for me, and no problems anymore either. mine tank was nasty at 43k.

I have seen MANY of the 1/4 tank and lower power problems on late 99 and newer Contiques and Cougars going back to when they were new and still under warranty. I can absolutely guarantee you that NONE of the ones I was involved with were due to contamination from the filler neck.

If that is how your tank became contaminated, it was a rare case.

No matter how you do it, the tank should be checked for cleanliness and cleaned if needed while the pump is out.

 

[turbo_fox]

I have seen MANY of the 1/4 tank and lower power problems on late 99 and newer Contiques and Cougars going back to when they were new and still under warranty. I can absolutely guarantee you that NONE of the ones I was involved with were due to contamination from the filler neck.

If that is how your tank became contaminated, it was a rare case.

No matter how you do it, the tank should be checked for cleanliness and cleaned if needed while the pump is out.

did you drop the tank on all of these? most people don't drop the tank, they cut slices in the floor. I would bet a good percentage of the people who have problems, and blame it on the disc, have never dropped the tank and therefore would never know they had a problem. im not saying the disc filter is a good design, i am merely stating that when i had a problem, i repaired it in the manor in which ford calls for, which includes dropping the tank and replacing the filler grommet.

 

[LauraSVT]

I have seen MANY of the 1/4 tank and lower power problems on late 99 and newer Contiques and Cougars going back to when they were new and still under warranty. I can absolutely guarantee you that NONE of the ones I was involved with were due to contamination from the filler neck.

If that is how your tank became contaminated, it was a rare case.

No matter how you do it, the tank should be checked for cleanliness and cleaned if needed while the pump is out.

did you drop the tank on all of these? most people don't drop the tank, they cut slices in the floor. I would bet a good percentage of the people who have problems, and blame it on the disc, have never dropped the tank and therefore would never know they had a problem. im not saying the disc filter is a good design, i am merely stating that when i had a problem, i repaired it in the manor in which ford calls for, which includes dropping the tank and replacing the filler grommet.

How pervasive is this problem, exactly? My SVT drives like a hundred dollars regardless of how much gas is in it. I would assume that you would advise people only to drop their tanks if they're experiencing fuel starvation symptoms, and not just on a proactive basis?

 

[CA SVT Driver]

I also did the focus fuel pump exchange on my 2000 CSVT this weekend. I had no issues but read all the info here from everyone, so I thought I would avoid a problem. I would have preferred to drop the tank, but I did not have the time or the help. Figured I would drop the tank another time if it was nasty. I used all the great posted info to go in through the floor. (I also had a flying electrical clip saga.) I am one of the lucky ones who not only had a pristine clean tank (61,000 miles), but the disc (now discarded) and the pump sock were barely dirty! I use only Cheveron gas and Lucas fuel injector cleaner with every tankful (buy it by the gallon - much cheaper). This may give some hope to those who also are tank-help challenged.

Thanks to everyone for all the info.....

CA SVT Driver

 

[00TourSVT]

How pervasive is this problem, exactly? My SVT drives like a hundred dollars regardless of how much gas is in it. I would assume that you would advise people only to drop their tanks if they're experiencing fuel starvation symptoms, and not just on a proactive basis?

wow thats great you aren't having any problems, i hope you dont.

mine started to have problems below 1/4 tank and then slowly got worse to anytime i got below 1/2 tank (anytime the gas had to come through the bottom disk because above 1/2 tank gas can enter the bowl through the holes near the top of the bowl. i now for a fact my filler neck grommet was messed up causing it not to seal around the filler tube thus allowing any debris free access to the tank. the ONLY way to fix the filler tube grommet is to drop the tank and fix it. which while installing the tank i could see how easy it would be to screw up the grommet because of the angle to install the tank.

if you aren't having any problems, then thats great, don't drop the tank. leave everything alone you probably will never have the problem.

 

[00TourSVT]

I also did the focus fuel pump exchange on my 2000 CSVT this weekend. I had no issues but read all the info here from everyone, so I thought I would avoid a problem. I would have preferred to drop the tank, but I did not have the time or the help. Figured I would drop the tank another time if it was nasty. I used all the great posted info to go in through the floor. (I also had a flying electrical clip saga.) I am one of the lucky ones who not only had a pristine clean tank (61,000 miles), but the disc (now discarded) and the pump sock were barely dirty! I use only Cheveron gas and Lucas fuel injector cleaner with every tankful (buy it by the gallon - much cheaper). This may give some hope to those who also are tank-help challenged.

Thanks to everyone for all the info.....

CA SVT Driver

mine thats nice, i don't blame you if you don't have any help. i think how dirty the tank is has alot to do with the environment you dirve in, whether it is all city driving or alot of dusty country gravel roads.

 

[Big Jim]

did you drop the tank on all of these? most people don't drop the tank, they cut slices in the floor. I would bet a good percentage of the people who have problems, and blame it on the disc, have never dropped the tank and therefore would never know they had a problem. im not saying the disc filter is a good design, i am merely stating that when i had a problem, i repaired it in the manor in which ford calls for, which includes dropping the tank and replacing the filler grommet.

Most of them had the tank dropped. It was in dealerships, and they generally don't cut up the floor on customer's cars. If it were my car I would not drop the tank.

You can easily see into the tank when the pump is removed without dropping the tank. I have seen many cars (earlier Contiques and others) that have had the pump or sending unit changed without dropping the tank and that is by far my preferred method. You would need to be blind not to see contamination. At the most you may need a flashlight for a better view.

On the late 99 and 00 with a returnless fuel system it is not a matter of if this will happen, it is a matter of when. The bottom screen on the fuel pump module is just too small and too fine. If you are not the original owner, it may have already been addressed.

The problem was so bad that Ford had a recall for the problem with the Focus and late Cougars. We got left out because they didn't address it early enough and they felt they didn't need to satisfy customer of older (and obsolete) models. Very faulty thinking.

In my career, I have dropped a lot of tanks. It is an engineering breakthrough to build the car so the tank doesn't need to be dropped to get to the fuel pump. Ford simply didn't want to spend the money to retool the floorpan.