Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Pics and Videos Returnless fuel pump EXPOSED!

Hi All,

This might be more of a maintenance item than it should be, especially considering there are less than 12,000 mi. on this pump (I know it's all about the gas, but the end result is the same!). I decided to check my fuel pump, but you have to drop the tank to do it. Well, I'm too lazy for that. Here are some pics of the fuel pump and how I accessed it from the back seat.
The cleaning helped a bit at full power but had no effect on normal driving. My missfire at idle which prompted me to do this seems to be clearing up on its own...go figure.

Here is the link... Returnless Fuel Pump EXPOSED!

...Ed

Great pics.

Is the rust in the tank from filling up and bad/old service stations?

That is an awfully small and fine screen. No wonder it gets clogged.

Hi,

There is nothing to rust in the tank other than the filler pipe and unless the pump itself is rusting, the rust has to come from gas stations. On a returnless system the fuel only goes one way, so the rest of the fuel system is out of the "loop". This will become a "regular maintenance" item for me now that it is so accessible. I consider it a must do mod!

...Ed

Hey CEGers this is a n00b question but how do we know if we have returnless fuel system or not? TIA

EDIT: BTW nice work

GREAT PICTURES!!!! I take it that cut to make the hole wider is to keep from having to drop the tank? Very cool! I needed to look at the fuel sender, too. You wouln't happen to know the ohms of that thing would you?

WOW awesome, my fuel pump is dying (nice bucking and such going on, or I floor it, and no response, car basically dies) So I might just have to try this, but I have a couple questions.

1. How did you empty your tank totally of gas!! (or did you?) Is the pump down in the tank itself, or located above with a line going down or something?
2. How did you clean the sump filter itself?
3. Think this is doable for a fairly new to cars college student such as myself? Would most likely save me $200

You are so awesome for throwing this together, thank you!

Hi Athlon 7,

Disclaimer: Warning do this at your own risk! You are working in an extremely hazardous environment where loss of life or heavy property damage could occur!

No, I didn't drain the tank. First thing I did was disconnect the battery...don't need any errant sparks flying! I then drew a circle almost 6" in diameter with my template resting on the front edge of the existing hole, essentially relocating the hole aft of it's original position so that it now is directly over the pump hole. The original hole was only intended as access for the connections and not for pump removal. After marking, I used a sheetmetal "nibbler", I'll call it, to cut along the dotted line. Then sand or draw file the edge of the hole to remove any sharp edges. (Make sure you re-paint the newly exposed edge before you finish the project.)Make sure you vacuum up all the little pieces before you lift up the pump. Disconnect the fuel line by squeezing the connector and pushing away from the pump "hump". Remove the electrical connector by pushing down on the wire "bail" retainer and again pushing away from the pump. To get the pump out you have to remove a lock ring that sits aroung the outer edge of the pump. If you examine it closely you should see 4 or 5 little raised metal "dimples" in the ring indicating fully locked. Make sure when you replace the ring these metal "dimples" are again exposed, ensuring the pump is securely locked in place. To remove the ring, there are 4 or 5 raised up "wings" that you will use a blunt screwdriver and a fiber mallet to rotate the ring CCW to remove it. It is a little difficult at first to get the "dimples" to go under the retainer, but they will go. You will have to "walk" the ring around a little at a time going to each of the "wings" in an alternating pattern. The pump unit with sender is completely inside the tank and held down to a plastic retaining ring that is bonded to the bottom of the tank. Be very aware of static electricity...don't use plastic sheeting or anything that could hold a static charge when opening the tank! To remove the pump unit, put on a fuel resistant glove and reach down into the tank, carefully grasp the pump, (don't damage the sender on the flat side of the sump)and rotate it 1/8 turn CCW. Be careful not to damage the sending unit wire arm and float...it might not be noticed as it sits off to the side further inside the tank. The sender is attached to the pump and does come out with the pump. The pump sump will be full of gas...there is a check valve that keeps the gas in it even if the tank is almost empty, so have a container or a lot of rags handy to catch any spills. Once out, the sump screen is simply popped into place on the bottom of the sump...it was very easy to pop out using a tiny knife blade at it's edge. To clean it, just blast it from the clean side with spray carb cleaner. To replace it, just push it back into place. The filter sock on the pump itself was not removable as best I could tell. I just blasted it from a steep angle to try and wash straight down it's side any contaminants. It was relatively clean, so I don't think it was worth the effort to disassemble the sump. The bottom filter disc was really bad though. If there is crap in the bottom of the tank still, get a siphon tube and start a flow (don't swallow )into a container and "vacuum" up the debris. To put it back in just reverse the process. Let me know if you have anymore questions. Here's the link to the pics again... Returnless Fuel Pump EXPOSED!

...Ed

You are such a brain! Do you work with cars for a living? After reading it seems that this will be a very very risky undertaking for someone with limited knowledge like myself, however I'm copying and pasting and saving the pictures for the future when I gain some confidence! If you lived in this area I'd pay you anything to do this to my car Again, thanks so much for your contributions, you're invaluable to the contour community! Chris, I hope you read his second post