car died yesterday....

Luckily, we have a buddy with a trailer that came and picked us and the car up.

Car ran just fine to our destination then decided to run rough for a few seconds and quit. Cranked over just fine, didn't try to fire to I suspected a fuel issue.

Checked some things out today, no sound from the fuel pump...

Dropped the tank, pain the ass fighting to get the pressure line to release from the sending unit line! The return line came off without too much trouble.

Pulled the pump assembly and found the harness that plugs into the pump melted! Now to find a new pump and harness or a whole assembly... This was installed about 3 years ago when we got the car.

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Got a new fuel pump and wiring harness from Oreilley. They were the only ones local that had a pump and harness today and all the stores had bad reviews on all of them!

Had to cut and splice the wires on the sending unit to make it work, the harness kit is universal. Hopefully it lasts longer then the three years the other one lasted...

Was a bit of a fight putting it all back together, had a hard time getting the tank in the right place to reach the lines. Then had a hard time getting the quick connects to seat on the lines. Also fought a bit with the crossover strap...

Car is back in action, but it was a bit more of a struggle than it should have been!

If the sending line is hard to get off, you have not been removing your tank enough to keep it freed up.

now that's not funny Fred! Might be the sad truth...

When I had to replace my fuel pump I used the opportunity to cut an access door in the rear floor. You may have strong opinions on cutting the floor but it’s a real time saver for future pump issues.

In light of the fact that the arcing took place in gasoline, you might have dodged a bullet.

The same combination brought down the 747 of Flight 800.

Zanethan wrote:

When I had to replace my fuel pump I used the opportunity to cut an access door in the rear floor. You may have strong opinions on cutting the floor but it’s a real time saver for future pump issues.

makes sense to me. Sorta like back in the day when I was at a Chevy store in the 90s and the techs were paid to drop the tank but it was way quicker and easier to remove bolts and remove the bed off the truck to get to it.

The fuel pumps in these cars are a walk in the park.

Do one on a third generation (80s) F body. That's a car that needs an access panel.

Rev Bob wrote:

In light of the fact that the arcing took place in gasoline, you might have dodged a bullet.

The same combination brought down the 747 of Flight 800.

I removed the tank prior to cutting the panel. That’s why I said took the opportunity. Next time the pump needs to be replaced no dropping the tank for me!

Zanethan wrote:

Rev Bob wrote:

In light of the fact that the arcing took place in gasoline, you might have dodged a bullet.

The same combination brought down the 747 of Flight 800.

I removed the tank prior to cutting the panel. That’s why I said took the opportunity. Next time the pump needs to be replaced no dropping the tank for me!

Since you took the effort to make it easier "next time" you will not be replacing the pump for a long time.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

Zanethan wrote:

Rev Bob wrote:

In light of the fact that the arcing took place in gasoline, you might have dodged a bullet.

The same combination brought down the 747 of Flight 800.

I removed the tank prior to cutting the panel. That’s why I said took the opportunity. Next time the pump needs to be replaced no dropping the tank for me!

Since you took the effort to make it easier "next time" you will not be replacing the pump for a long time.

Sadly, you are probably correct!

Never know what will happen with a piece of machinery. A couple of years ago I pulled my pump 3 times in the same week and twice the week prior.

""I removed the tank prior to cutting the panel.""


My comment was directed to the burn mark in the photo.

For what it's worth, I soldered all of the connections on my sending unit.  Vibration and varnish are constantly fighting good connections in the tank. Warning: Do not do this unless you know what you're doing with a soldering iron and you have good equipment.

To the TWA flight 800 analogy - the AFR is far too rich in our gas tanks to ever cause an explosion. Aircraft tanks are vented quite differently than car tanks.

""Aircraft tanks are vented quite differently than car tanks.""

Prior to the loss of Flight 800, 747 tanks were not safed with exhaust when on the ground with the APU running.