as long as it isn't a truck like mine, with a utility bed
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Bad Car Repair Designs - Thanks GM!
- Thread starter Dubbington
- Start date
Ducky_Fresh
Treasure Hunter
Fuel pump/sending unit went out on my '01 Yukon XL. Was tired watching my trip to fill up.
Bought a new pump/sending on amazon, about 1/3 cost from O'reilly. Watched a youtube and it required dropping the tank to get to the pump. It looked like a pain in the arse WITH a lift. On my back trying to get to the clips etc looked impossible.
Sooo....I cut the inside of the floor behind the driver seatFollowed several youtubes and it was simple. Took maybe 2 hours. Sealed it up with vibration tape, sheet metal screw and some waterproof tape around the cut. Now it if goes out a again, it's easy to access.
Pic not of my ride but the same model.
Why didn't they just put an access spot under the seat? Would that have been so hard?
I only cut three sides, drilled the pop rivets and peeled it back.
Don’t blame you. Seems very common on older American cars. Had same problem on my dodge 2500. Said it was $1500 to drop and replace. For your ride this is a totally reasonable approach. As someone mentioned I should have lifted the bed to do it on top but whatever. Sold it!
Sharky
Well-known member
Seems rather Shervinish to cut holes in the body instead of dropping the gas tank. But hey, not my ride. I also have some trepidation using a die grinder to cut a hole in the body directly over the gas tank...
Hack repairs like this should be relative to the condition and/or value of the vehicle. Thinking about it, I probably wouldn't have done this to our 'burb back when the fuel pump went out, but after the recent collision on the freeway with a dolly, screw it, I'd totally do it now. If I remember correctly, this thing belonged to his dad and has really low miles for the year, like 70-something..? I'd never have done it to that, but this may be a different vehicle.
wazzuFreddo
WuTang is 4 the children
The tank was dropped on the Camaro to do the fuel pump. Went at about 180k, which isn't bad for a GM fuel pump.
Jebus thats insane. Thank god for whoever the engineer was who designed my Boxster, aside from a couple odd German-ized things everything on the engine and chassis is easily accessible.
it isn' that bad once you really do it. it's so you don't HAVE to take the front of the car off to access the front of the engine. of course when i did it, there were about 2 more steps to actually take the front off so i did and had tons of room to do the service. if i'd kept the car long enough to need to do the timing belt again i could probably have had it in service position in about 20 minutes or less.
Abacinator
Unholy Blasphemies
mrzuzzo
New member
I did the same thing on a SAAB 9-3 back in the day.
tzrider
Write Only User
It's not hard to drop the tank on those things.
Dubbington
Slamdunk Champion
Have you? I watched a youtube and they could stand underneath with a lift and it looked like a pain. Couldn't see have the clips the fuel line was in. Decided it wasn't worth the hassle on my back and risk breaking a clip or something.
Sharky
Well-known member
On a different note, it took me less than an hour to swap the front shocks on my dodge full size truck yesterday in my garage. Most of the time was figuring out how what what tools were needed for the first side and pulling the wheels. The second side probably took less than 10 minutes.
Incidentally, one of the worst jobs I have ever had to do on a car of mine was the heater core on my fox body mustang. That’s worth paying someone to do.
Incidentally, one of the worst jobs I have ever had to do on a car of mine was the heater core on my fox body mustang. That’s worth paying someone to do.
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mean dad
verum super omnia
I replaced the fuel pump in my Blazer twice. The first time I dropped the tank and it was fairly straight-forward. The lift kit + tires made it a pain because my jack wasn't tall enough but that was easily dealt with.
The second time, I decided to cut an access panel because I had a sweet side angle grinder with a brand new cutting wheel and wanted to use it.
tzrider
Write Only User
Yes, I've done it. I don't remember every detail, but remember using mirrors and a light to see the clip. IIRC, I probably lowered the tank a bit first. There was some monkeying around sliding the tank fore and aft to clear beams and the rear axle. Obviously it will be easier with an empty tank.
TheRobSJ
May lose 10mm sockets if distracted
Batman is only a superhero because he has all the cool toys. I’ve got one of these to drop a fuel tank. Doesn’t much matter if it’s full or not. It is actually meant to drop loaded subframes.
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I'm glad you don't work on my vehicles dubs
i LOL'd!
Dubs, you a second owner? If so...THAT'S WHY!
Kestrel
Well-known member
It's funny you say that, because on all the older Saabs & Volvos we've had.. all had an access panel. Piece of cake to a fuel pump.
That 9-3, though... that was when Saab was under GM ownership
Now, the blower fan in my Volvo 240
. You literally have to pull the entire dash out to get good access to the HVAC box/unit that houses the fan, which also breaks the AC lines etc etc. Hell no.Solution?
Cut a hole in the side of it
Turns a 8-10 hours job into two hours. Gives you access to remove the clips which hold the plastic blower vent assembly together. Comes apart, and voila... blower fan access. On the later Volvos? 700/900 series? Bless their hearts, Volvo put a door in... 10 minute job.
Abacinator
Unholy Blasphemies
Batman is only a superhero because he has all the cool toys. I’ve got one of these to drop a fuel tank. Doesn’t much matter if it’s full or not. It is actually meant to drop loaded subframes.
I want one of those so bad but I can't get my shop owner to drop the coin. So I'm stuck using a transmission jack
TheRobSJ
May lose 10mm sockets if distracted
I want one of those so bad but I can't get my shop owner to drop the coin. So I'm stuck using a transmission jack
American Honda forced us to buy that $6k powertrain lift to be a NSX dealer (along with $100k in other tools, equipment, and so on). I have yet to use it to drop a new NSX engine, but damn if it ain’t the best thing for dropping subframes, fuel tanks, or any other heavy ass thing on pretty much anything. Very precise control over positioning. If you can get one on the cheap (say $3-4k I’ve seen), it’s absolutely worth it.