Can't Get to my fuel pump

[ryanprins13]

No, did you not look at the provided picture at the beginning of the thread? It IS the pump cover, not the inspection cover.

Oops, i missed the photo. Thought it was the inspection cover the whole time :/

[DaleInTN]

Where is this "access panel" located?

[firebush357]

Where is this "access panel" located?

Under the Rear Seat

[ricko1966]

OMG I actually had a customer that doing his own repairs ended up hospitalized using a shop vac to empty a tank. FWIW if I am working on a tank I put an exhaust hose on a running vehicle into the tank. Pressure from the hose prevents sparks flame etc, from going into the tank.And since the exhaust gas is inert you won't get combustion.No combustion,no fire, no fire, no boom!

I recently (within the last year) had to get a new "SMACK" impact set, the kind you hit with a hammer, because I had a Suzuki head with some stuck rocker rail screws, and it was only about twelve bucks.

My view on this job is to drop the tank AFTER draining out all the fuel you can, and saturate the screws with rust buster overnight.

You can make your own with either brake fluid and transmission fluid, or tranny fluid and acetone - or just use PB Blaster, which is damned good stuff.

A smack impact drives the screw into it's threads and breaks the "SET", without as much of a risk of stripping the slots in the head as would be the case if you just tried to crank the screws loose by several means.

One old trick I often use as a last resort before going the impact route is to wrap the handle of your screw driver with a rag in the direction you are going to turn it. This prevents your hand from slipping, and increases the effective diameter of the screwdriver handle, so that you can put more torque on the fastener. You should use your other hand to push down on the driver to keep the blades from slipping in the slots.

IF YOU WRECK THE SCREW HEADS - it will take a lot to safely (SAFELY!) remove the screws, if the tank is that bad, a salvaged tank from a yard or a spare one from someone here is better than fighting with a piece of junk that may be full of gas fumes and could explode if you are not careful.

Old school tactics are to empty the tank and fill it up with water before drilling cutting or welding on it. But if the screw holes are that buggered it may be a lost cause.

To drill out the holes means probably using a set of taps & dies to re-thread the screw holes with new fasteners. If you go that route, the choice of fastener you replace the old ones with is an option:

Hex head bolts (prime) or allen head fasteners made of a rust resistant material such as one of the three grades of stainless would be my choice.

As you can see - the rabbit hole gets deep. You can try to salvage what you have got, or replace it outright. But if you leave the old pump in the tank it will one day block the flow of fuel completely, and if you want to keep the original tank I think it is crucial at this point to make sure the inside of it is clean.

I have been down this road with my 94 Suzuki Swift, the punk who had it before me dumped a five pound bag of sugar into the tank to make sure NOBODY would EVER drive the car that HE FAILED again - before it was all said and done I expended nearly an entire case of oven cleaner to get all of that crap out of there, and critical parts of the fuel system had to be rebuilt or replaced.

You really need to do a man-hour inclusive cost analysis on this trip - ask yourself what your TIME is worth, and what your level of skill is capable of.

I know it can be a learning experience, but so is mucking out a stable - and life is short my friend! The easiest and fastest way may not be what it appears, some times you have to back off and PUNT!

I'd say get another tank, but explore the options laid out here and make your decision after evaluating all your options.

~Dutch


PS: And yeah - I realize there are fewer and fewer parts for these cars every day

WARNING!!!
NEVER use a shop vac to suck fuel out of a gas tank. The armature brushes produce sparks that will turn the shop vac into a home-made FUEL AIR BOMB

An idiot where I worked at once was about to do that after a fool filled up the shops diesel truck with gasoline - and the resulting explosion would have destroyed the entire building and several million dollars worth of motor homes (RV's)

I thank God I saw him in time to prevent it.

[bravekozak]

I bought a bunch of stainless replacement screws + a new OEM gasket on the bay.
I had to replace to wires due to rodent damage.

[getnpsi]

If you can't wait and haven't gotten the impact try tightening each screw gently. That is the most ZEN way with PITA fasteners. It works enough times to try first because it's free.

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