I think I need to replace the fuel pump. Someone on this forum said there is a panel in the trunk, where I could access the fuel pump without having to drop the fuel tank.
2 reasons I want to change the fuel pump...1 - the fuel gauge is funky. It shows full when I fill it up and is fine until it gets 1/2 way empty, then it starts to " fill back up". So I never know when it really is down to 1/4 tank. 2 - with my car being 13 years old and 215,000 miles... the pump is going to die sometime. Most cars I know of start having fuel pump problems at 150,000 miles.
I checked in the trunk and removed the panel and sure enough, I am sure it should not be a problem. Just disconnect battery, release fuel pressure, then the 2 fuel lines and the 2 electrical connectors, then swap the pump out.
My question is this... the manual and a video on Youtube says to clean out the fuel tank before putting the new fuel pump in. How can I do that when the tank is still on the car? Both say to drop the fuel tank, which I would rather not do, since it much easier to just access the pump through the panel in the trunk.
Is it THAT critical to clean the tank? There is dirt/dust on top of the tank and I will clean that before removing the pump. What could happen if I don't clean it out and don't disturb what has settled to the bottom of the tank? Won't the fuel filter and the pre-filter (or screen) on the fuel pump take care of it?
Thanks for any input and advice!
Robert
2 reasons I want to change the fuel pump...1 - the fuel gauge is funky. It shows full when I fill it up and is fine until it gets 1/2 way empty, then it starts to " fill back up". So I never know when it really is down to 1/4 tank. 2 - with my car being 13 years old and 215,000 miles... the pump is going to die sometime. Most cars I know of start having fuel pump problems at 150,000 miles.
I checked in the trunk and removed the panel and sure enough, I am sure it should not be a problem. Just disconnect battery, release fuel pressure, then the 2 fuel lines and the 2 electrical connectors, then swap the pump out.
My question is this... the manual and a video on Youtube says to clean out the fuel tank before putting the new fuel pump in. How can I do that when the tank is still on the car? Both say to drop the fuel tank, which I would rather not do, since it much easier to just access the pump through the panel in the trunk.
Is it THAT critical to clean the tank? There is dirt/dust on top of the tank and I will clean that before removing the pump. What could happen if I don't clean it out and don't disturb what has settled to the bottom of the tank? Won't the fuel filter and the pre-filter (or screen) on the fuel pump take care of it?
Thanks for any input and advice!
Robert