2002 Deville - Fuel pump at 215,000 miles

3583 Views 7 Replies 3 Participants Last post by rockhoundrob1, Jun 1, 2015

rockhoundrob1

Discussion Starter · Feb 16, 2015

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

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Submariner409

· #2 · Feb 16, 2015

Unless the pump assembly you remove has a really nasty primary filter sock there should be no need to flush the tank. Some new pump assemblies do not have the floppy sock at the bottom - the primary filter (strainer) is internal.

Some pump assemblies also have an upgraded HD electrical connector that gets spliced into the existing harness. The wiring diagrams for various models are included.

Airtex, AC Delco, DELPHI and UltraPower are all OEM pump assemblies in different boxes.

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rockhoundrob1

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 16, 2015

Thank you for this info!... I saw Airtex at the auto store and wasn't sure if it was a good brand or not. Airtex shows "internal filter".

So, if my old pump has a dirty filter sock, but the new Airtex does not, then it's OK to swap it out?

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Ranger

· #4 · Feb 16, 2015

Fuel is filtered 2 or 3 (maybe more) times before it ever enters your tank. The inside of the tank should not need cleaning.

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rockhoundrob1 said:
I saw Airtex at the auto store and wasn't sure if it was a good brand or not.

I've heard varying stories on Airtex fuel pumps. :noidea:

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rockhoundrob1

Discussion Starter · #5 · Feb 16, 2015

Crap!!! I hate varying stories.... I want to find something that is at least 99%.

The brands I see in the store are Dephi, Airtex, Spectra, & Precision (all have life time warranty), ACDelco is $20 more, but only 1 year warranty!

The only thing I see that makes me wonder...Airtex says 45 gals per hour (90PSI) but Precision is 25 gals per hour (45 PSI)
How can I tell which is supposed to match what my car needs?

Worse case... I guess if I get an Airtex, at least it has a lifetime warranty.

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Submariner409

· #6 · Feb 16, 2015

rockhound, If you're shopping locally you can always look in the box .............. RockAuto occasionally has blowout sales on these assemblies.

Ranger said:
I've heard varying stories on Airtex fuel pumps. :noidea:

Here's a box label from a 2000 series Seville fuel pump assembly. Who made it ?

DELPHI is molded into the pump assembly plastic top cover ..............

See less See more

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Ranger

· #7 · Feb 17, 2015

Crap!!! I hate varying stories.... I want to find something that is at least 99%.

Don't put too much into my statement. Here's the story behind it.

I recently had to have my wife's '05 LeSabre towed home for a no start. It was a bad ICM and when I told the tow driver that I had a new Airtex ICM ordered, he said that of the last 3 Airtex fuel pumps he replaced, they all had failed in short order and he did not like Airtex. Take what you will from that comment. On the other side of that coin, I have heard that Airtex made (or makes) GM's fuel pumps and they are pretty reliable (could not say that for the mid '90's Blazer fuel pumps). Again, this is all hear say.

So far the Airtex ICM is performing well so

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Submariner409 said:
Here's a box label from a 2000 series Seville fuel pump assembly. Who made it ?

:noidea: What's the difference?

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rockhoundrob1

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jun 1, 2015

Finally got the time to change the pump. Thanks to everyone for their replies!

It was HELL removing the old pump. The old pump was about 1/16" larger than the hole! I was afraid I was going to break the pump forcing and twisting it.
It finally POPPED out. New pump went in the opening just fine with 1/8" to spare.

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2002 Deville - Fuel pump at 215,000 miles

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