I believe I removed the wiper assembly because the shop manual instructed to do so. It does provide more clearance to work. To clear up some confusion, the gauge failure is referring to the failure of my fuel pressure gauge and the temporary conversion of a compression test gauge to fuel pressure duty, in the associated picture, which of course is from a separate in tank fuel pump replacement.

The clear view of the components is a picture that I found on the net, to give better perspective of what's in the blind spot.

Make sure you use a torque wrench and make sure it's in good calibration, you don't want to take any chances with "Tight enough" here because of the high fuel pressures, especially if someone else will be driving the car.

Some times I'm not sure how my wife will respond if the car misbehaves and the motor is still running, will she pull over if a fire develops under the hood, or speed up and try to blow it out. Just kidding, she'd pull over, and park it neatly in a parking space next to other cars, maybe not. It's okay, she doesn't visit this forum.

 

I believe I removed the wiper assembly because the shop manual instructed to do so. It does provide more clearance to work. To clear up some confusion, the gauge failure is referring to the failure of my fuel pressure gauge and the temporary conversion of a compression test gauge to fuel pressure duty, in the associated picture, which of course is from a separate in tank fuel pump replacement.

The clear view of the components is a picture that I found on the net, to give better perspective of what's in the blind spot.

Make sure you use a torque wrench and make sure it's in good calibration, you don't want to take any chances with "Tight enough" here because of the high fuel pressures, especially if someone else will be driving the car.

Some times I'm not sure how my wife will respond if the car misbehaves and the motor is still running, will she pull over if a fire develops under the hood, or speed up and try to blow it out. Just kidding, she'd pull over, and park it neatly in a parking space next to other cars, maybe not. It's okay, she doesn't visit this forum.

So I can't find the 15mm bolt on that coolant pipe? We are stuck. We found the 10 mm bolt.

 

How are you torquing the line nuts? Are you using one of those weird wrench ends that have a socket hole in them and then just using a standard torque wrench to set the torque?

Like these?

Auto Value : 14-Piece Crowfoot Wrench Set V8 Tools

www.myautovaluestore.com

 

There's a picture of the end of the torque wrench connected to a 17 mm crow foot immediately above just ahead of the picture with the pressure gauge.

 

Ok I purchased some today at Harbor Freight. I really need one of their bigger tool boxes...
Probably will purchase that instead of the new MT Bike I was looking at...

Keep trying to shove more tools into a tiny craftsman tool box just doesn't work... lol...
Think I might take off work early tomorrow to work on my car and get this swapped out..

 

Ok, I am ALMOST done with mine.. Or atleast ALMOST have it removed...
The LFX is similar but a little different. The low pressure line is a little less complex. Just a line with a flex piece in the line. I will take a picture. Removing the wiper assembly was real simple.

A tip about removing the coolant line...
It comes from the coolant over flow container so if you follow the flexible line with your hands until you feel the clamp the hard line starts right there and the bolt you need to remove is right there. I spent almost an hour trying to find where that line went and once I found it, it was easy. Also, the 10mm bolt holds it tight but it is an Oring seal so be careful when you pull it out that you don't tear up the O-ring. I didn't loose any coolant from mine that I could see.

I loosened up the 10mm bolt on the top of the pump but did not remove it yet. Gave up for the night and still have to remove the low pressure line yet. Just can't get the right combination together to get the stupid thing loose. All of the lines were real easy to disconnect once you broke them free. Both of the bolts on the low pressure line were tight until you almost had the bolt completely loose and the same with the coolant line bolt.

So for tomorrow It is just finishing up taking the low pressure line off, removing the 10mm bolt on the bottom and removing the old pump without loosing the cam roller...

So far nothing has been hard but it has been a learning experience.

Rodney

 

Think I am giving up on mine. I can ALMOST reach the bottom bolt but it is really hard to get to with my big hands and arms. I think I am going to have to wait until I have the money and tow the car to a local mechanic and have them finish the job. Even if I can reach the bolt I won't be able to get it back in when I am assembling it back together.

Will be a couple weeks before I can do that unfortunately. So I guess i will be driving my truck to work the next couple weeks.

Rodney

 

Think I am giving up on mine. I can ALMOST reach the bottom bolt but it is really hard to get to with my big hands and arms. I think I am going to have to wait until I have the money and tow the car to a local mechanic and have them finish the job. Even if I can reach the bolt I won't be able to get it back in when I am assembling it back together.

Will be a couple weeks before I can do that unfortunately. So I guess i will be driving my truck to work the next couple weeks.

Rodney

If you think it will give you more space, place a folded comforter on the windshield and see if disconnecting the hood strut will allow you to safely raise it further for more room.

The nice thing about the the fuel pump gasket is that it holds the screws in place, so you thread them through it a short ways before putting the pump in place.

I suspect you may not have the right flexibility in your tools. Just in case, it's almost a must that you switch to the smaller 1/4" drive socket wrench with a couple of extensions short to medium, short and deep well 10 mm socket and universal/swivel joint to make the angle for the bottom bolt.

You may also be able to make use of a small 10 mm wrench. I have a set of small wrenches that are about 1/8" thick and 3-3.5" long. I purchased a 300 piece Craftsman tool set from Sears about 25yrs ago and everything I needed for the removal was in that set except for the torque wrench.

A last ditch effort that may give you the space you need, might be to remove the bolt(s) from the tail end of the tranny mount and see if you can carefully lift up on the end of the transmission a little to get more clearance up top. I did not need to do this so if you try it make sure you can do so without damaging anything below.

You may also need to put a thick covering over the top portion of the engine area and fender and lay on top of it to gain access. I'm not sure if I did that for the pump, or the fuel injector replacement.

You're so far along that I'd find a kid with brains and smaller hands before giving a shop a Christmas present. I have three small nephews to grab by the ankle and stick in that tight space.

You're almost done, look it over and find the right tools if you don't already have them.

 

I didnt remove the wiper motor and hood. Only intake manifold and valve cover , I was able to reach the bottom bolt . Just be patient and use ur creativity. Took me 4 hours. Just for bottom bolt alone , i think 1h30

 

Going to give it one last shot on Saturday. Would be nice if I could lift the rear end of the engine or move it forward about an inch or so. The Gasket I have does NOT grab ahold of the bolt... I have been able to get the Ratchet I have onto the bolt with a very short extension but when I tried to turn it the socket just fell off the bolt. We shall see... When I reinstall I will install the top bolt first and turn it in a bit before trying to install the bottom bolt. I spoke with Corey a little and he said he had to lay on top of the engine to do his. Just a very frustrating thing to do.

Rodney

 

Going to give it one last shot on Saturday. Would be nice if I could lift the rear end of the engine or move it forward about an inch or so. The Gasket I have does NOT grab ahold of the bolt... I have been able to get the Ratchet I have onto the bolt with a very short extension but when I tried to turn it the socket just fell off the bolt. We shall see... When I reinstall I will install the top bolt first and turn it in a bit before trying to install the bottom bolt. I spoke with Corey a little and he said he had to lay on top of the engine to do his. Just a very frustrating thing to do.

Rodney

I missed the AWD application earlier, so tipping the tail end of the transmission up a little probably wouldn't be a good idea. AWD may also be playing into some of the difficulty considering the engine mounts are different between RWD and AWD applications which may affect engine position enough to make it more challenging to remove. Don't forget the universal joint for the socket and place strips of tape inside the socket to help keep it on the bolt if necessary.

Just in case you have not, dismount the coolant over flow bottle if it is in the way, or can afford you more clearance.

 

I had an 85 Grand Am. The rear 3 plugs were a real pain and not only did I have to lay on the engine to get to them....the wires were encased in a metal bracket and the only way to remove them was to cut them. I feel your pain brother.

 

I have everything possible out of the way.. The low pressure fuel line, the high pressure fuel line, the coolant line... All are off... Moved the one wire harness that lays on top of there... Here are a couple pictures of where I am... I can probably remove the rail pressure sensor for a little more room too...

 

That's the problem, on probably all of the LLT motors, that high pressure sensor is at the opposite end of the fuel rail out front. You're in uncharted territory for me at this juncture.

 

Ok, so how much of a PITA is it to remove the fuel rail? If I can remove the fuel rail on the drivers side it should make things a whole lot easier. Looks like there are 4 13mm bolts holding it on but I am assuming I am not seeing the injectors or something. I will look at how to remove the fuel rails but just curious if anyone else has done them. The LFX has the crossover pipe integrated into the feed line from the pump.

Will make this from a difficulty of 9 to about a 4 if I can get that fuel rail out.

Looks like they should come right off the injectors. Reading for the LLT it says to rebuild the injectors if the fuel rail is pulled but I suspect that is unnecissary. Especially if I plan to up size the injectors down the road.

 

Don't you dare pull that rail, or the fuel injectors unless you've read that it is necessary which I doubt. Rebuilding the DI fuel injectors is a different animal than port injectors. It's not about the injector screens, it's about those high pressure retaining seals around the nozzle that require a special tool for installation, although I've read that a tech said it can be done by hand by soaking the new seals in hot water to soften them and installing and squeezing them down.

An injector, or two may come out with the rail.

I replaced my injectors and the hardest part of the job was getting them out and that was after the rails came off.
You would also be adding a considerable additional expense in parts; injector seals, injector retaining clips, and I do believe the sensor is recommended for replacement when removed, although if you pull the rail, you should probably go ahead and replace it anyway.

I'm afraid you'll need two a.ses working in shifts to spread that pain over.

 

I did read what the shop manual says... Didn't look like was a big deal but grrr... Ok... I will take your word for it.. What I SHOULD do is see if there is a local shop that looks at the injectors and have them rebuild and flow test them because they didn't look like they were right anyhow.
One was considerably lower than the others and one was considerably higher.

 

Get a little bore brush and chase the ports in the head before reinstall, they'll definitely have some combustion debris in them.

 

I have a gun barrel brass bore brush set. I will make sure I do that before I install them. I tried to use it to brush off the valves when I had them exposed before but they didn't work well for that. Place I am talking to is charging $25 apiece to rebuild them and $7.50 to send them back. I will take pictures of what they look like... Hopefully in the next couple weeks I will be running E85 and won't need to worry about them fouling again.

 

Ok fuel rails out... The injectors come out with them so you have to finagle them to get them out. They are held to the fuel rail with a spring clip that should be fun to get back on.

Sending the injectors out to be cleaned and serviced for $150 plus shipping.
I now have LOTS of room to put the pump on. So for those of us with big hands, there is another solution. Pulling the drivers side fuel rail does give enough room to be able to get in to where the pump is and do what you need to do. I also picked up a couple new bolts and will be torquing everything down properly. The next time I have to remove them will be if I upsize the pump for the super charger when I get it and that will be down the road. And will require larger injectors too.
Fuel rail with injectors still on.. Note the spring clips... The cables came off easy.

The end of the injector wasn't real bad...
The Oring stayed in the fuel rail when I took them out.

Look at all this room now with no fuel rails in place.. The fuel pump will be very simple to replace now.

I am curious what this is though. Is this on the right a secondary water pump or something?This two could be a PITA to change out due to lack of clearance.

 

The thingy on the right is the thermostat housing and yes it is said to be a "problem child" regarding removal. The LLT rails are different regarding the retaining clips also, they apply pressure to keep the injectors in place, but do not attach them to the rail making it more difficult to remove them the longer they've been in place. That's probably why they made the design change you have.

This job could have been a lot more expensive if you had given up on it, not to mention the potential trouble down the road if the person working on it did not replace the one time use parts associated and just stuffed the injectors back in place. Now we know what to look out for on the LFX needing this repair.

True story, my dad told me about a relative who worked on cars for a living, torquing down cylinder head bolts with an impact wrench on another relatives car. He never let him work on his.

 

Good luck, Rodney--
You are much braver than I!

 

Well to be truthful I was about ready to cry. I spent 4 hours trying to get that damn bolt out. Couldn't reach it no matter what I did. I happened to catch the rubber cover over the fuel rails and lift it up by accident... Then it became a simple thing. Had someone familiar with those setups help walk me through pulling the fuel rails. There is a trick to them. The drivers side you have to slide forwards about an inch to get them to start coming out then once you got them to move you go forward and back with it and it will pop out. The passenger side you slide back an inch to get it to release. So yea... Took me about 2 hours and lots of spilled fuel to get those suckers all out and the injectors pulled out. The injectors have been sent off to be cleaned and rebuilt and I will be working on the pump hopefully tomorrow. Had to try and figure out what mom did today. She has some days she forgets stuff and goes off and does something totally different.

 

Sounds like you have alot on your plate.
Persevere. You will succeed.

 

Hang in there, you got this.

 

Stayed up to late last night, laid down for a nap before working on the car.. Woke up at 10pm... No work on the car tonight... At this point I just need to pull the HPFP and replace it then install the low pressure fuel line and wait for the injectors then can put the rest back together.

Been busy because of dealing with mom stuff and I have my own medical issue I am trying to sort out. Hopefully the ENT can give me some solid answers this week.

 

Ok, got the pump out... Gotta clean up and go back to work. The roller piece is not coming out so I am not going to try taking it out. The Disk I paid $17 for says it is for 2008-2014 but it is not... It does not show the coupe or the wagon in it and talks about the 3.0 and LLT so I am guessing it is really for 2010-2011.

Going to guess the torques are the same though... I will have to pull the plugs tomorrow and rotate the engine where it needs to be. I plan to use a magnetic tool finder to keep the roller in place but it doesn't seem to move. Only a very short distance.

Injectors are due sometime middle of next week depending on when the guy gets to them. He should have gotten them today then he told me it takes 2-3 days for him to get done with them and send them back.

I ended up laying across the engine. It still is WAY easier with the fuel rails pulled out so if someone else does this you may find it easier to pull the fuel rails and have them cleaned up too if you have any mileage on your car.

Rodney

 

So.... Guy emailed me today that one of the injectors is bad. Picking one up at Autozone since I can't get one otherwise before wed next week.

Oh and it looks like the rear end in my truck has a bad bearing in it now too.. Just started howling...
So... Looks like I will be riding my bicycle like 22 miles to work tomorrow and 22 miles back home... Truck still sort of works but I need to get my car back together first. Will probably spend most of the day sunday getting everything back together other than the fuel rails which will be my monday project most likely.

Great week...

Atleast rebuilding the rear end looks like it will be cheap... Just grabbing the bearings is about $120 for all 6 and related seals... And doesn't look like will be too hard to do but we shall see how it goes.

 

When it rains it pours, but there are always sunny days ahead. Hope you're not serious about that bike ride, it's barely safe enough to ride a bike in a closed area no way I'd ride one on the road with cars. I stopped walking the block in my neighborhood because some half-wit didn't like having to stop and yield right of way for me to cross at an intersection that I not only arrived at long before they did and any other car for that matter, but also triggered the light so that it would change. This person deliberately drove close to me in spite of the crosswalk sign, after waiting and then turning behind me after I was 3/4 of the way across. I run and ride bikes in the gym now. There are some rotten people on this earth, be careful.