Fuel Pump Change Without Dropping the Tank
steelerguy
07-19-2005, 03:56 PM
My truck is an 89 1500 with 305 engine.
From the horror stories about broken fuel lines alone you could do what I did. Working by myself I had the bed jacked up and the fuel pump started in less than an hour. Dropping a tank, especially a full or nearly full tank seems difficult and risky. I do not have a hitch but I would have thought that was hooked to the frame & non the bed. Other people have said they have had to remove it. Maybe it's in the way of the bed bolts depending on the installer? I live in Arizona so rust was not a problem on my 16 year old truck. I used a standard 1/2" drive, heavy duty 6 point socket (3/4" or 18mm both worked on mine) and that removed every bolt without a problem. I could see 3/8 inch drive socket wrenches and light duty (non-6 point) sockets not having the oomph and the sockets breaking from the force.
You could have removed the 8 bed bolts that are tapped and have no nut to worry about (the 2 rear ones had an additional bolt & nut that had to be removed for access). Once the bolts are removed, brace the rear of the bed to prevent sliding. It's not that heavy but find something that minimizes any sliding that could occur, a cable or chain from the rear of the frame to a bed tie point worked for me. That way you won't have to deal with the rear wiring. At least I didn't have to as they built in about 6" of slack. Check yours as you jack the front. There may be a connector for the main components that easily pulls apart if there is too much tension. Don't forget about the filler cap when jacking. A couple of standard jack stands placed with the help of a floor jack and 2 by 4's of progressively longer lengths makes this easy. Make sure your 2 by 4 jack point is supported by the frame from as many sides as possible. Found a place on my 89 chev that supported from 3 sides. Use caution and common sense and progressively support the bed while jacking. Don't scrimp on the jack stands because the bed is light enough to lift but heavy enough to kill you should it fall on your neck or your head while working. There is a ton of room to work and much less damage risk to the lines and sending unit from limited wiggle room with this method.
From the horror stories about broken fuel lines alone you could do what I did. Working by myself I had the bed jacked up and the fuel pump started in less than an hour. Dropping a tank, especially a full or nearly full tank seems difficult and risky. I do not have a hitch but I would have thought that was hooked to the frame & non the bed. Other people have said they have had to remove it. Maybe it's in the way of the bed bolts depending on the installer? I live in Arizona so rust was not a problem on my 16 year old truck. I used a standard 1/2" drive, heavy duty 6 point socket (3/4" or 18mm both worked on mine) and that removed every bolt without a problem. I could see 3/8 inch drive socket wrenches and light duty (non-6 point) sockets not having the oomph and the sockets breaking from the force.
You could have removed the 8 bed bolts that are tapped and have no nut to worry about (the 2 rear ones had an additional bolt & nut that had to be removed for access). Once the bolts are removed, brace the rear of the bed to prevent sliding. It's not that heavy but find something that minimizes any sliding that could occur, a cable or chain from the rear of the frame to a bed tie point worked for me. That way you won't have to deal with the rear wiring. At least I didn't have to as they built in about 6" of slack. Check yours as you jack the front. There may be a connector for the main components that easily pulls apart if there is too much tension. Don't forget about the filler cap when jacking. A couple of standard jack stands placed with the help of a floor jack and 2 by 4's of progressively longer lengths makes this easy. Make sure your 2 by 4 jack point is supported by the frame from as many sides as possible. Found a place on my 89 chev that supported from 3 sides. Use caution and common sense and progressively support the bed while jacking. Don't scrimp on the jack stands because the bed is light enough to lift but heavy enough to kill you should it fall on your neck or your head while working. There is a ton of room to work and much less damage risk to the lines and sending unit from limited wiggle room with this method.
Automotive Network, Inc., Copyright ©2026