it was my fuel pump assembly!!!

leary514 · Oct 22, 2005

a while back i posted about how i kept blowing fuel pump fuses. thank you for your help. i finally found out what was causing it, before i gave up and took it to a shop. we checked ALL the wiring from the fuse to the ground and it all checked out. one night later i decided to go and make me a little 'access panel' to the fuel pump. as seen here:

from there i could easily take out the fuel pump assembly, saving myself 3 hours of extra work. i noticed immediatly that something was not right. the pump assembly would not come out. well here's why:

the assembly was completely smashed. when i took a closer look, i noticed that a black and white wire were cut, most likely by the metal strips connecting the top to the pump housing. there was why the fuses kept going. i was really lucky that it didn't spark while it was in the tank. notice the condition of the housig. i think that the previous owner DIY'd the fuel pump insert and man-handled the assembly back in.

telreranreoid · Oct 22, 2005

how did you get the fuel pump out form the top?? i was under the impression that the only way to get to it was to drop that tank. this REALLY intestes me cause im gonna have to do this like any day now... and by any day i mean it quit two weeks ago, and i've been driving around my other car that im trying to sell. and i kinda need to sell that one to fix this one. haha and if i can do the install from the top. dear god that is the best news i've gotten all month! haha

P.S. man that is fricken crazy! your pretty lucky that fuse kept blowing!

the best price i have found for a replace ment is on www.eeuroparts.com

good luck!

leary514 · Oct 22, 2005

yeah

if you're gonna cut an access panel, like i did, use tin shears. you'd have to be really careful using a grinder (cause you're right above the fuel tank) and a sawsawl (cause you could damage wire or fuellines). when i was done i put electrical tape around the edges so i wouldn't get cut trying to pull the pump out. once i'm done i'll waterproof it, i just want my damn car to run. i miss playing with her.

telreranreoid · Oct 22, 2005

ok, that's a little more envoleved then i was hopeing. i was thinking it might just be some cut some cloth here tear some carpet there. im not quite willing to cut a hole in my floor quite yet :lol:

earthworm · Oct 22, 2005

Others have done the same thing, but of course, differently in details...

Great photos, best yet !! This must be part of the ongoing repair manual...

Why not cut the hole in the floor, IMO, this beats by far either dropping the tank or worse yet, paying a "pro" many hundreds of $$$$ to do this.
BTW, if I were still turning wrenches for money, I would use the "making an access door" route, but I would have to discuss this with the customer, for his approval..

Napa sells the fuel pump itself for less than $$$.
Many threads ,sites on this..

Dropping an 18 gallon tank can be a PITA, even with a lift....

Mulch · Jun 2, 2010

earthworm said:
Others have done the same thing, but of course, differently in details...

Great photos, best yet !! This must be part of the ongoing repair manual...

Why not cut the hole in the floor, IMO, this beats by far either dropping the tank or worse yet, paying a "pro" many hundreds of $$$$ to do this.
BTW, if I were still turning wrenches for money, I would use the "making an access door" route, but I would have to discuss this with the customer, for his approval..

Napa sells the fuel pump itself for less than $$$.
Many threads ,sites on this..

Dropping an 18 gallon tank can be a PITA, even with a lift....

Anybody have the Napa Part number for the fuel pump?

Thanks,

leary514 · Oct 22, 2005

i wish it was just the insert but unfortunatly the whole assembly is bad. i was getting an off reading on my fuel gague, the wires coming off the cap are shreded and the pump housing is busted... luckily i found one on ebay for 49.99$ ssssssshhh...

GaryG · Oct 22, 2005

I did the same cutout when I replaced mine. I think it is better than dropping the tank too. For the rough edges that remain after the cut, paint them with some undercoating or primer and then use a couple feet of 3/8" pvc hose with a length-wise cut to slide over the edge. I stuffed some fiberglass insulation down in the hole to deaden any road noise.

RastaSaab · Dec 7, 2006

earthworm said:
Others have done the same thing, but of course, differently in details...

Great photos, best yet !! This must be part of the ongoing repair manual...

Why not cut the hole in the floor, IMO, this beats by far either dropping the tank or worse yet, paying a "pro" many hundreds of $$$$ to do this.
BTW, if I were still turning wrenches for money, I would use the "making an access door" route, but I would have to discuss this with the customer, for his approval..

Napa sells the fuel pump itself for less than $$$.
Many threads ,sites on this..

Dropping an 18 gallon tank can be a PITA, even with a lift....

So true Earthworm! It is a real shame that Saab did not make this door out of the factory as they did in the past. I just had to buck up over $600 for this very same repair, because the tank straps were shot and needed to be replaced. You are right about it being a PITA too my Pro was not too thrilled with the job as i had a FULL tank of gas at the time which made it even worse.

It looks like you did an excellent job Leary how is the waterproofing holding up? that was my biggest concern about messing with the cut out.

Jays900s · Dec 7, 2006

Currently doing this same thing with the cut out... have to replace the tank gasket, leaking from the top of the tank, here are some pictures

cachaa · Nov 1, 2007

Jays900s said:
Currently doing this same thing with the cut out... have to replace the tank gasket, leaking from the top of the tank, here are some pictures

I feel like there's gotta be some cheap kind of door that you can buy and rivet to the sheet metal.

Tweek's Turbos · Nov 1, 2007

If your really good, get that piece of sheet metal from the dealer and fab it in proper. With the hole over the pump.

earthworm · Nov 1, 2007

cachaa said:
I feel like there's gotta be some cheap kind of door that you can buy and rivet to the sheet metal.

Many options on this
At your local friendly ACE hardware store they have all you need.
drill
bits
metal cutters
tape
aluminum "flashing"
sheets of metal
brackets
supports
screws
pop rivets
rivet tool
sealant

Sorry, no fuel pump at ACE
Either the Ford dealer for the Mustang pump(Walbro- apparently)
or NAPA

Mulch · Jun 1, 2010

Earthworm,

Do you have the Napa part number for this pump?

Thanks,
Chris

G96nt · Nov 1, 2007

NAPA sells the pump itself for $100
If all you need is the bucket, and you're up my way, I'll give you one of my spares.

otherwise they're usually in junkyards, kicking Around.

carreraclubsport · Apr 25, 2008

Hi guys

I'm new to this forum, this is my fourth Saab and I have some problems after only two weeks of ownership. Looks like the fuel pump is dead, have followed the excellent instructions here and everything went fine until I was going to remove the old fuel pump. I simply cannot turn the black plastic ring that keeps the pump in place. What on earth can I do, and what have you guys done to loosen it? There's a new ring delivered in the package with the pump, so it doesn't matter if I break it (and believe me, I have already tried that as well :evil: )

Christian

G96nt · Apr 25, 2008

I took a long, large screw-driver and put it in one of the grooves of the retaining ring. a rubber mallet is all the force you *should* need to spin the ring counter-clockwise and loosen it up.

it is a screw-on type.. not just pop-off.

And CUTTING the ring will certainly damage it, and the fuel-tank.

Professor_Screwball · Apr 25, 2008

RastaSaab said:
So true Earthworm! It is a real shame that Saab did not make this door out of the factory as they did in the past. I just had to buck up over $600 for this very same repair, because the tank straps were shot and needed to be replaced. You are right about it being a PITA too my Pro was not too thrilled with the job as i had a FULL tank of gas at the time which made it even worse.

It looks like you did an excellent job Leary how is the waterproofing holding up? that was my biggest concern about messing with the cut out.

The crazy part is my '99 9-5 has the hole to the fuel pump already, and even a flap in the carpet. It came from the factory like that, but the '99 9-3....got to cut holes..or drop the tank. *sigh*

lowbudgethero · Apr 25, 2008

carreraclubsport said:
Hi guys

I'm new to this forum, this is my fourth Saab and I have some problems after only two weeks of ownership. Looks like the fuel pump is dead, have followed the excellent instructions here and everything went fine until I was going to remove the old fuel pump. I simply cannot turn the black plastic ring that keeps the pump in place. What on earth can I do, and what have you guys done to loosen it? There's a new ring delivered in the package with the pump, so it doesn't matter if I break it (and believe me, I have already tried that as well :evil: )

Christian

2 hammers, 2 flathead screwdrivers, and 2 people is what you will need.

have one person hammer on the screwdriver (which should be angled facing counterclockwise) on one side and you hammer on the opposite side and strike it at the same time it will move slowly but surely

fphillips · Apr 25, 2008

lowbudgethero said:
2 hammers, 2 flathead screwdrivers, and 2 people is what you will need.

have one person hammer on the screwdriver (which should be angled facing counterclockwise) on one side and you hammer on the opposite side and strike it at the same time it will move slowly but surely

A little penetrating oil around the ring and then tap all around the ring with a mallet. My theory is that this compresses the gasket a little more and allows the oil to penetrate. Then continue with the screwdriver and hammer or make a spanner tool like shown in some of the threads.

I have two parts cars and would be willing to cut out a piece of the floor that would be large enough to cover the opening that you cut. Actually, I was thinking about selling the used fuel pump with the "cover" as an inexpensive fuel pump fix. PM me if anyone is interrested.

leary514 · Apr 29, 2008

it's funny that this thread resurfaced because last week my pump motor went bad. i went to autozone and bought a new motor for 99$ (it is a walbro) and put it in. because i made my "access panel" the job only took 2hrs. the hardest parts being the removal of the lines from the sending unit and wiggling the pump assembly out of the hole.

you will notice your pump motor is going bad when it gets louder. mine was chewing itself apart. inside the strainer was a bunch of metal shavings. needless to say, i replaced the filter as well.

a good thing to get once you've done this job is the factory gm metal clip that screws into the sending unit and holds the check valves and lines down. the yellow 'clips' that hold the lines down always break. a pressure line coming disconnected while you are driving is a scary thing. it is like 5 bucks and you can get them from www.genuinesaab.com.

overall i highly reccomend making said access panel if you plan on replacing your pump. it really saves a lot of work. small, asemetrical fuel tanks can be harder to remove then larger, more rectangular tanks.

Spannerman · Apr 29, 2008

Its really easy, I had to check the wifes Saabs fuel pump and it took me 15 mins to get it out including cutting the floor.

I used a nibbler as used for cutting out sunroofs in an air drill, that took 2-3 mins max.
To get the lock ring out I used very large water pump pliers with the jaws at their widest setting and used them to rotate the lock ring, the hardest part was getting the pump assy to the right postion to with draw it, as the tank was full and I couldn't see past the fuel to see where pump was.

Eleven22 · Apr 29, 2008

wow i was just reading this and thought , i may need to do this one day. One thing differently i would attempt to do is to maybe save the metal that is being cut out or get another piece , then use some JB weld, some hinges and a latch from a hardware store and cold weld a hindged door back on top of this hole. My concern would be:

A) Water seeping in. not a big deal im sure.
B) Saftey barrier from the fuel .

Im surprised car companies never thought of that!

earthworm · Jan 3, 2010

Eleven22 said:
wow i was just reading this and thought , i may need to do this one day. One thing differently i would attempt to do is to maybe save the metal that is being cut out or get another piece , then use some JB weld, some hinges and a latch from a hardware store and cold weld a hindged door back on top of this hole. My concern would be: The latch and hinges should make this a nice neat professional job. Make an oblong hole, that way the door can be sandwiched top and bottom, and any leak would be nigh impossible.

A) Water seeping in. not a big deal I'm sure. This could happen. One thing about water , it will find a way , or make a way to enter where man wants it to be dry...its the nature of fluids.
B) Safety barrier from the fuel . Not likely - safety seems to be so overplayed in this generation.
Things should be in balance.

I'm surprised car companies never thought of that!

The better cars do have a fuel pump access port.

leary514 · May 9, 2008

most newer (and older?) volvos have factory access panels for the sending unit. maybe cause they use inferior pumps (bosch) :cheesy:.

ilijanik · Jan 3, 2010

Hi! do you have a saab 9-3 or 9-5? I have a 9-3 1999 and I need to do the same you did, and use your pictures as a guide.
Thanks,

leary514 · Jan 3, 2010

I've got a '95 900 2 dr. The procedure is the same. The only diffrence is the pump is slightly diffrent.

leary514 · Jan 3, 2010

One other thing to consider when doing this is to purchase the fuel line hold down clamp. Gm made this part to correct an issue with the plastic retainers on the lines breaking. I think it's 5$ from tallefero and will save you from any agrevation in the future. I had a line come off the sender while I was driving. Not fun.

'97 Saab SE Turbo · Jan 3, 2010

You can also make a bracket with some flat aluminum or steel stock. It looks like a wide-brimed hat turned upside down... Ron

it was my fuel pump assembly!!!

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