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Fuel pump replacement a DIY project?

2K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  4th_Saab 
#1 ·
The fuel pump on my 1992 US Spec 9000S recently died stranding my darling wife and daughter on the other side of town...

I had the car towed to a local garage that fixes everything (I suppose). They want about $150 more for the fuel pump than the local foreign car parts place charges, $80 for a $10 - $15 fuel filter and $240 in diagnostic/labor charges. The nearest Saab dealer with $120/hr labor rate wants 1.5 hrs, but the pump is even more money.

How difficult is it to replace the fuel pump? Can a relatively mechanically inclined person (me) with little auto repair experience (I just did the brakes and have done a number of lock motor changes and used to change the fuel filter in my C900) do this without killing himself, burning down neighborhood, etc.? I've never messed with fuel tanks, etc. other than repairing a leak in an old car 20+ years ago.

Fortunately this is our third car so I can take my time (AFAIK)...
 
#2 ·
Very easy diy job if you buy a good 2nd hand unit with everything attached as it came out of the car. Its fairly straight forward just replacing the pump which is enclosed in its own plastic canister type resorvoir. I took mine to bits on the coffee table without any instructions...and put it back together!!

One thing that can happen is the o ring seal in the top cover sometimes expands and when you put it back it doesn't form a tight seal and when the petrol tank is full it leaks out a little bit and the fumes get into the cabin. A saab specialist told me to cut about 10mm out of the o ring and superglue back together if I had this problem...which I now have but haven't got round to fixing it!
 
#3 ·
Yah, very easy. I swapped pumps in my '94 in the parking lot in front of my girlfriend's apartment in about half an hour. I used a big channel-lock wrench to undo the sealing ring. Other than that, a Torx screwdriver to take off the hatch floor and maybe a flathead to pry out the checkvalves are the only tools you need.

Speaking of check valves, be careful with them. I managed to put a tiny crack in one and had gas spraying around for about two weeks before I noticed. I was able to get replacements off a parts car, but they are VERY VERY VERY hard to push back in to the nylon fuel lines.
 
#4 ·
Many thanks for the help so far...

From the speed of Durf's repair, I take it that the fuel tank doesn't need to come out of the car (I'm assuming that the pump is "in" the fuel tank). Please enlighten me... BTW, the car is sitting at the garage that towed it awaiting my blessing to make the repairs, so I can't look for myself.
 
#5 ·
No, the tank doesn't have to come down. The hatch floor comes out (held in by a pair of Torx screws), then there's a silver-color cover over the pump that is held in by a pair of hex retainers. The pump fits into a hole in the top of the tank.

Looking at my shop manual, it's a different procedure for the LH-Jetronic models, but you still get at it from the trunk. You don't have to worry about those nasty plastic check valves. If you like, I can PM the removal and refitting instructions to you or something.
 
#6 ·
i just did the job a few days ago...the only proble i ran into was the big retaining ring didnt wat to move...i had one on my parts car so i just chiseled away at it till it broke apart...this was after about an hour going at it with liquid wrench and ed-40. You just gotta be really careful with the fuel fitting, alignment after tha fact of the ppump, and when pulling it out be careful with the level sensor. But its definetly not that difficult..just take your time....and dont make any sparks ;)
 
#7 ·
When the fuel pump on my 95 9000 CDE (4 door) died, it required the fuel tank to drop because the access panel in the trunk floor wasn't big enough to get the pump out. I also made a tool to loosen the retaining ring since it wouldn't budge with any other method I tried. I took the proper diameter pvc pipe (5" or 6" i think) and cut slots in the end to line up with the slots of the ring. Then i drilled a hole through the top of the pipe for a 1/2 piece of pipe to turn it. This is basically what the tool looks like that SAAB makes for the dealers.

The fuel pump that I just replaced in my 88 9000T 5 door last week was able to be done through the access panel in the hatch floor. It only took about 1 hr. I got a used pump from my indie for $100.

Mike
 
#8 ·
Well, I chickened out on doing it myself...especially after my wife found a local mechanic who'd do the work (including installation) for about what I could buy the pump for.

The car now runs, but it doesn't start as well as it did before the pump died. Any suggestions about what to check? Could the pump have died from something in the fuel which would have also caused the plugs to foul? Coincidence or not, the pump died after buying gas at a station that we hadn't used before...and the same thing happened with my '96 9000CS a few years ago (but that's a longer story).

The mechanic also replaced a fuel line and a check valve (described as a little rubber part). I wish I could be more exact, but my wife dealt with the shop exclusively and I"m getting info third hand.

Continued thanks for your help!!!
 
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