[RovingSaab]

So it looks like the fuel pump hose retaining clip recall (15018) has not been done on my 2002. Obviously you can't access the top of the pump without removing the tank or destroying your floor. My question is, are these Saab official service centers really still doing these recalls for free? Sounds a little hard to believe.

 

[BobSaabit]

I never heard of anyone doing this as a recall but I see it is listed. Mostly those clips are put on in the aftermarket when you try to do something with a fuel line and you snap one of the (now brittle) clips. I have found them on junkyard cars, so maybe that explains it.

If you want to do it, have at it. The hole in the floor doesn't require "destroying" your floor. You make a three sided cut and pull up the metal. When you're done, you bend the flap back down. Some folks fiberglass it, others add a metal panel, some just tape it. The NHTSA probably would not like tape. FWIW, the 9-5 of the same vintage came with a bolt on cover and a factory hole. Installing the clip itself is a five minute job.

Dropping the tank isn't bad either. The straps always come lose, even in the rust belt, IME. But, the risk are all those plastic hoses being pulled down and all the clamped hoses being detached and removed. I don't like fooling with that stuff if I don't have too... "leave well enough alone" is my policy.

 

[RovingSaab]

Thanks for the info. Leaving it alone sounds like a pretty good option.

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[Jeremy R.]

The 9-5's fuel pump cover just presses on. There's a rubber seal around the edge with a groove in it that mates up with the sheet metal. If I had known about that when I replaced the pump on my NG900, I would have gotten a 9-5 cover and tried to cut a hole to fit it. I had the pump go out in my 9-5 on the freeway on the drive home from work. I had the car towed home, but once I got a new pump, replacing it took less than 30 minutes because of that access hole. It was incredibly easy.

 

[BobSaabit]

If I had known about that when I replaced the pump on my NG900, I would have gotten a 9-5 cover and tried to cut a hole to fit it.

I've had that plan for a while. Haven't yet remembered to pull a 9-5 cover at the u-pull.

To the OP: I actually like the idea of cutting the hole at some point in your leisure time. Then, like Jeremy says, you can do a replacement with ease if you ever need it. Maybe go with the 9-5 plan for a pre-made cover to top it. While you're in there, you can add that clip if you don't have it on there. It's not hard to pull up the seat. Get a good pair of offset shears... and just spend a little time cutting the hole and avoiding the wires.

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[RovingSaab]

Sounds like a good plan. Wonder why they only provided access on the 9-5.

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[Boxer-Moto]

If you want to do it, have at it. The hole in the floor doesn't require "destroying" your floor. You make a three sided cut and pull up the metal. When you're done, you bend the flap back down. Some folks fiberglass it, others add a metal panel, some just tape it. The NHTSA probably would not like tape. FWIW, the 9-5 of the same vintage came with a bolt on cover and a factory hole. Installing the clip itself is a five minute job.

I cut a section completely out (using a nibbler). Then, I welded some washers around the perimeter of the cut out piece so when re-installed, the washers rest on the remaining body. I have some really wide, really strong, really thick furnace tape that I ran around the kerf to re-seal everything. That was the very first day I owned the car (related question: guess why I got the car so cheap? )