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Hey sir, I don't see a link for pictures.You will be working with the fuel system of the vehicle. Since gasoline is explosive there is always the chance you can blow yourself up, or start a really nice fire if you don't follow common sense. This is the same commen sense they were supposed to teach you in grade school so let's hope you learned it well.
It's not my fault in any way if you blow yourself up, break stuff, or start a really nice fire.
Locate the fuel cut-off switch in the trunk of the vehicle, and flip the tab up so it is in the off position. Start the car and let it run until it dies. This should only take a few seconds.
Disconnect the battery
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Remove your back seat
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Undo the fuel cap to relieve fuel tank pressure
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Remove the access cover and undo the fuel pump harness
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Pull out the tabs and disconnect the fuel lines. Tie them back. Keep track of which one is which or you will have issues when you go to start the car again. Clean the area around the locking ring.
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Using a hammer and a non-ferrous punch (aluminium-hardworrd-copper or anything tough and non-sparking), undo the locking ring turning counter clockwise. Remove the pump from the tank. Be careful to not allow any debris to fall into the tank. It will require some wigglage to get the pump out around the fuel level sending unit as well. Take your time and be patient, it does come out.
The entire sending unit.
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To change the fuel pump is quite simple once you get the strainer off as it is in there quite hard to remove. After that just slide the pulsator assembly up on the tube, disconnect the wires and replace with a new pump.
The fuel pulsator mod, why the car dies on corners
If your car:
-Sputters with less than 1/4 tank of fuel and is fine anyother time
-You experience a huge loss of power or your car dies when taking on-ramps/exit ramps or sharp corners
...than this mod is probably for you.
You can see from this end pic how the grey seal isn't sealing too well. What happens is as the pump moves back and forth in the tank it distorts these seals causing fuel pressure to bleed down. Once it gets bad enough it will bleed enough pressure that you feel anything from a lack of power to a complete stall. You can see in the pic above how I originally had a zip tie wrapped around the fuel pump to restrain any excess movement. With the movement gone the car ran much better, but not as good as it was about to.
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I went to my local parts store hoping to easily get a replacement. I managed to get a Carter part number, but the part is discontinued. Ford will only sell you the entire sending unit. Seeing as how I just shelled out some coin on a new fuel pump thinking it was the problem, I was not about to spend double that on a sending unit from Ford.
The solution, hose!!!!
The pulsator acts as a vibration damper, basicallly an acumulator for the fuel system to help reduce shock loads on the pump. Seeing as how the fuel system is already equipped with a pressure regulator which also helps reduce shock, it seemed kind of redundant and I could find no other reasons for it being there. I couldn't seen any harm in replacing it with a piece of hose, so I did.
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You have to be careful what kind of hose you use. Notice the yellow tinge/coating on the hose. This is because it is wax impregnated fuel injection hose. The wax helps repel the gasoline and extend the rubber hoses life while in the tank. Regular rubber hose will degrade or go "skunky" after a few months when left submerged in fuel. This is 5/16" fuel injection hose rated at 65psi, more than enough for stock applications. If you're running higer fuel systems pressures than that, you're probably more than smart enough to get a higher pressure hose for your application.
A couple of clamps, and in she went. Micky mouse zip tie removed.
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Installation is the reverse of removal. Once you get the sending unit in and hooked up, you may want to hook the harnesses, fuel lines, and battery back up. Reset the fuel cutout switch and take it for a drive without the access panel or rear seat in. This will give you a visual indication if the tank ring seal is leaking or not. If it's good and dry, with the car off disconnect the harness, re-install the cover and rear seat and your good to go. If it leaks, re-check the tank seal to ensure it is seated properly, it can be trying to put in. If everything appears fine, you may either need a new tank seal or new locking ring.
I have had this in my car in excess of a year and a half time with no problems. This includes exposure to the occaisional bottle of injector cleaner. Also, my car sat with the same tank of fuel (with stabilizer) for 4 full months, probably the worst thing you can do with fuel components is to let them sit for long periods of time with the same degrading fuel. Not a single problem to date, this car runs like it was new 😉
Matt 8)
EDITED to add additional reference link to a discussion, and repair of same fault.
97 Escort Randomly Stalls
