Fuel Pump Access Door

[SnowDrifter]

I have to ask... How often are you guys chewing through fuel pumps that you need to cut an access door? Dropping the tank ain't that hard

 

[Bombsquad85]

Like I said I cut a hole in my Tahoe and there was nothing negative about it. I had plenty of leverage to get the lock ring on and off with nothing other than a hammer and screwdriver.

I can understand why someone wouldn't want to cut the floor. But it's no different than all of these other vehicles out there with access panels.

As for never dealing with fiberglass before. I haven't, however, this seems like an easy enough first project. And if I screw up on the fiberglass then I'll hold off on making my cut.

I think this is much easier for what I need it for. Right now I just need to replace the pressure sensor. This is why I will be cutting the hole. Because I know in less than 50k I'll probably have to get back in there to change the fuel pump. And where I do itll be a 20 min job. And it won't matter how much fuel is in the tank.

The only difference I'll make with my fiberglass panel is go make side I can take it off without having to remove the seats.


Also this will give me an excuse to deep clea. Under the seats lol

 

[SnowDrifter]

Actually it is different. Vehicles with access holes are done properly from the factory. Folks who cut their own holes seldom go through the effort of appropriately resealing all the bare metal they just exposed. It's not an upgrade, it's a hack. Want to get cheeky and do it "right"?

Get a sheet of 1/8" stainless, toss some sound deadening on it, cut hole in floor, drill holes and install threaded rivets. Apply some butyl rubber to the crevice of a seal (can't remember the type but it's similar to a door seal), mash it in and around the hole you just cut, then secure the plate you cut out with some galvanized or stainless hardware.

Edit: Found the seal https://www.amazon.com/Black-large-height-0-656-Height-0-178/dp/B00BFWUZ2K

 

[Rocket Man]

Do as you want of course but I just replaced my fuel pump module for about $120 which included the pump, pressure sensor ( actually never heard of that), fuel pressure regulator etc. I see no need to do one part at a time; do it once and be done for another 150 k miles. It took me all of 2-3 hours and was fairly easy. And my truck isn’t left with a battle scar hidden under the carpet. I don’t expect to ever have to do it again. I considered cutting a hole because I was led to believe that dropping the tank was a ***** but I found out that’s not so. I’m glad I didn’t now.

 

[SnowDrifter]

It's only a pain when it's full of gas lol. Take off the filler neck and siphon with a hose. Unless you just filled it up, nothing should come out. Once you get the tank empty, it doesn't weigh more than about 60-70lbs

 

[Bombsquad85]

Who's being cheeky? I simply posted a video I found interesting and that might appeal to people that dont want to or can't crawl under their truck and drop the tank.

You came in and started talking it down.

With proper sealing and covering there will be no issue with it. If you dont like it that's awesome I appreciate you're inside and the link. But no need to talk it down or tell me I'm being cheeky.

 

[SnowDrifter]

1. Wasn't calling you cheeky. It's the idea of doing such a thing properly when it goes against popular vote.

2. It's a public forum. We share our opinions. Mine is that hacking apart your truck to avoid undoing 2 tie straps is risky and ill conceived. I'm not a dick. Don't get on the defensive. You don't need to play victim when I share my opinion as you, yours.

 

[Rocket Man]

We are all just sharing opinions and different ways of doing things here. Some prefer cutting an access door, and if that's what you'd prefer, that's a perfectly legitimate way of doing it. Some prefer dropping the tank, and that is also a perfectly legitimate way. This is a great place to discuss both ways and the pros and cons of both. Everybody has opinions, and sometimes it feels personal when we share one way of doing things and it meets with resistance but that does not mean that way is wrong or should not be discussed. It just means that there's others who would prefer not to do it like that. Thank God we have this forum to discuss this, so others who come along later and read it can have the information needed to make an informed decision. It's way better than the alternative method I have seen on another subject, bagged vehicles, where there is no longer an active forum to discuss issues and they all use a Facebook group. It's terrible; the same questions get asked over and over because there's no way to search and the information just gets lost due to the format, which results in people getting trash talked all the time and called idiots. I love this forum and the respect we all show each other here.

 

[Bombsquad85]

1. Wasn't calling you cheeky. It's the idea of doing such a thing properly when it goes against popular vote.

2. It's a public forum. We share our opinions. Mine is that hacking apart your truck to avoid undoing 2 tie straps is risky and ill conceived. I'm not a dick. Don't get on the defensive. You don't need to play victim when I share my opinion as you, yours.

I'm not on the defense. At the end of the day it's my truck and my back. If this helps me or someone else it was worth posting.

It's not risky if care is taken to do it correctly. And it's not a hack job unless the person makes it that

 

[latvius]

I cut out an access panel on my Tahoe, cut out a new piece of sheet metal, hammered it to shape. Blind rivets are a good idea, once I buy the tool I may go back and do a better job. I used that black gooey stuff used for firewalls as the sealer. It never quite dries but is real sticky. I think I also used sound deadner sheets as well around the exposed area.

Also - my advice is use a brass punch not a steel screwdriver. Brass does not produce sparks, I am lucky enough to have an 18" long one. It was a little challenging to get a good swing from inside the cab but not a big deal.

I would agree you will not change your fuel pump every 6 months but if your troubleshooting something it is nice to be able to look at the pump/connections as they sit.

I also would say change the wording from "hack" to "mod". If someone deletes their rear wiper is it a hack job or a mod? To me a hack job it something done poorly not weather GM intended it to be done or not.