Remove & Replace Fuel Pump???

[ManxManiac]

99 GMC Yukon SLT 5.7 L31 Has anyone ever cut an access hole/panel on one of these to access the fuel pump without having to drop the fuel tank??? I've seen it done on the Suburbans, but the tank is in the back. I can't afford to have a shop do it, so I'm going to do it myself. Been a mechanic all my life & have done in-tank pumps, but always had a lift etc. ... this will be at home in driveway... any ideas/suggestions??? TIA

 

[DallasTahoe]

99 GMC Yukon SLT 5.7 L31 Has anyone ever cut an access hole/panel on one of these to access the fuel pump without having to drop the fuel tank??? I've seen it done on the Suburbans, but the tank is in the back. I can't afford to have a shop do it, so I'm going to do it myself. Been a mechanic all my life & have done in-tank pumps, but always had a lift etc. ... this will be at home in driveway... any ideas/suggestions??? TIA

That's what I'd like to know, I've got to replace mine but really don't want to drop the tank unless I have to

 

[ManxManiac]

I'm going to measure it out today & look underneath to see why it wouldn't work!!! I did a Suburban a number of years ago & the hardest part was getting the carpet & pad out of the way!

 

[DallasTahoe]

I just changed my fuel pump, and honestly it wasn't that bad, luckily my tank was pretty much empty so it wasn't too bad to do by myself, 2 1/2 hrs and it was done


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[willxfs]

I dropped the fuel tank by myself a year or so ago. It wasn't that difficult. Fuel line connections were kinda a pain. I remember driving on E for a long time and still having two or three gallons left in the tank. I replaced the working fuel pump for good measure because the one in the truck at the time was close to ten years old and fuel gauge quit working some time ago. I was surprised how clean the inside of the tank was after 16 years and 260K miles. Get a good acdelco or delphi pump and change out the connector too. New pump is so quiet I can barely hear it now!

 

[ManxManiac]

Our Yukon has dropped front spindles & the PO also removed some leaf springs, so it sets about 4" lower than stock height, I can barely get my head underneath & just barely my shoulders! I don't have a floor jack, but I do have a couple HD jack stands! I can't get it in the driveway, so I'll have to do it sitting in font of our house on the street in our parking space! I think cutting an access panel in the floor is going to be the best option.

 

[ManxManiac]

I've measured everything & figured out where the pump is & raised the driver's side enough to get under it. I'm going to drill several 1/4" holes in the floor right behind the rear seat & use my sabre saw to cut from hole to hole. I'm going to cut the blades shorter, just to make sure they don't catch any wires or hoses. There's a crossmember for the floor that might get in the way, but I do not think it will & if it does, I'll trim part of it off. I'm going to replace the fuel filter first & I've already tested the fuel pump relay & it is OK! I'm doing it Thursday... wish me luck!

 

[ManxManiac]

Well... it's finished ... it was fairly easy & I'm happy I saved a bunch of $$$$!!! I triple checked exactly where the fuel pump is located on the tank & ended up cutting my "access hole" under the rear seat!!! It took longer to carefully cut the access hole, than it took to remove the old pump, install the new one & change the electrical connector!!! Runs fantastic now & BTW... the fuel filter was plugged too!!! I guess it was too much of a strain on the pump, which had 260,000 miles!!! Thinking about starting a business just replacing the fuel pump in Yukon 4 dr SLT & the same in Chevrolets!!! NOT!!! LOL

 

[DallasTahoe]

Well... it's finished ... it was fairly easy & I'm happy I saved a bunch of $$$$!!! I triple checked exactly where the fuel pump is located on the tank & ended up cutting my "access hole" under the rear seat!!! It took longer to carefully cut the access hole, than it took to remove the old pump, install the new one & change the electrical connector!!! Runs fantastic now & BTW... the fuel filter was plugged too!!! I guess it was too much of a strain on the pump, which had 260,000 miles!!! Thinking about starting a business just replacing the fuel pump in Yukon 4 dr SLT & the same in Chevrolets!!! NOT!!! LOL

Did you happen to get any pictures?

 

[ManxManiac]

Hey DallasTahoe... sorry to say "No photos"!!! And now I've done 2 of these, mine & a neighbors 98 Tahoe 4dr 2 wheel drive yesterday, that is exactly like our GMC Yukon SLT!!! From start to finish was 92 minutes!!! LOL Once you've done it successfully, it gets quicker!!! He bought a DELPHI DFG0089 fuel pump, with his senior discount, for a hair less than $150.00 @ Autozone!!! The cheapest shop wanted a little over $600.00 for the exact same pump & the labor to install!!! He tried to give me $250.00 for my labor & I wouldn't take it!!! LOL I finally agreed to take a $100.00!!! Now another neighbor is wanting me to do their Yukon SLT!!! LOL Good news travels fast!!! Theirs is not competely out, but it needs to be done!!! A local shop charged them $50.00 for a new gas filter & $100.00 to install it!!! I guess I should have stayed in the auto repair business!!!
So anyone thinking about replacing your own fuel pump on your Tahoe or Yukon SLT... it's easy peasy!!!

 

[DanielP]

What did you use to cut the access hole?

Edit: NM, I see you already said what you did.

 

[ManxManiac]

On mine, I used my sabre/jig saw!!! Drilled holes about every 4" & "connected" the dots!!! LOL However, on the second one, I used a "cut-off" blade on my 4" grinder!!! I put about a dozen speaker magnets around the rear floor area I was working with & did short quick cuts so it didn't get as hot & the magnets caught all of the fine metal from the cut!!! Much faster & cleaner looking & easier to seal back up!!!

 

[ManxManiac]

Amazing... I have now done a total of 12 fuel pump replacements on GMC Yukon / Chevy Tahoes "without" dropping the fuel tank! It is so easy! The last one I did a week ago, from start to finish, only took 46 minutes!!! As I said before, it takes longer to get the pad & carpet out of the way! LOL I cut a much smaller hole than I did on mine too! On the last 6 Delphi fuel pumps, a local auto parts store finally gave me a better discount (since I've bought so many there) & they are only $105.00 each! All of the folks have wanted to give me more, but I'm only accepting $150.00 for my labor! One neighbor decided he'd rather have a local shop do his & the total was $825.00!!! One month later, the "non-Delphi" pump quit working & when he had it towed to the shop, they said the replacement pump wouldn't cost anything, but the labor was $500.00!!! Needless to say he told me if it goes out again he wants me to do it!!! LOL
So if your Yukon or Tahoe's fuel pump goes out, don't be afraid of "doing it from the inside"!!!

 

[BladeMaker]

I can take pictures with measurements if anyone here still needs it. I cut an access hole about 9 months ago. 97 Yukon 4 door.
Just two 10" long slices in the carpet rear drivers side right under the seat. Fold up carpet. Then I cut the three sides of the floor panel with a zip disc. Folded back the floor panel, replaced the pump and just folded the panel back into place. Then of course sealed it up nice and tight. Roll the carpet back down and voilà. Can't even tell its there. And if you know where to cut its almost like it's made for an access panel, the way the floor steel is formed and bent. Nice and neat. I remember it took me a good half a day to find pics to reference with mine to figure out exactly where to cut. And it took all of 10 minutes to actually cut my panel. . If I can save anyone some time by posting pics or measurements just let me know. I don't want to take the time to do it unless someone here would actually find it useful. So if anyone needs it let me know. If you cut the panel you also have the advantage of being able to change out your fuel pump screen really easily. That really saves the pump in the long run. I change mine once a year. $6 screen better than a $200 pump. The fuel pump screen is upstream of the fuel filter so it really takes the first hit of any gunk that may be in your tank or fuel. Pump has to work harder and burns out sooner. At least in my experience. If I change the fuel filter, I change the fuel screen at the same time. Once a year roughly. But when I changed my pump I never did clean out the tank. I should have. Oh well. Come to think of it my old pump had actually fallen apart in the tank and was missing one of the spring loaded rods. Presumably it's in the tank still. I should really get that out of there. Funny how things slip your mind.

 

[benski]

I can take pictures with measurements if anyone here still needs it. I cut an access hole about 9 months ago. 97 Yukon 4 door.
Just two 10" long slices in the carpet rear drivers side right under the seat. Fold up carpet. Then I cut the three sides of the floor panel with a zip disc. Folded back the floor panel, replaced the pump and just folded the panel back into place. Then of course sealed it up nice and tight. Roll the carpet back down and voilà. Can't even tell its there. And if you know where to cut its almost like it's made for an access panel, the way the floor steel is formed and bent. Nice and neat. I remember it took me a good half a day to find pics to reference with mine to figure out exactly where to cut. And it took all of 10 minutes to actually cut my panel. . If I can save anyone some time by posting pics or measurements just let me know. I don't want to take the time to do it unless someone here would actually find it useful. So if anyone needs it let me know. If you cut the panel you also have the advantage of being able to change out your fuel pump screen really easily. That really saves the pump in the long run. I change mine once a year. $6 screen better than a $200 pump. The fuel pump screen is upstream of the fuel filter so it really takes the first hit of any gunk that may be in your tank or fuel. Pump has to work harder and burns out sooner. At least in my experience. If I change the fuel filter, I change the fuel screen at the same time. Once a year roughly. But when I changed my pump I never did clean out the tank. I should have. Oh well. Come to think of it my old pump had actually fallen apart in the tank and was missing one of the spring loaded rods. Presumably it's in the tank still. I should really get that out of there. Funny how things slip your mind.

I've got a '97 that just got ahold of me; no maintenance records...Yikes. I'd love to have some photos and dimensions from the next one of these that you do.

 

[trevcda]

It's also worth noting that you may not even have fuel pump warranty, unless you replace the fuel filter at the same time. Read the fine print on the fuel pump box. A good parts house will know this and point it out, but are certainly not required to know or impart this knowledge. You would think they would just include a six dollar part with the fuel pump!

 

[trevcda]

I can take pictures with measurements if anyone here still needs it.

Honestly I think a good tutorial on this should be made a sticky. I wish I'd known six months ago before I paid a mobile mechanic to do this work.