Fuel Pump Replacement

[ctaco]

I have a 1996 Buick Regal Gran Sport. There is no access hatch for the fuel pump. I have noticed an electrical whine coming from the pump and want to plan on a replacement at some point. I think that dropping the fuel tank seems like a major pain especially while only using jack stands. Has anyone else found a good solution to replacing the fuel pump? I'm okay with cutting out a portion of the trunk and patching it when I am done. Is there a good way to do this without sparks so I don't have sparks near gasoline? Are Delphi fuel pumps a decent replacement?

[Raffaelli]

I just dropped the tank on my Lumina a few days ago. Don’t cut a hole in the floor, it’s really not that hard, just kind of sucks to reattach the vapor lines. 
 

 In a nutshell…

 -there’s an exhaust heat shield that had to come off. 

-unplug 2 fuel lines, 3 vapor lines, the electrical connection, and two fuel fill pipes at the tank. 
-15mm bolts on the straps, and it comes down.

It took me all of 10 mins to drop the tank. I’ve replaced the tank and fuel sending unit twice (from rust damage from sitting) and a third to reseal the sending/pump unit.

 Delphi pumps are good, but buy a GM fuel sending unit gasket. Don’t use aftermarket.

[55trucker]

11 minutes ago, ctaco said:

I have a 1996 Buick Regal Gran Sport. There is no access hatch for the fuel pump. I have noticed an electrical whine coming from the pump and want to plan on a replacement at some point. I think that dropping the fuel tank seems like a major pain especially while only using jack stands. Has anyone else found a good solution to replacing the fuel pump? I'm okay with cutting out a portion of the trunk and patching it when I am done. Is there a good way to do this without sparks so I don't have sparks near gasoline? Are Delphi fuel pumps a decent replacement?

How loud is this whine, one is supposed to hear the pump running........when one turns the ign key to *run* you will hear the pump spin up for a moment then it stops. When the engine is running if you get under the rear of the car you will hear the pump running.

[ctaco]

1 minute ago, 55trucker said:

How loud is this whine, one is supposed to hear the pump running........when one turns the ign key to *run* you will hear the pump spin up for a moment then it stops. When the engine is running if you get under the rear of the car you will hear the pump running.

It depends on the day, but it is pretty noticeable. It doesn't get louder if I am driving or if I am sitting still. It is however loud it is until I turn the car off and then the next time I start it, it might be loud or it might quiet down some. I don't have my rear seats installed which contributes to some additional noise, but pretty sure it has gotten louder in the past couple months. 

[ctaco]

8 minutes ago, Raffaelli said:

I just dropped the tank on my Lumina a few days ago. Don’t cut a hole in the floor, it’s really not that hard, just kind of sucks to reattach the vapor lines. 
 

 In a nutshell…

 -there’s an exhaust heat shield that had to come off. 

-unplug 2 fuel lines, 3 vapor lines, the electrical connection, and two fuel fill pipes at the tank. 
-15mm bolts on the straps, and it comes down.

It took me all of 10 mins to drop the tank. I’ve replaced the tank and fuel sending unit twice (from rust damage from sitting) and a third to reseal the sending/pump unit.

 Delphi pumps are good, but buy a GM fuel sending unit gasket. Don’t use aftermarket.

Thanks for the info. That is a nice looking tank. Where did you order that from?

[Raffaelli]

2 hours ago, ctaco said:

Thanks for the info. That is a nice looking tank. Where did you order that from?

Rock auto. Somewhere around 140ish including the shipping.

[GnatGoSplat]

I've done it at least 4 times, maybe more.  I'd recommend just dropping the tank.  If the fuel pump still runs, I'd just use that to pump out the fuel to reduce the weight.

Although if it were me, I'd invest in a fuel pressure gauge to make sure the pump needs replacing.  Mine used to make loud howling sounds at half a tank and below, but it did that for over 12-years before I replaced it.

No problem to do with just jack stands.

[ctaco]

20 hours ago, Raffaelli said:

Rock auto. Somewhere around 140ish including the shipping.

Did you paint it or something? All of the ones I am seeing look like bare metal

[ctaco]

11 hours ago, GnatGoSplat said:

I've done it at least 4 times, maybe more.  I'd recommend just dropping the tank.  If the fuel pump still runs, I'd just use that to pump out the fuel to reduce the weight.

Although if it were me, I'd invest in a fuel pressure gauge to make sure the pump needs replacing.  Mine used to make loud howling sounds at half a tank and below, but it did that for over 12-years before I replaced it.

No problem to do with just jack stands.

Fuel pressure is at 45 PSI with key on and engine off. When the engine is running, it is at 32 PSI. I think that is likely meaning the fuel pump is bad, right?

[GnatGoSplat]

6 minutes ago, ctaco said:

Fuel pressure is at 45 PSI with key on and engine off. When the engine is running, it is at 32 PSI. I think that is likely meaning the fuel pump is bad, right?

That does seem a little low according to this chart:
https://charm.li/Buick/1996/Regal V6-3.8L VIN K/Repair and Diagnosis/Maintenance/Tune-up and Engine Performance Checks/Fuel Pressure/Testing and Inspection/

Looks like minimum key on engine off should be 48 and running no less than 38.  Has fuel filter been changed recently?  I never thought a filter could make that much difference, but on my Grand Prix it made a huge difference.

Also check to make sure no fuel leaking out of the vacuum port of the FPR.  If you have a small handheld vacuum pump, check to make sure it holds vacuum and no fuel comes out.  Leaky FPR can reduce fuel pressure too.  I've had to replace those on 3 W-bodies.

If all that checks out, you might have a fuel pump job in your future.

 

[ctaco]

9 minutes ago, GnatGoSplat said:

That does seem a little low according to this chart:
https://charm.li/Buick/1996/Regal V6-3.8L VIN K/Repair and Diagnosis/Maintenance/Tune-up and Engine Performance Checks/Fuel Pressure/Testing and Inspection/

Looks like minimum key on engine off should be 48 and running no less than 38.  Has fuel filter been changed recently?  I never thought a filter could make that much difference, but on my Grand Prix it made a huge difference.

Also check to make sure no fuel leaking out of the vacuum port of the FPR.  If you have a small handheld vacuum pump, check to make sure it holds vacuum and no fuel comes out.  Leaky FPR can reduce fuel pressure too.  I've had to replace those on 3 W-bodies.

If all that checks out, you might have a fuel pump job in your future.

 

Fuel filter was changed 2,000 miles ago. No fuel coming out of FPR port. I'm imagining the whine of the fuel pump and the reduction in pressure is likely indicating a fuel pump replacement. There is a chance the fuel filter is the issue, but it is a WIX filter and the old filter wasn't dumping filthy fuel out when I removed it.

[Raffaelli]

23 minutes ago, ctaco said:

Did you paint it or something? All of the ones I am seeing look like bare metal

That’s how it came. Painted grey