Replacing the Fuel Pump, A How To...

I did this on my '02 XtraCab v6 while I had the bed off. I figured now was the time at 195K miles. I used an Aeromotive Stealth pump. Model #11542, with a new OEM gasket for the hatch.

Gasket, Fuel Suction 77169-04010

Aeromotive 11542

$139 Aeromotive 11542 Fuel Pump (340 Series Stealth In-Tank, Offset Inlet, Inline w/Outlet)

https://www.amazon.com/Aeromotive-11542-Stealth-Offset-Inline/dp/B012HRFKTE

Start by removing the fuel lines.



The one on the right with the weird looking fitting was kicking my ass.



I could not figure it out until my friend Zane @Speedytech7 told me it requires a special tool to get it to release.

Went to the 'Zone' and rented one of these kits.



Fitting popped right off after that.

Next step was to undo the two clips on the top of the hatch.



I always struggle with these type of clips. Until you get it apart the first time, it can some times be confusing how the things come apart. I swear, there are no two alike on my entire truck. Plus add in the 18 years of crud and grime and Moab... Well at least I got them apart without breaking them.

As you can see from this last photo, there is a lot of dirt on the hatch and on the top of the fuel tank. I used an air hose to blow off anything loose so there was no chance of anything getting into the tank after opening it up.

Next step is the remove the 8 bolts that hold the hatch to the tank. Once those are off, the entire fuel pump assembly bracket pulls straight up and out of the tank.

I think this is by far the cleanest part on my entire truck.



The old and the new. If you replace with aftermarket like I did, the original power plug will have to be swapped over to the new pump.



Also, since the Aeromotive pump is a little longer that the OEM unit, so the hard line on the bracket that feeds out through the hatch has to be shortened a little for it all to fit together correctly.

New and old pump.



I used a small pipe cutter to shorten the hard line.



I cut off about 3/8" but a 1/4" would have been plenty.



Here is how it sits after trimming.



After rewiring the power connector it was time to reinstall the new pump onto the bracket assembly.







This ended up being a fun little project. I hope this write up is helpful. Let me know if you have any questions.

All buttoned back up and ready for another 200K.

 

Well done, I liked the part where you changed the fuel pump

 

Very nice, Mike!

 

Excellent write up. I hope that the fuel line between the pump and the outlet is a submersible fuel line and not just fuel line.

 

Comes with the pump

 

Yeah, The Aeromotive kit comes with everything that is need to make the swap.

 

Is there any procedure to bleed the fuel system after opening the lines? Or do you just crank it over a few times to purge the air on first start?

Thanks!

I have my tank out right now doing some frame restoration and suspension. About ready to reinstall though. Also with that weird fuel clip, I was able to disconnect it using some small Flathead screwdrivers instead of the fancy tool kit. It'll do in a pinch, but I'd have used the proper tool if I knew I needed it before tearing into the truck.

 

I didn't do anything special. Just let it crank over til it fired. Wasn't more than 5-10 seconds of cranking.

 

In the last photo what are the 3 items showing on the top of the gas tank. The Fuel Pump is on the left. what is the part in the middle, and the one of the far right. Thanks from all of us, that haven't done this job yet.

 

The one in the middle is some sort of vent. I have no idea what the one on the right is.

 

Thanks for the info @Digiratus, truck fired right up yesterday.

My truck does not have this. It might be part of the evap system?