[Alan Lindsay]

Hi all,
ive just ordered a new combined fuel pump / fuel sender for my March 1997 built HSE 4.6, from 4wheel drive industries ( off eBay).
i was surprised how cheap it was at $158 Australian.
I hope I have not made a mistake and bought junk? I presume the original equipment unit would cost far more.
Are they difficult to install?
I recently replaced the submerged pump in my wife's Jaguar X300 XJ and it was a particularly nasty job for something that looked simple.
Al

 

[Gordo51]

The factory procedure is to remove the fuel tank which is fairly easy I believe except for disconnecting the fuel lines at the top of the tank. Not sure how difficult this is. The other option is to cut a whole in the floor behind the passenger's seat (left side of car when looking from front). Cut the carpet and underlay on three sides, about 8 inches square and fold up towards seat. You will see the metal floor is corrugated. Use an angle grinder with thin cut off disc to cut along the upper edge of the corrugation so there is no chance of cutting the tank. The cross cut has some potential to cut the tank but it is something like an inch below the metal so if you just cut through it you should be OK. Fold up towards seat. On my 98 the line connectors had a collar that you pushed back to release the pipe. These were quite rusty and I was lucky to be able to reuse them. You can turn the lock ring with large slip joint pliers or tap it around with hammer and screw driver. This is all from memory from two years ago so my apologies if I have something wrong. Good luck.

 

[Richard_G]

Don't do a hatchet job, do it properly. Dropping the tank isn't difficult and once you have lowered the front of it down you can get to the pipes very easily.

 

[RRToadHall]

Total agreement Richard. Nothing is worse that finding a bodge job by a shop or previous owner. Seriously, would you cut a hole in your kitchen floor to run the water line for an ice maker?

 

[Bolt]

Total agreement Richard. Nothing is worse that finding a bodge job by a shop or previous owner. Seriously, would you cut a hole in your kitchen floor to run the water line for an ice maker?

Well!
Cut the floor? Surely not!! Waddya take us for?
Not when duct taping said waterline to the baseboards works just fine!:dance:

When it comes to the fuel system however, I am 100% in agreement.
DO not cut a hole. It will take longer in the end, be potential source of fumes later on, and of course there is the very real chance of a spark and an unknown leak in the top of the tank causing an explosion, fire, and one less P-38......(owners are a dime a dozen)
get a floor jack with a 1 ft square of plywood or a transmission jack and lower front of the tank first, remove the hoses, then drop the whole thing onto the jack. the only tricky part is the filler neck, which is tight, but very doable. Roll it out,
Change the pump, and reverse the process to re install.

As for the low cost pump? Yes, that is very cheap......
I suspect Chinese knock off craftsmanship is at play here........It was really frustrating cruising and driving in Oz and trying to source quality parts for boat and Classic......... I was told way too many times "No one wants to pay for quality parts, so we do not carry them" Sad........
Good luck.

 

[Gordo51]

In defence I do plan to drop the tank on my 2000 but the 98 was not worth preserving. Just giving the options. Good quality fuel pumps can be purchased for less than $100USD and installed in the frame. Unless the sender is bad I would go that way.

 

[Richard_G]

Even if the car isn't worth preserving, you are risking giving yourself and passengers carbon monoxide poisoning if the hole you cut isn't sealed sufficiently. That alone should be enough to tell you cutting a hole isn't a good idea.

 

[Gordo51]

A sheet of rubber glued down with polyurethane glue will seal those narrow cuts. You also have a rubber mat and carpet over the slots. I'd worry more about the sealing rubber on the rear hatch.

 

[xrav22]

I have made a hatch and am very pleased with it. I used JB Weld to seal it up. The issue I have had is, with the aftermarket senders, I get a fuel gauge
fault when I fill her all the way. Until it gets to 3/4 it works properly. I guess if you can save the sender it is probably higher quality for sure.

 

[Bolt]

We all know that it has been done with out getting blown up and burnt down.
The spirit of this is to avoid unnecessary risk.

Can it be done? Sure.
Should it be done? No, as it is not a difficult job to drop the tank, and while it is down, to clean up and inspect the hoses, pipes, and the rest of the area thus exposed.
Some folks (Aussies and Kiwis especially) LOVE their 125mm side grinder and cutting wheels and some are skilled practitioners as well.
We all have different skill levels and experience. I happen to be very good with a cutoff wheel from 30 years hanging out Down Under.
However, I would never cut into the area above a fuel tank since there are LOTS of sparks, hot slag bits and the very real chance of accidentally cutting into a line..
(I have replaced 3 fuel pumps and had no dramas or issues.)
To each their own.
Be safe!
Cheers.

 

[Alan Lindsay]

Thanks to all for information
For what it's worth I might have bought my RR for practically nothing but after three years of virtually trouble free driving (and continuous improvement) I have no intention of cutting up the floor
But thanks for the suggestion
Al