89 GT Gas Tank removal

[corvetteguy]

OK. So I followed the directions and bypassed the (orange/blue) leads
of the pump relay, under the seat and went
to the back under the tank and measures 12 volts on the
orange blue wire. I made sure the ground was good by
adding another ground to the heavy black wire.
The pump is not running.....
To change it I assume I have to drop the tank.

I've got the two straps, I guess some hoses,
What about the filter?
What do I do with the gas filler neck?

Is there any good notes on dropping the tank?

Is it possible to remove the pump without dropping the tank?

Thanks
George

 

[cenok is family]

just disconnect the 2 straps, then disconnect the filler neck. one small bolt holding it in place. you don't need to disconnect the filler neck at the 3 bolts inside the gas tank filler door. when you drop the tank, just pull the filler neck out of the tank. if you can't shimmy it out, loosen the 3 bolts in the filler door, no need to take them all the way out though. just be careful when you're dropping the tank and disconnect the fuel pump and sending unit harness. then you're done! no need to mess with the filter. you CAN pull the pump with out dropping the tank but it involves a sawzaw or something of the like and hacking your hatch floor. there are some people on here that have done that, definitely makes it easier for any future fuel pump removals.

 

[maxine-70]

dropping the tank is easy. one 8mm bolt that secures the filler neck brace to the tank, and two 9/16 bolts that hold the tank straps up. put a jack with a board on it under the tank, then remove the bolts. slowly lower the jack. it wont hurt to put some wd40 around the filler neck to tank rubber seal. as the jack is lowering the tank, pull the tank toward the drivers side to pull the filler neck out of its hole. once thats out, stop the jack, and unplug the sending unit, vent tube, and pump wires/lines. then let the cak the rest of the way down.

hopefully your tank is not full, but luck always makes that not the case. if its full, prepare to spill some, its almost unavoidable.

BEFORE you turn the spinner ring and remove the pump, make sure the area is clean by blowing it off with compressed air. any dirt and rust scale will drop in the tank ifyou dont.

make sure to replace the pump strainer while youre in there. most pumps come with one, make sure. replace the filter thats mounted to the car in front of the tank too.

 

[jrichker]

Here are some useful tips...

I have done the tank removal twice, and the main issues are getting the car up on jack stands and getting the gas out of the tank. DO NOT try to do this job without jack stands. Becoming a pancake is not part of the repair process.

Some 5 gallon paint pails lined with garbage bags are good to hold the gas. The garbage bags provide a clean liner for the pails and keep the loose trash out of the gas so you can reuse it. A piece of 1/2" garden hose stuck down the filler neck will siphon all but a gallon or so of the gas.

Remove the filler neck bolts and put them in a zip bag. Disconnect the supply & return lines by removing the plastic clips from the metal tubing. If you damage the clips you can use tie-wraps as a substitute when you re-assemble them. Then you remove the two 9/16" nuts that hold the T bolts to the straps. Put the nuts in the zip bag with the filler bolts. Pull the plastic shield down and away from the tank. Once the tank drops a little bit you can disconnect the wiring for the pump & fuel quantity sender.

The pump assembly comes out by removing a large metal ring that unscrews from the tank. You are supposed to use a brass punch to tap on the ring so that you don't make sparks. Look closely at the rubber O ring gasket when you remove the sender. The pump assembly requires some twisting and turning to get it out the hole.

Look very closely at the electrical wiring. The stock wiring can overheat and melt the insulation. Mine had some really crummy plastic tubing slid over the quick disconnects. If the wires ever got together, there would be sparks inside the fuel tank and no more Mustang. I eliminated the splice in the middle of the wiring and went straight from the pump to the feed through connectors for the wiring. It required some soldering and crimping of new tabs on the wires, but it made a neater job.

Inspect the pump mount to metal tubing bracket. Mine broke and I couldn't get it to solder back together. I drilled a small hole for a machine screw & self locking nut to hold the clamp and bracket together.

The pump is easy to get off the mount but is somewhat difficult to get back it the tank without damaging the sock filter or tearing it on the tank baffle. When you install the metal ring that holds the pump in place, watch out for the gasket O ring. Some RTV may be helpful if the ring is not in excellent condition.


The tank to filler pipe seal is a large rubber grommet. Inspect it for hardening, tears and damage. At $20 from the Ford dealer, it might be a good idea to replace it.

I used a floor jack to help lift the tank back in place. You may find that it is the only time you really can make good use of a helper.