I just bought a 92 notchback 5.0 w/ 120k miles. When I turn the key to the on position I can hear the fuel pump kick on pressurizing the lines. However it is abnormally loud. Is this normal for these cars or is this a sign that its fixing to bite the dust? If it's about to die I would like to change it before it strands me somewhere. How involved is the task of pulling it out of the tank ( I'm guessing that its an in tank pump)? Do I have to drop the tank to get to it?
Fuel Pump Noise
- Thread starter DaSouthWon
- Start date
1991vert
10 Year Member
usually if it's getting loud, it's a sign that you should replace it before it leaves you stranded 
and yes you will have to drop the tank
and yes you will have to drop the tank
ID89GT
10 Year Member
Ya its actually pretty easy to replace one, just make sure you get the tank pretty low cause if your on the ground and doing it by yourself, its a pain in the ass to bolt back up
ShortThrow50
Member
lol. i dropped my tank last month with half a tank of gas in it. i lowered it with my floor jack and the damn thing fell off to the side spilling fuel everywhere. i lol'ed. yes i quickly dumped a **** load of water on it to dilute it
ID89GT
10 Year Member
Haha Ya I had a quarter tank in mine. Undid the last bolt and was pretty much disabled till I could finally crawl out. then I had the mishap of putting a kink in my tank strap so had a hell of a time bolting it back up because it didn't want to reach lol
Is it simply a matter of unbolting a couple of straps and lowering it to the ground? I was running all the old gas out of it before I filled it back up so its almost empty now. The guy I bought it from said that the last time he filled it up was before gas was $2 a gallon. Maybe the pump is screaming because its trying to suck molassas outta the bottom of the tank.
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 get new ones form the auto part store for just a few dollars. I have used tie-wraps, but that is not the best choice. 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/fuel gauge sender 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 fuel pump 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.
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 get new ones form the auto part store for just a few dollars. I have used tie-wraps, but that is not the best choice. 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/fuel gauge sender 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 fuel pump 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.
Similar threads
