Date:         Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:21:23 -0700
Reply-To:     Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Fuel pump folly (little Vanagon content)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Been a bad month for my cars.  First the fuel pump died on my '03 Ranger.  I
had plenty of warning for about a year, but you know how it goes.  Since
it's been cold and wet here I had AAA tow it to one of their recommended
shops figuring maybe a $200-$300 repair.  Next day I get an estimate of $900
for a new fuel pump!!!  Paid them $105 to tell me what I already knew and
had AAA tow it home where it sat for a couple of weeks while I waited for
the weather to improve, and that's when the new Vanagon heat valve started
leaking.  So, the breakdown was fortuitous, since I likely would have been
on a trip when it leaked later.



The truck conked out in the Lowe's parking lot about a mile from home too,
so I guess I still have pretty good "Carma."  Oh yeah, I killed the trucks
original 10 year old battery trying to start the car (beat another dead
horse), so there's another $100.  I've got to get over this compulsion to
wait until something breaks before I fix it.



Went to NAPA and bought a Bosch replacement pump for $98 (Rock Auto had the
same pump for $64 but I was in a hurry).  I opted to remove the bed with my
engine hoist to replace the pump since the tank had a lot of gas in it, and
dropping the tank would be difficult without a lift in any case.  About two
hours later I torqued down the bed bolts and patted myself on the back for
saving $700.  Of course, if I had just towed it home and ordered the pump
from Rock Auto I'd have saved $835.  As I was putting my tools away I
noticed a hose clamp on the ground and quickly realized I had forgotten to
hook the filler pipe back up, the last step in installing the bed!  I'd have
figured that out sooner or later, and hopefully not while wearing my dress
shoes.



Turns out the fuel pump is in an assembly bigger than a shoe box with the
sender, back pressure valve, venting, etc. and Ford only sells the whole
thing for $350. Tax to get to $900 is $82, so the labor on that repair was
$468 at an independent shop.  Yikes.



The Vanagon fuel pump takes about 15 minutes to replace!  Inaccessible
in-tank pumps are a really dumb idea.  The assembly did have
quick-disconnect connectors for the hoses though, which was the only easy
part of the job.



BTW, I live in a DIYer's paradise!  Both Lowes and HD one mile, NAPA 2
miles, O'Rielly 1 mile, Sears tools 2 miles (on the way to NAPA), Harbor
Freight, 5 miles.  I got to buy a new tool for my collection too, a Torx
T-50 bit for the bed, and only NAPA had one.  Life is good in the big city,
but I still order 95% of my parts online.



Have a great weekend, and I won't be under my cars (I hope)!



Stuart

Seattle