Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:38:17 -0500
Reply-To: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Fuel pump folly (little Vanagon content)
In-Reply-To: <010a01ce429a$18d43400$4a7c9c00$@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
That is a good point about the accessibility of vanagon stuff. I shudder to
think about working on some of the cars I see.
Speaking of inaccessibility, ever try changing a master cylinder on a
Renault Dauphine (of course you haven't, you wouldn't be stupid enough to
own one). Well I am not proud to admit it, but I figured out where it was
located and cut an access hole with a cold chisel and did the job from
inside the "boot."
Merdre! C'est la guerre.
Jim
On Fri, Apr 26, 2013 at 11:21 AM, Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com>wrote:
> 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
>
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