Discovery I Fuel Pump Removal / Fix
#1
12-06-2009, 08:24 AM
Discovery I Fuel Pump Removal / Fix
Well the 97 Disco I have been working on had a malfunctioning fuel gauge...
It was a bad wire on the sending unit. This was the fix.
I would ensure you have less than 3/4 of a tank.
1. Remove the rear carpet and insulation pad.
2. Locate the fuel pump cover plate.
3. If the screw heads are rusted or stripped beyond repair, use an 11/64mm /4.4mm titanium nitride coated, split point, high speed steel bit and drill the heads until they break off. Don't drill further. (Make sure to use some oil to keep the bit lubed and go slowly)
4. Use a flat head screw driver and pry off the cover plate.
5. Use pliers and remove the rest of the screws turning them counter-clockwise.
Clean off the ring, and as much as you can to prevent ingress of debris into the fuel. This pic is of it AFTER it was cleaned. I also cleaned off the retaining ring. Use a vacuum!! (I don't have one suitable)
6. Spray liquid wrench onto the 12-13 notches on the retaining ring to lube the ring. (You will see the fluid seep into the notches.
7. Remove the wire harnesses.
8. To remove the "fuel out" line, push on the white plastic tab towards the line as depicted below. Then pull the line away far enough to clear the tube.
9. Then remove the fuel return line in the same fashion.
10. Take a flat head screw driver and position it against a notch as depicted below. Lightly hammer the screw driver until the retaining ring starts to turn. Repeat on the next notch until you can remove ring by hand.
11. Remove the ring. Notice below that the fuel pump can only be installed one way allowing to sit properly. Take not of this for re-installation.
12. Remove the ring
13. Carefully remove the fuel pump assembly pulling only straight up at this point.
14. In order for the assembly to come out you need to turn it to the right so that the leveling arm comes out without bending or breaking. Fuel will be spilled as some it contained in the lower part of the housing.
This is what 3/4 of a fuel looks like.
15. Upon inspection it was found that the sending unit wire was broken
it should look like this
16. I re-soldered and heat shrunk the wire. Don't use an open flame (for obvious reasons)
17. Clean all mating surfaces and reinstall in reverse order of removal.
18. Install the cover plate with new hardware.
It was a bad wire on the sending unit. This was the fix.
I would ensure you have less than 3/4 of a tank.
1. Remove the rear carpet and insulation pad.
2. Locate the fuel pump cover plate.
3. If the screw heads are rusted or stripped beyond repair, use an 11/64mm /4.4mm titanium nitride coated, split point, high speed steel bit and drill the heads until they break off. Don't drill further. (Make sure to use some oil to keep the bit lubed and go slowly)
4. Use a flat head screw driver and pry off the cover plate.
5. Use pliers and remove the rest of the screws turning them counter-clockwise.
Clean off the ring, and as much as you can to prevent ingress of debris into the fuel. This pic is of it AFTER it was cleaned. I also cleaned off the retaining ring. Use a vacuum!! (I don't have one suitable)
6. Spray liquid wrench onto the 12-13 notches on the retaining ring to lube the ring. (You will see the fluid seep into the notches.
7. Remove the wire harnesses.
8. To remove the "fuel out" line, push on the white plastic tab towards the line as depicted below. Then pull the line away far enough to clear the tube.
9. Then remove the fuel return line in the same fashion.
10. Take a flat head screw driver and position it against a notch as depicted below. Lightly hammer the screw driver until the retaining ring starts to turn. Repeat on the next notch until you can remove ring by hand.
11. Remove the ring. Notice below that the fuel pump can only be installed one way allowing to sit properly. Take not of this for re-installation.
12. Remove the ring
13. Carefully remove the fuel pump assembly pulling only straight up at this point.
14. In order for the assembly to come out you need to turn it to the right so that the leveling arm comes out without bending or breaking. Fuel will be spilled as some it contained in the lower part of the housing.
This is what 3/4 of a fuel looks like.
15. Upon inspection it was found that the sending unit wire was broken
it should look like this
16. I re-soldered and heat shrunk the wire. Don't use an open flame (for obvious reasons)
17. Clean all mating surfaces and reinstall in reverse order of removal.
18. Install the cover plate with new hardware.
Last edited by jycsalas; 12-06-2009 at 08:29 AM.
The following users liked this post:
tkomm (05-07-2017)
#2
12-06-2009, 08:25 AM
#3
12-06-2009, 10:02 AM
Administrator
#4
12-07-2009, 01:00 PM
#6
12-07-2009, 01:27 PM
I have no idea. I would assume that with proper grade fuel and keeping up with filter changes and not running out of gas to starve the pump then it can last a good while.
This fuel pump looks like the original one. It has 130k miles.
#7
12-07-2009, 01:46 PM
#8
12-07-2009, 01:56 PM
Pro Wrench
FANTASTIC write up !!!!!! I'm going to need to do this soon I believe, and even though I had a general idea, it's so much nicer to have it spelled out , you know more of what to expect. The manuals always assume that everything comes apart easy and there will be no complications. There's no replacement for experience, thanks !
#9
12-07-2009, 02:02 PM
Baja
#10
12-07-2009, 02:03 PM
The cover plate screws and the retaining ring is the hardest thing to remove.