Yesterday I pressure washed Giddyups underside to prevent as much dirt as possible from falling into my eyes as I dropped her fuel tank in order to install the new Lift Pump. I also used a swivel ratchet adapter with an extension and impact driver to loosen the tank straps, so I did NOT have to drop the hitch like others suggested I would need to do first. FYI — the hitch is only in the way for loosening the rear bolts on the tank straps, NOT at all for lowering the tank.
That said, NO ONE told me about the stupid fuel line connections!!!
I mean I knew they would be challenging, but had NO idea that I could have gotten a couple of fuel line disconnect "sleeve" tool for a few dollars, which would have saved me a TON of time.
Instead I had to stop and drink a beer just to be able to cut the can apart and make a shim that would slip in between the internal locking connectors and the fuel lines. Definitely need to triple fold the shim to make it strong enough to do what it needed to do while still being thin enough to get there. One could probably even quad fold it for better results. NOTE that after folding, the shim still needs to be at least 3/4" wide. I also "pre rolled" it around a 5/16" bolt just to make sure it would slip in around the fuel lines and contact the clips on the connector. Finally I used an open end wrench just bigger then each line to push down on the shim while still pulling the line and connector apart.
Once I figured out what I needed to do (obviously the beer helped), the larger line came apart fairly fast, but the smaller one was a real b***h !!! Not sure why Sasquatch, who makes the LP kit I was installing, doesn't offer to sell a couple cheap but properly sized fuel line disconnect tools when you order the kit…in fact, Im gonna call him on Monday and suggest that he does just that. Or at least include a free beer in the kit with instructions on how to make one from it.
After swapping out the fuel sender float from the old canister to the new one, cuz of course the 1/4" difference in arm length wouldn't calibrate the gauge correctly, and despite cutting down the orientation key/tab, the pump housing kept turning slightly on the tank as I was locking the ring down on the new o-ring…despite using grease and pressure and at one point even my wife standing on it. It took a bunch of hammering back and forth, thankfully without breaking anything or hitting my wife with the hammer, and I got it all aligned and sealed up tight.
Finally, and as I was reinstalling the old fuel lines on the new lift pump housing, I realized how loose the connections felt and that this was likely at least one of the places where air was leaking in under vacuum from the HPCR pump, which means diesel would soon be leaking out under pressure of the new lift pump!!! Rather then replace the terribly designed but nicely formed and fitted OEM hoses with new raw fuel hose and clamps (I didn't have any of one of the sizes and town is a one hour drive each way), I simply wrapped them tightly in overlapping self sealing silicone tape and then threw a few small zip ties on each one to keep the tape from unravelling over time. They're gonna be a b***h if I ever have to remove them again, but IMO for 12psi, it's gonna work fine to keep any leaks from happening. I'll do the same on the other ends just in case.
YAY for pressure washers, beer, beer cans and silicone tape!!!
That said, the various stupid complications made the whole project last more then the half day I allotted, so Im still gonna have to finish it tomorrow.
That said, NO ONE told me about the stupid fuel line connections!!!
I mean I knew they would be challenging, but had NO idea that I could have gotten a couple of fuel line disconnect "sleeve" tool for a few dollars, which would have saved me a TON of time.
Instead I had to stop and drink a beer just to be able to cut the can apart and make a shim that would slip in between the internal locking connectors and the fuel lines. Definitely need to triple fold the shim to make it strong enough to do what it needed to do while still being thin enough to get there. One could probably even quad fold it for better results. NOTE that after folding, the shim still needs to be at least 3/4" wide. I also "pre rolled" it around a 5/16" bolt just to make sure it would slip in around the fuel lines and contact the clips on the connector. Finally I used an open end wrench just bigger then each line to push down on the shim while still pulling the line and connector apart.
Once I figured out what I needed to do (obviously the beer helped), the larger line came apart fairly fast, but the smaller one was a real b***h !!! Not sure why Sasquatch, who makes the LP kit I was installing, doesn't offer to sell a couple cheap but properly sized fuel line disconnect tools when you order the kit…in fact, Im gonna call him on Monday and suggest that he does just that. Or at least include a free beer in the kit with instructions on how to make one from it.
After swapping out the fuel sender float from the old canister to the new one, cuz of course the 1/4" difference in arm length wouldn't calibrate the gauge correctly, and despite cutting down the orientation key/tab, the pump housing kept turning slightly on the tank as I was locking the ring down on the new o-ring…despite using grease and pressure and at one point even my wife standing on it. It took a bunch of hammering back and forth, thankfully without breaking anything or hitting my wife with the hammer, and I got it all aligned and sealed up tight.
Finally, and as I was reinstalling the old fuel lines on the new lift pump housing, I realized how loose the connections felt and that this was likely at least one of the places where air was leaking in under vacuum from the HPCR pump, which means diesel would soon be leaking out under pressure of the new lift pump!!! Rather then replace the terribly designed but nicely formed and fitted OEM hoses with new raw fuel hose and clamps (I didn't have any of one of the sizes and town is a one hour drive each way), I simply wrapped them tightly in overlapping self sealing silicone tape and then threw a few small zip ties on each one to keep the tape from unravelling over time. They're gonna be a b***h if I ever have to remove them again, but IMO for 12psi, it's gonna work fine to keep any leaks from happening. I'll do the same on the other ends just in case.
YAY for pressure washers, beer, beer cans and silicone tape!!!
That said, the various stupid complications made the whole project last more then the half day I allotted, so Im still gonna have to finish it tomorrow.
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