No you can get it out with the tank still attached.

 

My fuel pump would hum louder and louder the more I drove and as it warmed up. I made the mistake of replacing it with an Airtex ($102). Right off the bat, this one is doing the same thing, only louder. Also the fuel gauge only reads 3/4 when the tank is full. Oreilys said they would take it back but I am unable to find a bosch fuel pump assembly (pump,sending unit and screen). I found a Spectra pump assembly for $169. Is Spectra any good? Does anyone have advice on where to get a non-airtex brand fuel pump assembly for a decent price?

 

I took the Airtex pump back and spent the extra $67 for the Spectra pump and guess what? Still humming! It starts to hums when you've been driving for about 15+ miles or the car is good and warmed up. Then is starts to gradually get louder. It is a lot louder when you are not accelerating. I find it hard to believe that I just have 3 bad pumps. Something else must be causing the problem.
When I installed the pumps, the longest stem that reaches down to the bottom of the tank (fuel return?) seem to be hitting the bottom of the tank making it hard to line up the seal and lock ring. It was I tight fit but it finally went in. I am wondering if this pump line resting so tight on the tank floor could be causing vibration or a flow restriction?
I already replaced the fuel filter with the first pump I tried. What else can I do?

 

yea i too bought the spectra and it was hitting the bottom of the tank too,thus having a hard time pushing it in and lining it up for the lock ring. i got it in and it wouldnt run and screwed up the sending unit for the gauge.i had a little over a quarter of a tank of gas in it and it read e with the low fuel light on. that hole is a hair bigger then the pump assembly,so its easy to screw stuff up. when i took my old one out,it didnt have the screen on the bottom or that plastic plug thingy on the bottom of the return line. so i dont know if the previous owner took them off or they fell off and in the tank. i had to put the old one back in and of course i messed up the sending unit and now the gauge shows half a tank or less. i wanted a new one because the old one is humming and pretty loud at times and leaking on the outside of the return line,i mean leaking thru to the outside of the return line. maybe get a good assembly from junk yard? and buy a new pump and switch it over? anyways rockauto got it back on friday and im still waiting for my money back.

 

Both the Airtex and the Spectra actually worked great once I got them installed. They both delivered the fuel properly with no leaks and the fuel gauge worked well on both. The only problem I keep having is the humming when they warm up. I just want to know what is causing the humming. It is driving me nuts!

 

I am still trying to resolve this humming fuel pump issue. I was looking at the specs for the spectra pump today and noticed that it is for a 20 gallon tank. When I fill up I never get more than 13-15 gallons in my tank. Could this be why it was so tight fitting it in and why its humming? The pump is actually functioning correctly and the gauge is accurate. Any advice would be helpful. It sounds like I am constantly being followed by I swarm of angry hornets!!!

 

I replaced mine with an Airtex pump when the oem bosch died. It made noise for about 2 months so I cleaned my tank and the sound went away. I pulled the pump out, strainer was good and clean. I Reached inside the the tank and found a very fine mud/rust. What was happening was that under certain conditions, that rust would stop up the strainer causing pump noise(cavitation). I also found that it would quit making noise if I cut the key off for about 2 seconds and then back on, the noise would stop for a while. The rust would fall off the strainer and back to the bottom of the tank. In an attempt to keep this problem from returning, I stuck a trans pan magnet inside the fuel pickup tray(where it wouldn't mess with the pump or float) and I have not heard a noise in 4 months.
Has anyone replaced the tank and fuel pump at the same time and had any issues? And If you have a stick, and the pump is loud try cutting the engine while rolling in gear (it won't blow up your muffler because the key cuts the pump and injectors off) and back on quickly and see if the noise stops for a little while..

 

Also there is a metal standoff on the bottom of the tank with a rubber bushing in it. If you don't seat the return line in the bushing, it WILL make noise.

 

I never knew about the stand off. I guess its possible mine may not be lined up.
Whats the scoop on the trans pan magnet? Will any magnet work and how do you install it?
If I'm gonna pull that thing off for the third time I might as well clean out the tank really good. I did notice some of that "mud rust" on the first fuel pump and filter I replaced. Does any one know the best method for cleaning out a fuel tank?

 

I found the standoff when I dropped the tank the first time. As far as a magnet, an old speaker, motor, broken CB antenna base would be good places to look. I dropped my tank, removed the sending unit and put the magnet at the driver's side rear of the fuel tray to keep it away from the float. As far as cleaning the tank, a radiator shop can do it better than we can at home. How I did it I took my shop vac set to blow, removed sending unit, both evap vents and the fill hoses, blew air into it for about 5 hours to completly dry it out, gently dropped the tank a few times and beat on it. Then (I DO NOT RECOMEND THIS FOR SAFTY REASONS and I have a longer vac hose than most!!!!) I sucked the rust out with the shop vac. My best advice is to have it cleaned by a shop equipped to do so or replace the tank.

 

I forgot to mention that chances are that rubber bushing will be rotted out from years of ethanol blended fuel. Mine came out as chunks.

 

you talking about that plastic fitting on the end of the return line,sitting in a bushing in the tank?

 

No. The part "hitting the bottom of the tank" in the above picture is the rubber bushing. The bushing is supposed to sit in a metal holder in the bottom of the tank (I called that the standoff). The tube it's on is the return line. I took a screwdriver and busted up the old bushing inside my tank and it came out more or less as powdery chunks.

 

great mines probably still in there then. i sure cant get inside my tank.

 

I am a liar. My stupid airtex fuel pump started making noise again today. So please disregard anything i talked about other than the bushing. I'm going to adapt a ford frame mount inline fuel pump for an 91 F-150 and just make a fookin pickup strainer to replace the in tank POS trouble maker. I am done with the noise and the bucking and stalling. If it ever comes time to do another pump, 2 lines, 3 bolts and one plug. it's like a 15 minute side of the road type job.