Robert

I joined today. Often, I take my 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4x4 to remote locations. The vehicle is almost 12 years old and has 200,000 miles on it. I live in the southwest. Two years ago, I got a taste for being stranded when I my orginal alternator failed. I try to keep this jeep in tip top mechanical condition because it needs to get me back home. There is one item that I have not replaced that could fail and stop me dead in my tracks and that's the fuel pump in the tank. The dealer cost (and I would like the same factory part) for the pump assembly, fuel filter and installation is about $900. Am I living on borrowed time? Would you guys replace the pump given the age and mileage of the vehicle or do these fuel pumps last forever-lol. Thanks.

championmayday

i have a 98 with 140K and my fuelpump is starting to go out on me, i think im gonna replace it myself. i think there is a writeup on here not for sure.

TrekkerJmm

First welcome to CF from Tj in NJ, next I have 213,000 on my original pump so I figure its just one of those things that either go soon or not at all. PS my son inlaw has 232,000 on his and still has the original pump...Tj

championmayday

yea its one of those things that might die or might not. if you go alot of places that you sure wouldnt want to get stranded then i would replace it myself.

98 JeepJeep

they can also go weak and hurt performance....but if your in doubt replace it.......900 is stiff. Another reason why i want to open up a repair shop.

claygrassmann

its easy enough to do it on your own so if you do it please dont waste the money at the stealership

dangerousdavid

dropping the fuel tank is pretty easy. and changing the pump on a vehicle with that many miles is probably a good way to keep it running esspecially if you're going to a lot of places where there isn't an auto zone on every corner. its better to replace it before it breaks then to wish you did when it does break on you. where are you located? if you're close enough then i'll help you do it if needed.

kbernal1016

My xj has 337k on the body and I do believe it has the original fuel pump. I think I need to replace it because sometimes it has to crank a little bit before firing, as if the pump is taking a while to build pressure.

bishop letov

If you have money to pay $900 for that job just let me know where you live and ILl travel there to put it in for that price... LOL

I would definitely replace the pump if you have been having power issues or cranking for a bit before start up. I just replaced mine at 200k. I kept the old one just for a spare in case I hit hard on the fuel tank...(Guilty of not putting that armour in place yet) Make sure that you replace the filter, hoses going to the filter, clamps, and if you have the extra bit of money replace the fuel regulator also.

I didnt even drop my tank to replace mine. I had my tank out when I first bought my heep because of a fuel leak. Vowed that I wasnt going to drop it again unless I needed to. Wound up with about a pound of dirt and mud in my eyes and yes I was wearing safety glasses...
You can access the fuel pump and all the components relitively easily by jacking up the rear (in my case I put the floor jack under the hitch reciever) and holding the frame up with jack stands letting the rear axle droop. all you need is a Brass( Brass doesnt cause sparks like steel) punch and a hammer to get the fuel pump locking ring off. A pair of pliers, 10 mm socket (for the fuel filter mount) and wratchet , utility knife to cut the old hose off the lines and rags that you can dispose of safely.(leave rags out in sun in a safe place with no sparks to allow fuel to evaporate before disoposing of)

It takes about half an hour to get everything undone and about the same to get it all back together.. NO need to drop the tank at all.

Important thing is to have as little fuel in it as possible to keep from sloshing it around when your taking the pump out..

IMPORTANT: make sure you put the filter (commonly called the sock) back onto the bottom of the fuel pump... itll keep garbage from getting to your new fuel filter. Also make sure you buy High pressure fuel injection hose and Fuel injection hose clamps.. I cant stress enough just how important that is. Its not hard and even if you have minimun mechanical skills it can be done.

zackwilliams

my xj has about 158k and it is starting to give me problems. anyone in the colorado springs area that might be able to give me a hand?

Abovetimberline

Not sure if its right for everyone,but I got stranded once before and if it was not for the local search and rescue,I may still be there. I decided that would not happen again,i spent about 6 months putting together a box of spare parts,that includes everything from fuel pump,alt,starter,everything except engine and trany,maybe a bit much but i will not get stranded again. Everything came from the local junk yard. If all fails I bought a satellite phone.

weebur

There is a factory recall on the fuel sending units for being inaccurate. Call a Jeep dealer with your VIN and see if it was performed on yours. If not they will pay to replace it. That would be a good time to replace the pressure regulator/filter/pump.

The minimun that I would do with that kind of mileage is to pick up a bone yard pump (for an emergency) and replace the pressure regulator/filter with a new unit ($130 at NAPA). The reg/filter replacement is a 1 minute job once the tank is down. I would also undo the nuts that hold the straps, replace them with new ones and slobber anti-seize all over the treaded rods (so you can get them off in the boonies). Make sure your near empty tank is supported before you remove the nuts...both of my threaded rods broke while trying to undo them. The rods are specialty items and probably hard to find outside of a dealer...it might be a good idea to just go ahead and replace the rods. I'd also replace all four hose clamps that secure the vent and filler tubes. I had to break two of the four clamps to get my hoses disconnected.

$900 seems crazy, but then I recently called three Jeep dealers for a price on one 36mm front axle nut...$34.20. I found the nut/retainer/washer/cotter pin kit for $9.