QuestionI am thinking of buying a used 91 olds bravada. The only problem is the fuel pump doesn't work. How hard/expensive is it to replace. I noticed the parts run around $75 online. Can this be done by a do-it-yourselfer?
AnswerHello Jim,
I was thinking I answered this yesterday, so sorry about the wait.
Yes, you can change it in the driveway. No special tools, except what it takes to raise the vehicle enough to drop the tank.
If it happens to be full of fuel, a floor jack and some help supporting the tank would help, or get the fuel siphoned out.
Before doing itm make sure power is getting to the pump.
There is a fuse, or fusible link, and a relay.
There is also the possibility of a loose connection.
One place I would like you to check for a connection problem, although the tank is already off to do it, is the top of the tank unit that the pump is mounted on.
The electric connector outside the tank, passes through the top of the unit with rivets, that connect to the wires inside the tank unit, and on to the pump.
Make sure those rivets are tight and making a good connection.
First time I ran into that, I had replaced the pump, and the new one acted the same intermittent way as the old, so the tank came back out. So check them.
If you want to use jumpers and operate the pump outside the tank, use a bucket of diesel fuel, not gas. This will reduce the possibility of an explosion from a spark.
But you can do it, so good luck.
Van
