Plymouth Repair: Cost of fuel pump replacement, plymouth grand voyager, fuel pressure regulator

Question
QUESTION: What should I expect to pay to have a new fuel pump put in my 1996 Plymouth Grand Voyager van.  3.8L

Thanks

ANSWER: Sorry for the delay my dad had a bypass surgery on Tuesday and I am just getting to these messages now.

Pump is 185.65 and sometimes you have to buy a new harness for 45 bucks.  
Labour pays 2.3 hours but a good technician can replace those pumps without taking the tank all the way out.  Whether or not he wants to give you a break or not is up to him though.  I use a tranny jack, remove the two tank straps and leave the filler neck connected.  YOu can drop the tank down almost 1.5 feet and take the sending unit out with a band clamp.  Its GRAVY.  I can do a caravan pump in under 30 min

W



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: What is the cost to also replace the strainer and filter?
Thanks, Bill

PS:Thank you for your quick reply!


ANSWER: Hi,

Strainer is on the end of the pump and the filter is sometimes expensive  I can't remember if its that year or not but its 96 or 97 that is 33.10.  Its a weird filter with two lines in and one line out.  It has a fuel pressure regulator inside of it that can cause no fuel pressure.  Make srue this isn't the problem.  I had one in a few months ago that we did front abs sensor on and when the customer came to pick it up it wouldnt start.  I checked for fuel pressure and there was none so I tested the pump with a scope and it was almost freewheeling.  I thought it was either out of gas or a broken pump vane or something. IT ended up being the filter that was causing NO fuel pressure.  It would bypass and send all of the fuel back tot he tank via the return line.


w


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey thanks,

Well, I got a $700 bill for fuel pump, filter, and strainer here in Connecticut.  Fair or not?

Bill

Answer
Hey Bill,

Here how it prices out at my shop:

Pump (Car Quest)  185.65
Filter (Car Quest) 33.10
Diagnosis driveability  80.00
Pump RR  1.0          80.00
Bandaids          .50
Updated Harness         46.25
_____________________________
Flat Rate Towing in town  45.00
470.50
PST/GST
536.76 Canadian (about 530.00 US)

 I priced out the AirTEX and Delphi pumps and they are 225 a pump and don't come with a strainer which is another 25 bucks.

 So it appears depending on the pump you paid 100 dollars more than my shop.  Thats not all that bad depending on how quickly you got done and how the service was.  The price can't always be found in the price tag as you know.  If you can look the guy in the eye and have a good feeling about what he is doing and he doesn't seem to be looking too hard for too much work I would say 700 is about right.  We are a high volume service intensive repair facility.  I am really bad for not charging enough sometimes because I feel guilty but they have every right in the world to charge book time on a job.  It takes time to figure out how to do things faster each time and the first time we do something we usually take longer than book time so hopefully some day it works out for us.  There is a whole other argument for the fact that a guy that is experienced would get more work because he can do things faster but unfortunately it doesn't seem to work that way.  Some (a big part of most) people out there could care a less how long it took you or even if you put it all back together. All they want is a cheap price and someone to point a finger too when the shit hits the fan.

 I wouldn't normally elaborate on this subject but I wanted to make sure you were commended. Even though you aren't a customer of mine its refreshing to see someone who wants to be aware and wants to pay a fair price for a repair.  You didn't ask "where is the cheapest place" or "did I get screwed or what".  You simple to the point question shows that you probably already got the pump replaced and just want to be able to either A: Drive around comfortably knowing that your underwear are still going to fit and B: that you received fair treatment and will probably continue to go to that repair facility.
  If you find a guy you can trust and can build a relationship with believe me it will be beneficial over time.  YOu might not see the benefits right away but I guarantee you that service technician will be looking out for you in the future and will make sure you get the very best quality miles out of your vehicle.  
 Do you really want to hear a secret about some brownie points?  Call the guy in a week and tell him you are very thankful for looking after your needs and look forward to coming back again.  Hell, you might even get a free oil change out of it. Thats usually what I do!

Wayne