BMW Repair: 1990 325 Fuel Pump Replacement, phillips screws, cap screw

Question
Ok, well a freind has a 1990 325, and it seems the intank pump went out and the car wont run, and while i have alot of domestic and heavy duty diesel experience as a tech, ive never worked on a BMW before, so id like to know if you have to drop the tank to replace the pump, or is the a hidden accesss spot somewhere that doesnt require tank removal, like i know alot of the jap makers you can remove the back set and replace the pump pretty easy.

Also, i understand this car has 2 fuel pumps, should both be replaced at the same time, or not a big deal?

Thanks for the help, as it is very much appreciated.

Answer
Hi there,

If you remove the rear seat squab (the bit you sit on) and lift the insulation out of the way, you will see two round access panels secured by about ten small Phillips screws. Remove the panels to gain access to the pump/sender unit. if the car is an E30 it might only have one unit in the tank 9 on the right) or if an E36 it will have two (if it has two, the right hand side is the pump/sender the left is the second sender unit).Remember to de-pressurise the fuel system by taking out the fuel pump fuse in the engine bay and starting the car untill it runs out of fuel in the system.
To remove the pump you have to detach the two hoses and the electrical connector but while you are there you should start checking for continuity anyway. Turn the large round retaining screw anticlockwise to remove the pump and be carefull no to damage the sender/float when removing.
You can now check the pump out by seeing if the pump runs when connected live to 12V. Usually there is a break in the wires on the underside of the plastic lid where the wires join to the connector. You can't repair these connections as they are not soldered but actually are a form of spot weld. Soldering might last a few days but you will end up doing the whole thing again.
When you replace the pump, make sure you tighten the large cap/screw properly or you will lose fuel when you fill up and get the smell of petrol in the car.
This is the easiest way (and the correct one ) of getting to the pump. Removing the tank is a nightmare as most of the bolts on the tank strap will be corroded by now (as well as the straps themselves) and replacing them is not as easy as it sounds.

when replacing the pump unit fit the rubber O ring to the tank before you fit the unit back in, trying to fit the unit with the O ring on it is a pain and more hassle than it's worth.

Hope you get on okay, Let me know.

Regards

Rob