dailydriver

The local dealer wants to charge me $550.00 LABOR ONLY (-a 10% AAA discount) to drop the tank and install a fuel pump.

Does this sound right, just slightly overpriced, or a lube less raping???

I do not have; a lift, anyone to help me with this, or any place to work on this without the residents here calling the cops on me (fuel involved), so doing it myself is out of the question.

I do not have a cutoff wheel tool/angle grinder and I have a problem with sparks near a fuel tank, so the trap door method is out.

They (dealer) claims that the axle has to be dropped down to get the tank out, but MANY on here have done it without touching the axle, AND the Helms manual makes NO MENTION AT ALL of dropping/moving the rear axle for this procedure, so I call BS on that.

At least I am ordering a Delphi pump module from Rock Auto (ends up being cheaper than Amazon due to discount code and NO TAX, despite paying for shipping) to save something.
This dealer wanted to charge me $775.00 for a Delco pump, which is $60.00 MORE THAN what I would pay if I walked into THEIR OWN parts dept. with NO discounts/coupons/etc. and bought it retail (let alone 3x almost ANY online price)!!!!!

trans_am7935

iTrader: (15)

if you are droping the tank to change out the pump, why not just get an upgraded unit that runs better then the stock replacement one for probobly cheaper.

Here is the full Racetronic fuel pump assembly, good for 700hp, comes with upgraded pump harness for less then a factory replacement.
http://www.ws6project.com/user_stor/...x-fuel-system/

if you insist on just replacing the pump with a stock one, this is the best stock replacement you can get:
http://www.ws6project.com/user_stor/...oducts_id=3955

AndersonsSS01

You better make sure you lube up before you pay that because you are getting f****d. Our dealership rate is around $100 an hour and for a fuel pump on an f body and the job only pays 3.1 hours with up to .3 add on. I would look at taking it somewhere else if you absolutely can't do it your self. just my $.02

OnlyACamaroCanbeAZ28

I personally would just cut the trap door, I did and man it makes everything a hell of a lot easier but i understand not everybody is comfortable with that. Thats up to you though. I would deff look into the racetronx upgrapde pump if you are replacing the pump and yes that is way overpriced for labor. I might expect 200-300 from a good mechanic which is still high but hey you are paying for someone else to do manual labor so what do you expect.$550 though, that is ridiculous

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

No need to use a cutoff wheel. Large tin snips or a nibbler will do the job, with pilot holes that can be drilled at low speed or even by hand. Just another option to consider.

FWIW, the tank is sealed for emissions purposes, so unless you are getting an EVAP code there would not be any fumes to ignite even if you used a cutoff wheel.

dailydriver

Part of the problem is that it would cost me about $150.00+ anyway to have it towed out of there to the next nearest (or performance oriented) shop (ECS) I would go to.

AAA will NOT, I repeat NOT tow your car from one repair facility to another (or even to your home) for their regular member charges (I have BEGGED and they flat out REFUSE).
They will tow for an $80.00 hookup fee and then $5.00/mile after that!

So that would have to be added onto the cost savings of another shop.

I WILL force them to show me the book to see if they are using the 3.1 hours mentioned above, or something else.

dailydriver

BTW; I do not need a Racetronix, Aeromotive, or any other crazy pump for this thing as I will NEVER, EVER have a high boost/big shot/big injector/sky high compression setup on this engine, EVER!!!
Stock pressure and volume is more than fine for me, and the Delphi (NOT AC Delco) stocker has lasted 165K miles and 14 years- it owes me NOTHING!!!

So I am going to put in another Delphi, which I KNOW FOR A FACT is made in North America, and NOT China.
I cannot say that for the Delco pump module (or; Airtex, Standard, or any other OEM type replacements out there).

Undertow74

iTrader: (45)

In all honesty then, You should just order a Delphi pump from rockauto and do it yourself. you can get a pump for probably less than $50. Yes, with a lift it is a lot easier, but it is super easy to do up on jack stands. the hardest part would be if you have the stock exhaust, you will just have to remove the muffler and pipe. Then just unbolt the filler neck, undo the one strap holding the tank up and slowly lower it down and then uplug the electrical connections up top and pull the tank out. it is mabe a 2 hour job on your back. I did my whole racetronix pump and ran the new hotwire kit and got it all up and running in less than 1.5 hours. Just my input though....

and whoever said you have to drop the axle is a idiot. Then only thing you might have to unbolt is the lower pan hard bar and that is only 2 bolts.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

I paid a race shop in Pompano Beach, FL back in 2002 to drop my tank and install my Racetronix fuel system......$200.00 labor for the complete install.

If you have a dremel, you can do it for free in an hour or so. Free. It's WAY easy. If I knew about the "Trap Door" method back then, I would have done it myself.

.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Yup, my Racetronix has been kicking *** for me since 2002. Ridiculous, amazing price for that system. They should charge double........LOL

.

_JB_

iTrader: (33)

Mine works well since about 2006, but in 2010 I found the reason why I was no longer getting fuel pressure. The Racetronic kit melted the connector going to the fuel pump.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I agree.

If you don't actually need the increased volume of an aftermarket pump setup, and don't have any plans to need it in the future, then the logevity of an OE part is often the best bet. I too have always gotten double-digit age out of stock Delphi pumps, and that's what I would stick with too for a stock/near stock car.

fruitsalad

iTrader: (5)

Take your car from the dealer, push it out on to the street a few feet away, call AAA, have it towed to shop of your choice. Seriously. It works, I've done it.

Y87bird00

iTrader: (6)

Try the trap door. All you need is a pair of tin snips. Maybe a drill to get the snips started!

Racetronix

iTrader: (2)

Factory Delphi F99 Fuel Pump Assembly
http://www.racetronix.biz/itemdesc.a...A-F99D&eq=&Tp=

jaxcam02

iTrader: (1)

tough call bro, over 500 bucks is a rip, maybe you can show them the ******* book about not having to drop the axle. They just trying to take you for a fool. If they still wont drop price and you don't want to try the trap door then you don't have much of a choice. Just make some phone calls and do what you can. Good luck bro.

dailydriver

That is cool, and THANK YOU for alerting me to that/your site, but when one adds up all of the NEW bits/pieces which already come installed with the Delphi module assembly (pressure regulator, pressure sensor, float, seal, etc.) it could come out to less than getting them individually and installing/building them into a 15+ year old frame/cup/whatever you call the module body.

I also do not trust my soldering, nor the heat shrink melt connectors IN THE TANK.

I would rather just drop a whole new module assembly into the tank, especially with the revised internal strainers which do away with the external, bottom of the module, 'sock' strainer.

dailydriver

Thank you, YOU 'get it', as this car still has the stock exhaust manifolds, and ALL emissions equipment, save for an SLP lid with the K&N breather filter stuck into the end of the A.I.R. inlet hose.

BlackLS1Bird

iTrader: (2)

I did the racetronix as well. Did it on jack stand. Was bad enough I was by myself, but I also had about a quarter tank of gas and a 9" rear to contend with. I had to remove some rear suspension components and lower the rear. The filler neck on mine was also a pain. It is a 98 so it has the steel tank with the neck hard-piped into the tank. So with the amount of tilt I could achieve without completely removing the rear forced me to bend the filler to get it out. When I finally got it reinstalled, I had to reach up behind the fender and push on the neck and bend it back into position. The next time that tank comes out, the neck is getting cut and a rectangular fuel cell is going in its place with a non-vented filler in the hatch area and a separate vent going out where the factory filler is.

Spartan7

iTrader: (7)

It does. Anyone who says they did not have to lower the axle a whole lot is talking out of their ***. I've done it 4 times by myself, on my back, with both steel (solid filler neck) and plastic (flexible filler neck) tanks. There is no way you are getting that tank out without letting the rear end droop down. However, you do not need to disconnect brake lines to do it. But it's still a pain in the ***.