It is done. Access panel cut, fuel pump installed, all without dropping the tank or blowing ourselves up. Difficulty level is high, it's different than doing it in a coupe. I didn't like being the guinea pig on this, but it had to be done. Now we think the opti is crapping out. Damnit. Glad that is still under warranty.
Posted by BadRag (Member # 1566) on :
Any photos ??
Posted by ArcticYT95TA (Member # 1816) on :
Sorry, no pics of the swap. There are a few sites on the net that offer pictures, although they can be deceiving.
Posted by Gary 97 WS6 T/A Conv (Member # 1504) on :
How about a short write up or some problem areas to watch for? I helped a friend do his coupe and it took 2 hours start to finish but I figured the vert could take longer. Was it hard getting the carpet up?
Thanks. Posted by ArcticYT95TA (Member # 1816) on :
It isn't much different than doing it in a coupe, except for the amount of space you have to work with. Once we stripped the trunk of everything that would come out, we pulled the carpet back as far as we could. Having a few friends there to help will be a huge bonus, since one person can hold the carpet back, while someone else cuts the access panel. Mine is literally a mess, barely any straight lines. That will be fixed tomorrow, when we redo the lines, and make a cover for the hole.
Once the access panel is cut, you will find that there is some sort of support that runs behind the back seat. It is a major PITA, since it is right in the way. Once the hole is cut, undo the fuel pump from the tank. That is the easy part. Disconnecting the fuel lines is the worst part, since you cannot access them like you can in a coupe, because of that rear support. Disconnecting them alone took almost 1.5 hours. We ended up breaking the clip off of the furthest line, and replaced with one purchased from Autozone.
After the pump is back in the housing, putting it back in the tank and reconnecting the fuel lines also proved to be a major pain. It finally went back in after about an hour of coaxing.
I still had gas in the tank, so we started it...and lo and behold, it ran. Turns out my problem was a leaking water pump which ruined the opti.
If you order the Walbro 255lph pump from Summitt or any other place, some of the stuff in the kit will not work with the fuel pump. The filter they send does not come close to fitting. We ended up using the stock filter, after cleaning it really well with brake parts cleaner.
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