Fuel Pump Questions

[CaptainKRM]

88 Colony Park 5.0 here. Car had sat for a day and took a longer crank than normal to get fired up. I started hearing a loud electrical whine from the back of car and after circling the vehicle determined I could hear it loudest from the rear tire area. When turning the car off, the noise almost immediately vanishes - not slowly oscillating down, etc - just off. My assumption here is that the fuel pump is going bad. My question would be, would you fellows concur and what is manner by which the pump is changed? I literally just filled the car with gas so I am truly hoping the tank does not have to be dropped to do this.

[CaptainKRM]

another question - i see the pumps with the pump and parts kit VS the ones with housing and connectors. the car is rust free (rare i know) and just rolled 100k miles. how likely is it that i can get away with replacing the pump with the kit VS the whole assembly?

[BerniniCaCO3]

Position "3" is starting the car. Position 2 (lights, dash come on-- but not cranking the engine) will still turn on the fuel pump to pressurize the line. Just to be sure, try flipping to 2 without starting and see if that whine immediately starts.
But methinks you're probably right.

I like to do full jobs. I've got a '90 which had a slightly different setup, I think. The pump was independent of the level sending unit-- the sedans had an assembly. I don't know how 88 did it. If you have a spare car, one way to do it is to get 'er apart and compare to what the parts store is offering to make sure it matches up!
But I would suggest picking up a new tank for $100 if it's original, which should also come with a new lock ring and seal, AND, pick up the giant seal where the filler tube goes in (dealer can get it for $9).

[CaptainKRM]

I'd like to run the tank down before doing the job. How long is the pump going to work before it dies out completely? Loaded question I know.

[gadget73]

if the pump is suddenly noisy, thats probably not a good sign. Try changing the fuel filter though. Maybe you got a load of bad gas and the filter clogged itself up. Failing that, you can pump the tank out fairly easily if you remove the fuel filter and hotwire the pump in the self-test connector. Ground the one with 2 wires on one terminal and turn the key on. Fuel will pump out as long as the key is on. Have something there to catch the fuel obviously.

[CaptainKRM]

if the pump is suddenly noisy, thats probably not a good sign. Try changing the fuel filter though. Maybe you got a load of bad gas and the filter clogged itself up. Failing that, you can pump the tank out fairly easily if you remove the fuel filter and hotwire the pump in the self-test connector. Ground the one with 2 wires on one terminal and turn the key on. Fuel will pump out as long as the key is on. Have something there to catch the fuel obviously.

I have no desire to take the tank out myself. I've got a fairly good relationship with my local mom n pop shop and will let him have the headache and money for it. The seller of this particular box tells me it's normal for this car and has always done it. This is my fourth grand Marquis and I can't say I agree. Even my not so car savvy spouse noted it the first time we drove it. It does drive and accelerate normally.

[gadget73]

some of these have noisy pumps. If its not the original pump, that may be it also. Some of those are loud. If its always made the same noise, it may be perfectly normal. If it got louder all of a sudden, then I'd say thats a problem. Sometimes these get quiet when the pump is dying.

[CaptainKRM]

well that is both reassuring and not LOL. perhaps i will take and share a video for your viewing pleasure. i can say with certainty its not at all like the 3 panthers i owned prior.

[miamibob]

The OEM pump in my '87 was very quiet. The Carter replacement is not but has been that way from the first day. I also have VERY sensitive hearing so that doesn't help....Bobby

[pantera77]

The factory pump on my 85' is load as hell. Same thing with my old 91 Grand Marq, it too had a very noisy pump.

[1990LTD]

My fuel pump sounds like a spaceship. I want a quiet one, but this one works fine.

[Tiggie]

My wagon fuel pump way louder than a sedan as far as the fuel pump goes. Especially with the third seat area open. It's like an echo chamber!

[91waggin]

My wagon has got a pretty loud fuel pump with the cargo area seats open too.

[P72Crazy]

It's been a while since I've been on the site and glad to be back. I have dropped a ton of fuel tanks! On "Boxes". It's not that hard given a healthy respect for the dirt and rust you may encounter. I purchased an electric fuel pump and power it from my 12V jump box. A long piece of 5/16" fuel line and a couple of empty gas cans or a 2nd car and you can pump the tank dry enough to drop it in only a 10 to 15 minutes. The easy part is dropping the tank. On my boxes, four 10mm at the fuel filler neck, 2 nuts at the straps (use WD40 and an impact wrench with a long extension and 15mm deep socket). I backed up on my Rhino ramps and used a length of 2x4" wood to jack up the body a few more inches so the tank would drop out. Get a volunteer to help you hold the tank in place while you take it loose. EASY after you've done it a few times, you can drop one in 15 minutes tops.

[cld783]

like stated, noise means good on the boxes i've owned. it could be a fuel line leak elsewhere or any number of different things.