VIDEO: How to change fuel sending unit

[brownbrentm]

Thank you Hans!!!!! You are truly a gentlemen and a scholar. It may already be, but they need to pin this thread so it never gets lost. FANTASTIC!!!

[brownbrentm]

ok so it is already pinned, but it needs to be pinned in the 2000-2005 area as well. But seriously THANK YOU!!!

[Ghosthawk]

My 2004 SLE fuel gauge is going wacky like this as well, but I think if I'm going to the trouble of pulling the pump assembly out, I'm going to replace the whole smash instead of one little part. RockAuto has several replacement assemblies available from $100 to $230...that is more than $40, but with 90k miles on the car I'll make the more reliable repair if I can.

[enslow]

Nice video Hans. If you want, come over and make a video of how to change the fuel pump on a 97 Lesabre.

[Bugsi]

Same repair is applicable to the Grand Prix. That video was my guide for fixing my wife's car.
Just to add to the thanks: Thanks Hans!

[viper79]

I wonder if this will work on a 2000 Montana...

[2000Silverbullet]

Bet it would.

[Gagger14]

Hey guys, is this the correct fuel pump for an '04 GXP? Also, is it better to buy the whole fuel pump assembly or can could I get away with just buying the fuel sending unit? I've had no issues except with my fuel gauge.

http://www.am-autoparts.com/Pontiac/Bon ... 14856.html

[Bugsi]

Hey guys, is this the correct fuel pump for an '04 GXP? Also, is it better to buy the whole fuel pump assembly or can could I get away with just buying the fuel sending unit? I've had no issues except with my fuel gauge.
http://www.am-autoparts.com/Pontiac/Bon ... 14856.html

First of all, $78 is a very low price for that entire fuel pump assembly. Note that it says list price is ~$530. For $78 you can just swap the pump and be done with it. The whole point of the video tutorial is that you can buy the much cheaper harness assembly without the fuel pump, part number: 15824379, for around $38+tax at the dealer. By spending ten minutes to pop off the rotating part with the worn out metal wiper, and swapping in the same part off the harness kit, you can save over $400. It LOOKS like the pump assembly in your link is right for the vehicle you're asking about, and it LOOKS like it has the same wiper part from the sending unit harness, so if you wanted to, you could PROBABLY buy the less expensive harness and swap the rotating part with the metal wipers and be back in business. You can also just buy the $78 pump assembly and swap that in, and that should fix your problem too. It's really your choice. DISCLAIMER: I make no guarantee that the wiper part from the kit will actually fit on the fuel pump assembly shown, but it looks like it would.

It is possible to screw up the wiper part during the swap operation, although generally unlikely. If you lack mechanical aptitude, maybe spend the $78. If you want to fix your fuel gauge for the least cost, buy the less expensive harness assembly and swap over the wiper part.

Either way fixes it. It's kind of like you have a flat tire and asking if you should swap on a new tire, or if you should replace your entire wheel with a new wheel and tire assembly. Either one will have the same result, but one costs more because you're replacing a part that doesn't actually need replacing, but it might be somewhat simpler to replace the assembly that swap one part on the assembly.

Your call.

[Gagger14]

Yup, that's all I was wondering...just wanted to make sure there was no "compatibility" issues or anything like that I had to worry about. Thanks for the help.

[Bugsi]

Find out first how you access the pump/sender assembly in your car. In my `97 Bonneveille, the gas tank has to be removed to get to it. In my wife's `01 Grand Prix, it was accessible through a plate in the trunk. I think yours can be accessed by the trunk, but make sure before you get started so you avoid any surprises.

Having done the rotating part with the wiper replacement on the Grand Prix, I can tell you it was pretty easy to do. I'd recommend doing it when the gas tank is close to empty. Wear old clothes and rubber gloves, and have plenty of rags and paper towels around. Avoid any sparks or sources of open flame. If you do all those things, you'll likely be pleasantly surprised to find that you can do the whole job without getting gasoline all over the place, and the repair is pretty straightforward.

You can also see before you do the swap that the wipers on the old unit are completely trashed. They were practically worn completely off in my case.

[JMM8476]

Is this the correct part? The part number is right, I just want to make sure.
http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/results.cf ... r=15824379


My gas gauge has just started jumping around so I'm pretty sure this is my problem.

[harofreak00]

Yes that is correct.

[JMM8476]

Thank you! Ill be doing this very soon

[1oldman]

Wow! love the tutorial. I only have one more suggestion -use a DVOM before reassembly in the car to verify the new fingers work. You saved us a bunch of $$$$ - thanks - BC

[stevenmamos]

Just ordered the ACDelco part from Amazon for $26.74...being an Amazon Prime member I get free two-day shipping. Comes with the whole kit, but of course you only need the one piece. Here's the link if anyone is interested:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016H ... UTF8&psc=1

[jimmmmay]

Was the part ordered from amazon the same as needed for 2002 SLE ?

[harofreak00]

Yes

[blasian]

Worked like a charm and nowhere as complicated as it sounds. one hour start to finish. Thanks for the write up.

[Junior28]

Can someone please help me out with this. Using two junkyard fuel pumps from other cars (practice before doing it on my own car), I've tried twice now to remove the sender piece with the fingers. Both times, I broke that piece trying to hit the metal connector piece out with a T10 driver and hammer (as shown in Hans' video). On top of that, the metal connector piece didn't even budge on either one (even with spraying lubricant on it).

What am I doing wrong? Is there another way to do this?