First off, go to the Ford dealer and get a new Fuel Filler Neck Gasket/ Seal ($30 at the dealership). It will look like a rubber doughnut. Get your car jacked up as high as you can and put it on jack stands. Then disconnect the negative battery cable.
1) Open the fuel filler door and remove the 3 screws/ bolts that hold the filler neck into the door.
2) Pop the trunk and take off the right side trunk cover. You'll then be able to see the filler neck.
3) Once the 3 bolts are removed from behind that fuel door, it's time to get to the real work. Grab a 1/2 inch socket and a few extensions, and crawl under the car. You will loosen the drivers side strap at the front of the car. For the passenger side, there is a bolt at the front and the back. I just loosened the back bolt, and then the front. Once you break them loose, you'll want to get your jack ready and put the board on it. You can jack up the tank just a bit to take the weight off the straps. Then you can go ahead and remove the bolts on the front of the straps, and they will come off. The drivers side strap is hinged and will bend to the back of the car, and the passneger side will rotate around. You'll figure it out. Now your tank is ready to drop.
4) This is where a partner comes in handy. I had my gf slowly lower the jack while I guided the tank down. It will drop almost all the way. The filler neck goes into the side of the tank. I dropped the tank quite a bit, then was able to push the tank and pull the filler neck out of the tank (if you have over a 1/2 tank of gas, some will spill out).
5) Once you pop the filler neck out of the tank, you can lower the tank all the way on the ground The fuel lines on top have plenty of room to get it lowered; you can set the tank on the ground and not have to worry about pulling them or anything. Once it's dropped, use your fuel line disconnect tool and pop off the lines. They were a little stubborn for me, but I hit the inside with a bit of WD40 and was able to work them right out. There is a line toward the front of the tank- it's just a vent tube and it will slip right off. The last thing you need to do is unhook one electrical connection by the rear bumper. Once you unhook that connection, slide the tank out from under the car.
6) Now you will want to take a screwdriver and a shop-vac, and clean the top of the pump assembly as good as you possibly can. You don't want none of that crap falling into your tank. Once you're satisfied, take a screwdriver and a hammer and tap the lock ring on top counter-clockwise until it pops loose. If you've never done a fuel pump before, you'll have to take a good look at it to see how it works. A little WD40 does the trick here, too.
7) Once the lock ring is off, the pump assembly will slide right out the top. Just be careful not to knock any of that gunk into the tank. When you get the pump assembly out, replacing it is really straightforward. Follow the instructions in the kit, but basically you take off 4 little screws that hold the bracket on, remove one electrical connection and one hose clamp, and pull off the old pump. Then just put your new one on. My g/f did this part for me, so you should be able to figure it out too.
8) Now you have to drop the assembly back into the tank. The trick here is to pull out the rubber gasket on the side of the tank that the filler neck goes into (the one that I told you to buy because it WILL rip when you pull out the filler neck anyway). With the gasket out, you will be able to see inside the tank, and you can guide the pump assembly back into place.
9) Now put on your lock-ring again. Make sure you spin it all the way on, else it might fall off when you reinstall the tank (ask me how I know ).
10) Install is reverse of removal. First, put a bit of motor oil on your new gasket and pop it into place. Then slide the tank under. Hook up the fuel lines (they just snap right together) and the electrical connection. Then turn reconnect your negative battery cable and turn your key to the "On" position, and listen for the pump, just to make sure it's working right.
11) This next part was tricky for me... I got under the tank and just pushed it up into place, then started the strap bolts. Once they were threaded, I was able to push the filler neck back into the tank.
12) The last thing you need to do is try to line up the filler neck with the 3 holes behind the fuel door. Go through the trunk, and grab the neck and you will be able to line up the holes. I had to get a little rough with mine, but if the holes don't line up just grab the fill tube and twist the damn thing into place. Then your screws will line up. Put your trunk back together and you'll be set Before you lower your car back down, spray the gas tank cover with tire shine, then take it for a test drive
1) Open the fuel filler door and remove the 3 screws/ bolts that hold the filler neck into the door.
2) Pop the trunk and take off the right side trunk cover. You'll then be able to see the filler neck.
3) Once the 3 bolts are removed from behind that fuel door, it's time to get to the real work. Grab a 1/2 inch socket and a few extensions, and crawl under the car. You will loosen the drivers side strap at the front of the car. For the passenger side, there is a bolt at the front and the back. I just loosened the back bolt, and then the front. Once you break them loose, you'll want to get your jack ready and put the board on it. You can jack up the tank just a bit to take the weight off the straps. Then you can go ahead and remove the bolts on the front of the straps, and they will come off. The drivers side strap is hinged and will bend to the back of the car, and the passneger side will rotate around. You'll figure it out. Now your tank is ready to drop.
4) This is where a partner comes in handy. I had my gf slowly lower the jack while I guided the tank down. It will drop almost all the way. The filler neck goes into the side of the tank. I dropped the tank quite a bit, then was able to push the tank and pull the filler neck out of the tank (if you have over a 1/2 tank of gas, some will spill out).
5) Once you pop the filler neck out of the tank, you can lower the tank all the way on the ground The fuel lines on top have plenty of room to get it lowered; you can set the tank on the ground and not have to worry about pulling them or anything. Once it's dropped, use your fuel line disconnect tool and pop off the lines. They were a little stubborn for me, but I hit the inside with a bit of WD40 and was able to work them right out. There is a line toward the front of the tank- it's just a vent tube and it will slip right off. The last thing you need to do is unhook one electrical connection by the rear bumper. Once you unhook that connection, slide the tank out from under the car.
6) Now you will want to take a screwdriver and a shop-vac, and clean the top of the pump assembly as good as you possibly can. You don't want none of that crap falling into your tank. Once you're satisfied, take a screwdriver and a hammer and tap the lock ring on top counter-clockwise until it pops loose. If you've never done a fuel pump before, you'll have to take a good look at it to see how it works. A little WD40 does the trick here, too.
7) Once the lock ring is off, the pump assembly will slide right out the top. Just be careful not to knock any of that gunk into the tank. When you get the pump assembly out, replacing it is really straightforward. Follow the instructions in the kit, but basically you take off 4 little screws that hold the bracket on, remove one electrical connection and one hose clamp, and pull off the old pump. Then just put your new one on. My g/f did this part for me, so you should be able to figure it out too.
8) Now you have to drop the assembly back into the tank. The trick here is to pull out the rubber gasket on the side of the tank that the filler neck goes into (the one that I told you to buy because it WILL rip when you pull out the filler neck anyway). With the gasket out, you will be able to see inside the tank, and you can guide the pump assembly back into place.
9) Now put on your lock-ring again. Make sure you spin it all the way on, else it might fall off when you reinstall the tank (ask me how I know ).
10) Install is reverse of removal. First, put a bit of motor oil on your new gasket and pop it into place. Then slide the tank under. Hook up the fuel lines (they just snap right together) and the electrical connection. Then turn reconnect your negative battery cable and turn your key to the "On" position, and listen for the pump, just to make sure it's working right.
11) This next part was tricky for me... I got under the tank and just pushed it up into place, then started the strap bolts. Once they were threaded, I was able to push the filler neck back into the tank.
12) The last thing you need to do is try to line up the filler neck with the 3 holes behind the fuel door. Go through the trunk, and grab the neck and you will be able to line up the holes. I had to get a little rough with mine, but if the holes don't line up just grab the fill tube and twist the damn thing into place. Then your screws will line up. Put your trunk back together and you'll be set Before you lower your car back down, spray the gas tank cover with tire shine, then take it for a test drive
