Getting to replace the fuel pump on my 69 cutlass. I have never done this before but have been told that I should be able to complete the task. Any advice or concerns that anyone has please let me know. One of my main concerns is beign sure the lever is is placed correctly.

 

Its very easy, just do everything in reverse that you did to remove the old one. Make sure you clean the gasket surface of all the old gasket mat'l before reassembly. Als, plug or pinch the rubber line from your tank line to the fuel pump or you will have fuel all over the garage floor.

 

Put a bit of cam lube or assembly lube on the lever that goes inside the engine, so you won't get premature wear on it or the fuel pump eccentric on the cam.

 

Very important, as the fuel will siphon and not stop unless the line is pinched or the tank runs empty...

When you remove the bolts, not the direction of tilt on the pump body. You will need to tilt the new pump in that same direction. You can rotate the crank pulley some if the tilt is too extreme to get the bolts in.

 

Can you describe the tilt thing a little more? I cannot get the pump to go back in now because of the fact that it tilts back like that. When I was unscrewing the bolts it started to tilt back from the top(it was tilted up). So you are saying that it should tilt like that? Then how do I screw the bolts back in? I cannot get close enough to see inside very well.

 

You need to bump starter or rotate engine by hand to get eccentric on the low spot and the pump will go right on...

 

One issue that i am havign is that I cannot geta good view of whats going on in there. How do I know if it is in teh low spot? Is is possible that I would rotate it into the incorrect spot and the pump would fit in the wrong way causing damage?

My pump goes in facing up, does that change where the eccentric should touch the pump lever over or under? Hope I make some sense here.

 

Good position - pump goes right on. Bad position- pump sticks out too far to get nut and bolt on. There are no other things to worry about. Pump arm rides against eccentric not under it so do not attempt to install under. Turn engine a little at a time and keep trying.

 

I will give that a try. Thanks for your insight.

 

Hello, I know this is an old post but I'm posed with the same task as you with the fuel pump replacement and can't find any other recent post or direction on how to do it. Did you experience any other problems with alignment or inserting the pump to line up correctly? Thanks in advance.

 

Aside from what has already been covered, a mirror is a very handy item. Use it to view the eccentric on the cam and for ease of understanding the alignment when inserting the fuel pump into the engine.

 

Thank you

 

There are a fair number of YouTube videos demonstrating R&R of mechanical fuel pumps.

 

Here's a picture that should help. When the pump arm is inserted, the top of the pump body will likely be tilted away from the block due to the pump arm contacting the eccentric on the cam gear. Install the lower bolt as far as you can get it so it holds the pump in place, then lever the pump so you can get the nut started on the upper threaded stud. Tighten the nut to pull the pump into place against the block. The pump arm will compress as you tighten the nut. Go back and ensure the lower bolt it tightened properly.

 

Perfect.