The Walbro GSS317 fuel pump outflows the stock 2G pump, and is a DIRECT bolt-in, requiring no mods whatsoever. This VFAQ is more about getting the assembly out of the car than the actual install, since the install of the pump in the assembly is so simple.
Here we go, a Fuel Pump VFAQ for second generation FWD DSMs
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In case you have never seen a flare fitting wrench, this is what one looks like. You will need a 14mm and 19mm (can substitute 3/4") for this job. |
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First, make sure you are below 3/4 tank, preferably 1/2 tank, or you may have a LOT of fuel everywhere when you open up the tank. Next, pull the rear seat bottom. Here is a shot of me pulling the seat release. NOTE that unlike the first gens, that have the latch on the seat, the 2Gs have the latch on the car. So pull the latches, and then lift up on the seat to remove it. |
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Here is the rear seat area. The cover to the right covers the fuel sending unit on FWDs, which have the sending unit separate from the pump assembly. The cover on the left is the one we are interested in. |
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Here is the cover partway off, after removing the four screws for the cover and the one screw holding down the wiring harness. |
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Here is the fuel pump assembly, after disconnecting the harness from the assembly, and pulling the harness plug loose from the body, allowing you to push the harness and cover out of the way. Note that the nuts holding the assembly down seem to be 5/16" for some reason, rather than metric. The top line is a vent line, the bottom line is the pump outlet line. NOTE that the nut on the pump outlet line IS brazed to the line, it does NOT rotate. If you try to rotate it, you can break the line off of the assembly, and will have to buy a new assembly at that point ($$$). |
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Here is the assembly with the vent line pulled off. At this point, open the gas cap on the tank to vent pressure, then start the car. It should die almost immediately, within a couple seconds at the most. Try to start it a couple more times, to bleed as much fuel out of the feed line as possible. You can then TRY to remove the top fuel feed fitting, by placing a 19mm line fitting wrench on the left side of the fitting, and rotating it while placing a 14mm line fitting wrench on the right side of the fitting, while not letting the right side of the fitting rotate AT ALL. If you can't crack it loose (most don't come loose), no problem, we have a way around that. |
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This is the bottom fuel feed line fitting. Jack the car up, and look next to the tank where there are a ton of lines - this large rubber one is the one you want. It also uses 14 and 19mm line fitting wrenches. |
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Place a towel on the ground under the fitting (Trust me on this). Place the line fitting wrenches on the fittings in such a way that just a little space separates them, and so squeezing them together twists the fittings counterclockwise. Then just squeeze the wrenches together, and they should crack loose pretty easily. Then step back and wait for quite a bit of gas to leak out of the line onto the towel. |
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Here is the fitting disconnected. |
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Now comes the scary part - get some tin snips, and cut the rear seat floor above the feed line (don't worry, it isn't structural, it won't hurt anything, and will make your job a LOT easier). Cut in about 1 1/2". |
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Peel the sheet metal up and to the side from the cut. Then lift the fuel pump assembly a little, and move it towards the driver's side of the car. Once you see the rubber part of the line, push down on it (to avoid the cut sheetmetal), and... |
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lift the assembly out of the car. |
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Here is the assembly out of the car. |
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Here is the FWD pump assembly (left) next to an AWD assembly (right). Note that the AWD assembly includes the sender unit, while the FWD does not. Note also that the FWD assembly bolts down like the 1G AWD assembly, while the 2G AWD assembly uses a screw-on ring to hold it down. |
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Here is the bottom bracket that holds the pump in the assembly. Grab that screw with a pliers or visegrips, and crack it loose FIRST, then loosen with a Philips screwdriver, or you may strip the screw. Pull the bottom bracket off. |
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Disconnect the electrical plug for the pump on the assembly. |
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Lift straight up on the pump while twisting slightly. DO NOT pull to either side, or you may end up with a pump that looks like the bottom one - NOT GOOD. Once the pump is out of the assembly, disconnect the wiring harness from it. |
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Here is the pump out of the assembly. The pink lines separate the various sealing parts that you MUST NOT lose, you will need one of them on the new pump, and will want to save the others with the stock pump. For lack of better terms, the white (left) piece is the "cap", the middle piece is the O-ring, and the black (right) piece is the "spacer". Very carefully rock the cap off (carefully, you do NOT want to crack it), then pull the O-ring and spacer off. Transfer the spacer to the new pump, keep the old O-ring and cap with the stock pump. |
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This is the bottom view of the stock pump. Carefully rock that metal clip off of the post to remove the filter to make storing the stock pump easier (the Walbro kit comes with the filter. The kit for this VFAQ was missing the metal clip, but that was a fluke, the kits DO contain them). Use the new clip to secure the new filter to the new pump. |
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Using a nutdriver to push the metal clip onto the new pump - this works better than using a pliers, but if you don't have a nutdriver, just push it down with a socket, or a pair of pliers with the jaws slightly open. |
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The new pump with the harness attached, ready to go back in the assembly. |
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Here is the new pump in the assembly. Be careful when putting the pump up into the fuel feed line - the rubber O-ring should be lubed with some grease, oil, or spit (hey, it works) so that the O-ring slips easily into the feed line. If it does not, the O-ring can kink or tear, and the car will be hard to start after sitting a few minutes, as the kinked/torn O-ring will allow the fuel to bleed out of the feed lines. The symptom will be that the car will take several seconds to start after sitting more than a minute or 2, but starts right up if you turn it off and then immediately start it back up. |
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After the assembly is back in the car, the fuel lines are connected, and you have started the car and verified there are no leaks, fold the cut sheetmetal back down with a hammer, by gently tapping it. |
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The pump in, the sheetmetal pushed back in place, ready to bolt the assembly in, plug the harness back in, bolt on the floor cover, put the seat back in, and GO. |
A graph comparing the flow of the stock pump to the Walbro DSM pumps is here. |
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A note from Gino Valic in the Talon Digest: |
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