fuel pump wows

[ShadowBolt]

When I purchased the 55 Tony said he had just installed a new fuel pump. Last year after rebuilding the engine the fuel pump shorted out so I replaced the whole assembly. The 2002 is different than the older Mustangs in that it has an assembly that holds the pump, the float assembly, and the fuel pick-up with sock filter, wires and hoses. All of this snaps into a plastic base that has a metal bottom that is spotwelded to the bottom of the tank. I could not find just the pump in time for MSRC so I changed out the whole unit. You remove six scews and remove the cover (cover is also part of the assembly) on the tank and push in two tabs to release the assembly from the spotwelded in place base. Not long after installing the new pump we noticed the guage would show half a tank when it was full to the top. At TWS after twenty five minutes or so the car would fuel starve in the corners. Also it popped a fuse just prior to the green at TWS costing me a race that I'm sure would have been my first win (yeah right). We installed a new fuse and no more issues until Hallett. With all the rear axle issue we had at Halett we did not think much about the fuel pick-up problems. We made the last race (starting last) but after 20-25 minutes Jay got the fuel starvation problem so we packed up and left. Today I cut a hole in the trunk and pulled the bolts out of the cover. As soon as I removed the cover all I could see is the bottom of the tank. No fuel pump at all. I fished the pump out by the wires and the base was snapped on to it. The float was torn from the assembly and the wires to the float are all torn up. Looks like two of the spotwelds were not good from the factory and the pump assembly was working the other two welds back and forth until the metal broke. The metal is torn at the two good welds. Ever heard of such shit?


Any idea if there is an epoxy that would hold up inside a fuel tank on a easily driven race car? I don't want to even chance it unless there is an epoxy that will not fail. If not, a new tank is about $275.00.

JJ

[ShadowBolt]

How about woes instead of wows. Can't edit post and can't spell but at least I have company in that vein.

JJ

[Casey_SS]

How about woes instead of wows. Can't edit post and can't spell but at least I have company in that vein.

JJ

Jerry - you're generating too much cornering force. Add about 20 psi to all 4 tires and you should be good to go :P

Seriously though - no, I've never heard of such shit. If the tank is dry and you have adequate access, you could try JB Weld. I've used it successfully to seal up bad welds on a Canton oil pan. Not sure how it would fare being immersed in gas all the time though. If you can get epoxy in there, could you also get a welder in there, (assuming a cleaned & dried tank without danger of fire)?

[ShadowBolt]

Jerry - you're generating too much cornering force. Add about 20 psi to all 4 tires and you should be good to go :P

Seriously though - no, I've never heard of such shit. If the tank is dry and you have adequate access, you could try JB Weld. I've used it successfully to seal up bad welds on a Canton oil pan. Not sure how it would fare being immersed in gas all the time though. If you can get epoxy in there, could you also get a welder in there, (assuming a cleaned & dried tank without danger of fire)?

I guess I will just get a new tank. I found some for around $150.00. JB Weld says it can be immersed in gas and it will not fail. I would just hat to drive all the way to a race and lose the weekend because the JB Weld broke loose.

JJ

[Alien]

If you get a new tank, can you weld/reinforce that part before installing it?

[ShadowBolt]

If you get a new tank, can you weld/reinforce that part before installing it?

I guess a bead of JB Weld around it would not hurt but it looks like two of the spotwelds were not good from the factory. If all four were good I don't think this would happen. I only found one person on line that had the same issue so I hope it does not happen often.

JJ

[rpoz27]

I guess a bead of JB Weld around it would not hurt but it looks like two of the spotwelds were not good from the factory. If all four were good I don't think this would happen. I only found one person on line that had the same issue so I hope it does not happen often.

JJ

It's expensive, but the solution to your problem is the 03/04 tank and pump assembly. It will support more power than you could ever generate, carries a spare pump and has a great baffle in the tank for low fuel level use. plugs right in, bolts right in. Many years of life. Find one in a wrecked car or buy new at dealer....about $900.

[marshall_mosty]

Jerry,
I talked to the 3M tech support that covers our territory and she suggested 3M 2216. It will bond "high energy" plastic to steel in an immersed gasoline environment.

She said if the plastic is "low energy", the epoxy wouldn't hold a a quick "rap" on the table would dislodge the bond. Unfortunately the epoxy for low energy plastic is not gasoline reistant and would need a sealer coat on top. For that effort and cost, I would just replace the tank.



Best pricing I could find was about $40 for a 2oz tube of A/B.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/3mAdhesive2216.php