My 1997 1800 zeetec fuel pump seems to have stopped working, I've run a separate feed and it's dead. Problem is how do I get it out as the wood frame is in the way. I can do most things on cars but this has got me stumped. Any ideas before I get the chainsaw out.

I had a similar problem on my 1999 Zetec and went through the same thought process as you are now.

I could only see 2 ways.

One is to cut the frame above the tank and then make some brackets to bolt to back together again. However this destroys the integrity of the frame and as I also wanted to remove the fuel level sensor and check the inside of the tank, I chose the other route.

Which is to drop the tank out of the bottom by cutting the floor and then replacing it with brackets to bolt the tank up from underneath so that it becomes easily removable in future.

It's a sod of a job to do especially on your own but it is doable. I cursed an awful lot during the process.

I did consider buying a new tank and custom made bracket for the replacement but as the tank was in excellent condition, I replaced it and made my own bracket to put it back together.

If you go down the same route, I may be able to give you some tips.

Edit........ If you go down my route, I hope your tank is fairly empty because if your pump is completely dead it will be very difficult to drain the tank and dropping a full tank will be very difficult.

Are you absolutely certain the pump is dead. Have you run separate power and earth cables to test it?

First I would check that the pump is truly dead, these pumps are really very reliable and outlast the life of the car in most cases.

I don't know the ECU control system on the 4/4 as well as the +8 of the same era, but the fuel pump feed is controlled by the ECU, once up to fuel line pressure the ECU shuts off the supply. This might be an issue.

Secondly the most common problem for the fuel pump is a poor relay, which does not allow current to the pump , however with a separate feed I think we could rule this one out.

If you really do need to replace the pump I understand there are 2 methods but I only have experience of the first:-

1 Drop the whole fuel tank under the car. This is done by releasing the chassis bolts to the wooden mounting boards and then twisting each board carefully so that they can be removed, and the tank released downwards . Not an easy job for the home mechanic as you need quite a lot of clearance under the car , and the bolts holding the boards to the chassis , and the tank to the boards can be very messy to undo , and access is not easy at the best of times. You will also need to support the tank carefully as it is released.

2 I have been informed that it is possible to release the spare wheel mounting woodwork and gain access that way . As I have said I don't have any experience of this , and I can only envisage that access is going to be a major issue , and also whether the woodwork has been glued or bolted into place . I hope others who have tackled this will be along to comment soon.

Good luck

The relay is a good place to go first.

To take out the fuel tank the major problem is the wooden floor board obstructed by the axle. Using 2 ratchet locking straps between the axle and the rear telescopic MTG bar you can compress the suspension and have enough gap to take out the wooden floor and drop the tank.

Thanks for the comments I will try the separate feed again to make sure pump is faulty. I thought along the same lines as you chaps re the cutting the frame also dropping the tank but laying under the car these days is not something g I relish.

Out of interest, how would a dealer do it?

Could you leave the existing dead pump in situ (if it still allows fuel to be sucked through it) and install an in-line version spliced into the feed line? There are some really compact solid state pumps that racers use

I've got two mk1 escort rally cars that run on facet electric external pumps. I suppose it could be done but I'm thinking of going down th cutting the floor boards route. But I might change my mind and modify the frame.

I'm sure a dealer would drop the tank.