I'm ashamed to be a tech...

[TheRobSJ]

But I just had someone else work on my car. TWICE in the last month!

The shop I work at now has a horrific driveway approach to get in the shop. I run the risk of not only just ripping the front spoiler off and grinding up the lower frame support, but also high centering the car. So when I needed an oil change last month, I chose to get it at the only other place I could even possibly trust...the dealer.

And just last week, I'm on my way to the gas station since the low fuel warning is on, and the engine dies. Won't resart. Oh great. I ran it out of fuel I think. So I push it the last block to the station and fill it up. 18.0 gallons it takes. Oh yeah, must've been out of gas. But oh...still doesn't start. Well, it tries. It barely runs. Maybe 2-300 RPM, for a few seconds then dies. I check the shraeder valve on the fuel rail for pressure. Fuel squirts out. OK. Must be something else. I try several more times to start it but nothing. Check the valve again, but hardly any fuel comes out. Oh. OK then. Comtemplate where I should tow the car to. Decide that my shop is ill equiped to be able to do the job. So back to the dealer. Sigh.

I remember from working on the Cadillac XLR, that dropping the fuel tanks was quite the ordeal. An ordeal that involves a helluva lot more special tools than my shop has. I believe labor book time is 11 hours or so. I looked up book time to do a fuel pump on my car. And it's only 2 hours. Oh crap. Could I have done this myself after all?

c4c5, what's required to do the left side fuel pump? I have the FFS system, so I figured the setup is very similar to the C6 and XLR. And I figured based on the XLR, there's no way I could have done it without dropping the rear subframe. Did I just make a $500 mistake?

Actually, since I only had to pay $500, I guess it wasn't too bad. The dealer did a sort of "goodwill" repair and had me pay a $500 deductable and they ate the rest. The list price of the fuel pump itself was over that already. Though I could've got a Delco pump at my cost for half that.

[irfgt]

Does the Shop you now work at not have any Repair amnuals or AllData or something for reference? How can any automotive repair service get by with no reference material?

[TheRobSJ]

I have AllData. Which is a far cry from the Service Information system that GM techs get to use. AllData takes what they think are the important words and illustrations from the factory service manuals and throws out the rest.

I'm asking c4c5specialist how he's done the job since I'm sure he knows the easiest and quickest way. Based on my experience with the XLR, the whole rear suspension and transaxle have to come out of the car to drop the tanks. But I've heard of guys being able to do it without all that. From the looks of the book time and a very summarized repair procedure (which I got from AllData) on my car, I'm thinking I shoulda done this one myself somehow.

[aquaholic]

hey rob, its called getting old. i told the wife a year ago, if the problem is under the car and it requires me to be under there for more than about 15 minutes, then it goes to my friends shop since he has a few lifts and can work on it high in the air. get used to it.

[c4c5specialist]

Hey Rob,
Well, usually XLR or Corvette with an automatic is much more difficult. The size of the transmission creates all sorts of headaches.
Mufflers should be removed.
Then, if you have the six speed, you can get up in the gap between the frame rails and the transmission and disconnect the crossover, which is a NIGHTMARE to connect and disconnect.
Thats why the special rubber lubricant is so important, as it allows the orings to seat very easily and line up inside the crossover.
As for the rest, once the tank comes down, its straightforward.
If you have an automatic, the transmission/driveline needs to be at the very least LOWERED to the lowest point possible.
Its a bear of a job, no question and IMO, you did the best thing.
Allow someone else to deal with it who has a lift.
Allthebest, c4c5

[TheRobSJ]

I've seen that crossover coupler get damaged more than once by guys who try to get away without dropping the drivetrain. Since my shop has only one (crappy) transmission jack, and no fixtures to hold the transaxle or subframe...it was something I didn't want to chance. Thanks for confirming my suspicions.