How to change a TTA fuel pump in 30 minutes or less

[mytemike]

What's the brass looking connection on the far right side of the fuel pump in the completed pic. Willl I need that or just do fuel pressure line on all of them? Also, this is my first time changing a fuel pump any pointers?

 

[its2qik]

nah I don't care .. I had my fun when these cars were new someday they should be worth some $$$ and people will look for common hacked up areas hey it's your car do whatever ya want with it ..it's just another 3rd gen f body so when are all these modified cars are actually goin to run some #s at the track ??

If you bought one of these cars as an investment then you're screwed for a VERY LONG TIME and definitely need to sit down with a financial advisor. Most guys will take a look at this modification, see the quality of this particular guys work, and thank him for making life easier in the future.

to each his own...I knew I could do a professional job so it didn't bother me one. Maybe if I had a lift at my exposal I wouldn't have done it but I don't and now I have no regrets whatsoever

In my mind, you're modification ADDS value to the car. So, you're correct, to each his own:biggrin:

 

[89ICBM]

You guys crack me up. Do you honestly think in 22 years nobody has thought about this and came up with an answer? Look! If you live in the north, and you put your car up for 4 months or more your fuel pump will go bad. You can cut a hole behind the back seats and have a cover fabed or go to an external pump, your choice. Honestly! I didn't see anyting I haven't seen before, like 20 years ago. Grumpy is right! You want to hack up a 1 of 1550 cars, have at it my friend.

 

[Grumpy]

If you bought one of these cars as an investment then you're screwed for a VERY LONG TIME and definitely need to sit down with a financial advisor. Most guys will take a look at this modification, see the quality of this particular guys work, and thank him for making life easier in the future.

I have NEVER lost $$$ on a Buick, TTA or older performance cars .. NEVER I didn't need a "financial planner" to figure it out either. Guess I need to change my name to "Lucky Grumpy" Hmmm thinking here.. I will MAYBE loose some $$$ on the 2 cars in my sig. BUT they are not original performance cars. They are my fun beaters and work truck.

 

[Razor]

Wait a second.. you buy a car.. pay sales tax, insurance, and start doing maintenance.. the longer you keep that car.. the more money you roll into it.. whether its in the form of labor=money or physical parts=money.

Only way I see to make money is to buy and flip it. Once there is any attachement.. there goes the profit.

To me the car is my vice.. some gamble it.. some drink it.. some spend it on drugs.. Golf.. Boating.. Hunting.. etc.. Mine is the car.

How much do you spend on Drag Radials or slicks.. thats money you never get back

Hack the floor on the TTA.. who cares.. no biggie. Nobody will ever know when it shows up on the used car lot for sale. If their that picky.. they should be looking at museum pieces not meant to be driven.

 

[Grumpy]

Wait a second.. you buy a car.. pay sales tax, insurance, and start doing maintenance.. the longer you keep that car.. the more money you roll into it.. whether its in the form of labor=money or physical parts=money.

Only way I see to make money is to buy and flip it. Once there is any attachement.. there goes the profit.

#1.. Buy a car with all the cool guy parts on it. say $4500
#2 .. sell cool guys parts for $4000
#3... give to wife to drive for a year or to. Then sell it for $12k

thats making $$$ on the car. :biggrin:

 

[Razor]

Yeah.. but the parts you remove need to be replaced.. and that in itself is labor and cost for the replacements. It certainly is nice when the replacements have already been put away many years ago.

Buy a TTA for 16K.. race it for 3 years.. take off 12K worth of mods.. sell it as a stocker for 17K.. same story..

But dont think there wasnt some blood, sweat, and tears involved. If you factor what it costs to drive a car for a year..oil changes.. etc.. You could put that time into practically anything else and come ahead.

Recently I bought a car for my Daughter.. 1999 Mercury Sable LS.. picked the car up for 400 with a bad tranny.. tranny was 1k to get done.. 1400 she has a 3k car. Rack and pinion went out.. 350 dollar ordeal. Oil change.. etc.. Used cars are time and money pits.

 

[Street Lethal]

What's the brass looking connection on the far right side of the fuel pump in the completed pic. Willl I need that or just do fuel pressure line on all of them? Also, this is my first time changing a fuel pump any pointers?

Those are saginaw fittings. Once you make your cut into the lines, you will need a flaring tool if you want to use them. You really don't need to though, just get some good fuel line and compression fittings, and they will work fine for you. Make sure the pump is nice and tight when you install it back onto the intank assembly unit, and make sure the sock filter doesn't fall off of the bottom of the new pump as your maneuvering it back down into the gas tank....

 

[Scott89TTA]

Those are saginaw fittings. Once you make your cut into the lines, you will need a flaring tool if you want to use them. You really don't need to though, just get some good fuel line and compression fittings, and they will work fine for you. Make sure the pump is nice and tight when you install it back onto the intank assembly unit, and make sure the sock filter doesn't fall off of the bottom of the new pump as your maneuvering it back down into the gas tank....

Nope...that is a standard brass compression coupler/fitting...no flare needed just the ferrules. I have since replaced it with a piece of "hi-pressure" fuel hose (for electric fuel pumps)and double hose clamped it on each end...works just fine. The standard compression fitting would seep a little from time to time...it would not drip just would look a little wet. I decided to change it when I received my warranty replacement Walbro pump...all good now

 

[Street Lethal]

Gotcha....

 

[Scott89TTA]

Gotcha....

Nope...my thread/post, my car, my work, my pics, plain tubing-to-tubing brass compression fittings...no Saginaw fitting Gotcha

 

[mytemike]

Thanks for the info. Btw forgot to compliment, that IS a nice job; just wish the guy that owned my car before me knew your way rather than the hackway - man he butchered my car up. I didn't discover it until I needed a new FP of course (didn't know anything about these cars before I bought it other than I liked the way they looked). I'm discovering all the other headaches including some other ones the previous owner left me: rather than replace a broken wiper switch he hacked the wiring harness and attached some funky little switch panel underneath the dash for the wipers. Car eventually had something funky go on with the lights later I think b/c of it. I think I'm going to try making some fixed headlights for the car (some that hopefuly won't look like they're "made in the ugly republic")as these things are pricey to fix. Lowest quote I got was $260 per headlight and told the things are just gonna break again (and again and again...).

 

[Street Lethal]

Nope...my thread/post, my car, my work, my pics, plain tubing-to-tubing brass compression fittings...no Saginaw fitting Gotcha

.... I posted that picture because that was the one he was questioning.

 

[mytemike]

Emissions

Anybody got any thoughts on removing the emissions? My mechanic suggests take away all the emissions, scrap the whole ehaust system, add hedders, a short muffler with 3" exhaust all the way out the rear - he said it will wake the car up, make it sound meaner than hell and make the car flat out fly! (5.7ltr, 350 V8 TPI) He also said it will improve MPG and it'll be fine as long as I don't plan any trips to California! LOL (they don't check emissions in my state; he said and if they ask just tell'em you're building a race car!) I admit I was a little skiddish at first but now I'm really considering what he's been saying. What he says sounds good but what do you guys think?

 

[mytemike]

Ok, just found out it ain't my fule pump. Pressure is at 40+ at idle and 50+ when accelerating, however the car starts to boggle and die when you try to accelerate. het off the gas and it returns to idle just fine. Thought it might be the MAFS but guy with GTA having same problem and it's not MAFS, vacume leak or any leaks in air sys. I've changed plugs, wires, distributor, cleaned throttle etc. What gives?

 

[89ICBM]

Ok, just found out it ain't my fule pump. Pressure is at 40+ at idle and 50+ when accelerating, however the car starts to boggle and die when you try to accelerate. het off the gas and it returns to idle just fine. Thought it might be the MAFS but guy with GTA having same problem and it's not MAFS, vacume leak or any leaks in air sys. I've changed plugs, wires, distributor, cleaned throttle etc. What gives?


Hi Mytemike,

If you are asking about a TTA, the fuel pressure is to low. You need to check it at idle with the vaccum line of the regulator. It should be 45lbs, if the car is stock, and 61 to 62lbs at WOT with full boost which should be 16.5 lbs of boost. Your not dealing with a 350 chevy here. You can check the MAF by tapping on it at idle, if the motor stuters the MAF is bad, this don't all way's work. The next thing is the O2 sensor. It's in the pass side header, change it!

 

[mytemike]

Na, it's just a 350 TPI motor not a TTA

 

[89ICBM]

Na, it's just a 350 TPI motor not a TTA


You do understand this is a 1989 Turbo Trans Am with a Buick v6 turbo tech board? I would suggest that you go to the 3rd gen site or the GTA Source page. I haven't had a 5.7 TPI in 22 years. No offense intended! Just sayin!

 

[Street Lethal]

... however the car starts to boggle and die when you try to accelerate. het off the gas and it returns to idle just fine. Thought it might be the MAFS but guy with GTA having same problem and it's not MAFS, vacume leak or any leaks in air sys. I've changed plugs, wires, distributor, cleaned throttle etc. What gives?

If the engine bogs with and without a load when you hit the throttle, and if your fuel pressure is good, then you need to your check injector ohm's. If the engine bogs only behind a load, then it's either a spark issue (weak coil, or crossed wires), or a skewed ECM sensor issue. Also, is it doing this under both Open and Closed Loop, or just Closed Loop? You can't tell yourself that it isn't MAF related because of someone else's issue, because in your case, it is either a MAF (mass air flow) issue, a CTS (coolant temp sensor) issue, a TPS (throttle position sensor) issue, or an O2 (oxygen sensor) issue. PM me if you need further assistance, no need to hijack the thread....

 

[turbo89]

I just saw this post .. I dont post often at all.. but owning a few of these ...

I have to say .. YOU ARE A HACK !

YOU DONT DESERVE THIS CAR ... WOW you saved yourself 4 hours worth of work... how lazy can people be. you mention being able to change a fuel pump on the side of the road.. COME ON be for real !

HACK !