[AT] Was: More on the water pump Now: New vehicles/technology

[Gunnells, Bradley R]

Yes getting to the fuel pump isn't as easy as traditional engine mounted ones. But I've replaced a couple on my old vehicles which had far fewer miles than my newer cars with in-tank pumps. So reliability over time has been better in my experience.

While there is a lot under the hood I still think things are much cleaner and easier than some of the 80's versions. Some of those years you couldn't tell if there was an engine for all the hoses/canisters/wires. The bigger problem in things such as your blazer is that the external size of the vehicle has shrank limiting the excess space around the engine in which to work.

Of course I don't mind tuning up the '68 1-ton truck of dads. You can sit with your feet in the engine compartment! That's a lot more like working on our old tractors. Only the barest of necessities on those.  :-)

Brad

On Nov 18, 2010, at 12:18 PM, Ralph Goff wrote:

> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jim & Lyn Evans" <jevans at evanstoys.com>
> To: "'Antique tractor email discussion group'" 
> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 5:39 PM
> Subject: Re: [AT] More on the water pump
> 
> 
>> If everyone is paying attention to this thread, you will see that it is 
>> the
>> same old stuff that goes wrong with the new cars as what went wrong with 
>> the
>> old cars.   If you can fix an old tractor you can fix a new car 90% of the
>> time with a little bit of thinking and diagnostic time (and maybe a little
>> advise from the internet)
> 
> True enough, but the new vehicles are so much harder to work on. Everything 
> packed in so tight with wiring harnesses, hoses, etc everywhere. I can't 
> even see the spark plugs on my V6 Blazer (97). Thank God they last a long 
> time because I don't think I have the technology to change them.
> How about fuel pumps? I have changed numerous fuel pumps on older vehicles, 
> the type that were mounted on the engine running off the cam. . They are 
> relatively simple and uncomplicated to change in an hour or less . The newer 
> fuel injected systems (GM I am thinking of) have the fuel pump in the tank. 
> On the GM pickups this involves unbolting and lifting the entire truck box 
> to get at the fuel pump! Thats a little ridiculous unless those pumps last 
> the life of the vehicle. (They don't) I know of one farmer who had a hole 
> cut in the truck box in the appropriate spot so that next time he needs a 
> pump replaced it will not be necessary to remove the box.
> 
> Ralph in Sask. 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> AT mailing list
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at