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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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9/16/2008
00:25:31

Subject: Fuel Pump Replacement
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I need to replace my fuel pump module. 2001 Dakota QC, 4x4, 5.9, 24gal tank.

I read through the service manual; this is a big job. Drain tank with special machine. Disconnect filler neck, vent line, fuel feed line, and wires. Remove drive shaft. Drill out rivits and remove crossmember. Remove skid plates. Yada, yada, yada. It sounds like an all day job.

OTOH, removing the bed has four steps. Disconnect the filler neck. Unplug wiring harness. Remove bolts. Lift off bed.

Is it really that easy? Lift off the bed and there's the top of the tank?




Curly
Dodge Dakota
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9/16/2008
07:50:16

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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.bob, For what it's worth I have done 2 Dakota fuel pumps. With the help of 1 friend to lift and set the bed back. Only needed help to set it back in place. It is that easy, No messing with gas. Not to mention you have a clear sight at the wires and plugs.



.boB
Dodge Dakota
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9/16/2008
10:04:59

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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Thanx. Whenever something looks that easy, I always look for a Gotcha.



Curly
Dodge Dakota
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9/16/2008
11:12:37

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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For got to ad, Make sure you get the pump lined up right once you put it in. If not the gas gauge will never work right. I didn't know on the first one and had to pull the bed back off.



.boB
Dodge Dakota
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9/16/2008
11:16:40

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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Thanx. The service manual was very specific about orientation, but didn't say why.



Massey
Dodge Dakota
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9/16/2008
18:19:47

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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I am a former autobody technition and pulling the bed off is as easy a a couple of bolts and unplug a wire or two. Check to make sure that your grounding strap is unbolted before trying to lift the bed. They are usually not unplugable but they have a sheet metal screw holding it to the box. Putting the bed back on is also easy. Use a "spike" to help align the bed to the sides of the truck cab and also to align the holes. Put all the bolts in the bed lose before tightening any of them to help you align the bed and get everything set right.

Massey



.boB
Dodge Dakota
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9/17/2008
12:01:11

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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I guess I'll be tackeling this job in the next few weeks. I don't drive the truck much this time of year, so I'm not in a big hurry. But...snow is coming!

I did some shopping around. Places like Autozone and NAPA sell the assembly for about $200-220. I can get one from Dodge for $245. The factory piece lasted 100K miles, so I'll get another one of those.




Massey
Dodge Dakota
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9/17/2008
12:14:37

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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I would recommend getting the Carter Fuel pump assy. over t he OEM. Carter built a hugher quality pump than Dodge did. Just my $.02 but I sell these all the time and I never get a Carter pump back unless the installer messed it up.

Massey



.boB
Dodge Dakota
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9/17/2008
12:52:35

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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After doing a short, it appears that Carter does not make a pump to fit my truck. I have the Quad Cab, which gets a 24 gallon tank. All other trucks get a 22 gallon tank.



Massey
Dodge Dakota
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9/17/2008
14:09:17

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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To help in your search I found the Carter #. It is P76193M and through a CSK store it will cost around $311.99. Yea If you got 100K out of your first pump then I would go back to Dodge for the next one, cant beat the price.

Massey



.boB
Dodge Dakota
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9/27/2008
21:42:58

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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Well, nothing is ever as easy as it first appears.

I bought a new pump module from moparpartsamerica.com, a dodge dealer in Beaverton, OR. Including shipping, it was $278. Not a bad price.

I dug my crane out of the basement, and put it together. I removed the bed; well, actually just lifted it a couple of feet. It's a little more involved than 4 bolts and two plugs. But not much.

Sure enough, there's the fuel tank. plain as day. Oh, and there's the pump module. Tucked up under the cab. Cr ap. You know what that means. Yup, still have to drop the tank.

So I put the bed back on and cleaned things up a bit. Now I'm tired and dirty. Spent 3 hours crawling on my back. And I have accomplished nothing. Dang it.

You can't drain the tank simply by putting a siphon hose in it. You have to suck it out through the engine bay. I don't have the equipment for that. The tank has about 10 gallons in it, that's about 65#. Not a lot of weight, but tough to manage while lying on your back.

Now I have to decide if I want to do this job or not. As much as I hate to do it, I may have to pass this on to a shop with better equipment and more time.





daddio
Dodge Dakota
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9/27/2008
22:07:21

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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sorry your having so much trouble. but, i am glad you postd this because i too have a QC with the 24 gallon tank and if the need arises, i know what i'm in for.

by the way, gasoline weighs 8lbs per gallon. so 10 gallons will be 80 lbs plus weight of the tank and fuel pump. maybe a trans jack would help in lowering the tank?



.boB
Dodge Dakota
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9/27/2008
23:22:01

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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I have a good motorcycle jack that's real handy for this sort of thing. I've used to R&R the tank in my Cobra a few times.

My only concern is wrestling with a 90# box while lying on the floor. Can I get the rails of the truck up high enough to clear the tank? Don't know. I think I'm going to give it a try, though. Once I get it on the floor it's easy to siphon the fuel out.





,boB
Dodge Dakota
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10/02/2008
12:37:55

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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Final Update:

I crawled around under there, removed the shield, and took a good assesment of the job.

6 metric bolts hold the shield in place. After you remove the shield, the tank is only held up with a pair of tinnerman nuts. You need to remove the drive shaft to gain access to the line connections. Again, metric. Once you drop the tank, you have to lift the truck over it. And you have to lift it a long way into the air; the back of the tank is considerably taller than the front.

After crawling around on my back for a while, I decided I didn't want to do it. I'm an old guy, that kind of work causes pain for days. I'm at the point now where I only want to do fun stuff. I'm looking foreward to overhauling the engine in my Cobra.

So, I dropped it off at a local shop yesterday morning. It took them about 3 hours to do the job, using a lift, 2 transmission jacks, and two guys. Cost me $300.28. Money well spent, IMO. It would have taken me a week in my limited time to get the job done.

Now the the truck runs perfect. Starts up immediatly like it's supposed to. Runs real smooth. Idles like it's not even running. In retrospect, I'd say the pump has been slowly dying over the last 6 months or so.

I bought the truck new 12/00. Until recently, it's been perfect. Extremly reliable, durable, and hard working. Got me through heavy loads, yard work, and hundreds of miles of really bad weather. Best snow vehicle I'v ever owned. No repairs ever needed, just routine maintenance. Never broke down, never had to be towed, never left us stranded.

But, the last 12 months and 13K miles have been a little trying. Intake gasket $35. Rear diff rebuild $2K. ECU - $1,100 (including towing). Transfer case control module $100. Fuel pump $600. I'm afraid to ask that question...

If the transmission goes bad, I'll probably replace the truck.





T.Roy
Dodge Dakota
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3/26/2016
18:17:45

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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been working on this job for three days ( two hrs
per day) All is well except the roll over valve
that is to be removed from the old pump and
installed on the new unit. How the heck is that
accomplished? got me stymed but at 87 that happens
frequently. Thanks for your input.



alwkoc
Dodge Dakota
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4/15/2016
11:26:29

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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I just had my '97 Dakota fuel pump die on the road
133,000 miles into it's life. My local mechanic is
charging me $650 to replace it. 393.00 for the
pump and 2.4 hours labor. I just filled my tank
right before the pump died as well.



Russ Binder
Dodge Dakota
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7/15/2019
01:19:41

RE: Fuel Pump Replacement
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OMG! This thread os perfect. The #1 thing I
HATE on my 2001 Dakota is that the geniuses at
Dodge decided that no hose clampse were needed
on the EVAP system. Every year it needs a new
clamp in some place. The hoses expand and let
the vacuum go. In 18 years, that's the only
MIL light I got, other than early on the O2
sensors all puked. Anyway, this year it was
the little hose on top of the tank. UGH. So I
jacked up the truck and dropped the tank,
replaced the hose with a new one and a couple
of hose clamps. The SHIELD on the side was a
nightmare to put back in - it took forever.
I thought "I'd rather have takend a sawzall to
the bed to get at this." It would have been
faster, and if I cut a big enough hole, it
would be there for when the fuel pump konked
out. But that's kind of butcher-ish and I was
nearly done doing it the ridiculously hard way.

So I get the tank back in, all buttoned up, and
go to start it. Nothing. No fuel pump sound.
I must have crunched something in the fuel tank
to harm the pump, but it didn't work at all.

So, now I'm faced with a choice. Rip it
out...again...and change the fuel pump - which
I can't even go get because, logically, my
truck doesn't run. And then, oh joy, go
through all that crapping around again.

Or...buy another vehicle. I opted for the
latter. The Dakota is at 249,800 miles, and
has a bunch of other problems (tilt steering
doesn't tilt, uses oil big time, and all the
bushings in the upper control arms in the front
end are hosed, among other stuff) so it was
time...

So, in one way of looking at it, Dodge killed a
repeat sale over a few dollar's worth of hose
clamps. I didn't shop at Dodge this time, but
if I did, I was going to ask them if they now
figured out, for the $40K or whatever, that
fuel evap hoses were worthy of clamps.

Anyone want to buy a 2001 Dakota V6 extended
cap with the 6-lug wheels and HD suspension?
Lots of good parts on it. Any reaonable offer
is fine. You pick up in Claremont, CA. Clean
title. Needs a fuel pump.



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