Walbro High-Flow Fuel Pump

Warning: Installing a fuel pump on a 2G AWD is a PAIN IN THE ASS!


With that being said, let us continue. Tom Stangl has a VFAQ for the 2G AWD Walbro installation, so I am not going to go into details for the removal and assembly of the fuel pump. Just go to his page here and check it out. One note about his installation. I found you do not need a 19mm flare nut wrench to open the fuel line. The set of wrenches I bought is only 10mm-15mm. Instead of going out and buying more, I used a pair of vice grips. I found this actually worked better, because you do not have to worry about the wrench slipping off of the nut. This will happen quite a bit, because fuel will slowly start to leak out, and get the bolts wet.

The removal and assembly of the fuel pump went very smoothly. The VFAQ Tom has written is excellent. Note that when unscrewing the actual fuel pump from the assembly that the VFAQ says to initially loosen the screw with vice grips and NOT with a screw driver. Take it seriously. (I stripped the screw) I did not run into trouble until I went to put the fuel pump assembly back into the car. The first problem is the "packing" material, as the shop manual calls it. It looks just like a rubber ring, but it does actually have a top and a bottom to it. The top of the ring has a small lip on it, that makes sure the tank is sealed properly. There is a picture demonstrating this in the shop manual, but I was not able to make out the picture without magnifying it 400%.

Once you are sure the packing is installed properly, drop the fuel pump assembly down into the tank. Make sure that the fuel line (the only tube you do not remove from the top of the fuel pump assembly) points towards the passenger side of the car. If you do not have the assembly turned properly, the sender unit on the assembly will not be able to properly monitor fuel level. Test fit the tubes back on before you screw down the cap. If the unit is not aligned properly, the tubes wont fit well.

Okay, now you have the packing installed and the fuel pump assembly in the tank and aligned properly. The next step that the VFAQ does not cover properly, is how to get the white plastic cap back on. If you look at the hash marks on the cap (the raised tick marks, you tapped a screw driver and hammer against them to get the cap off in the first place) there is a serial number between two of them. The two marks on in question should be between ten and eleven o'clock. (With your back towards the front of the car.) Again, this is detailed in the shop manual but with a few very hard to read diagrams.

With this information in mind, go search through your shop manual for fuel pump removal/installation. Go through the diagrams and look for the things I am talking about. Understanding the diagrams is crucial to installing the pump properly.

To give you a point of reference. I could not figure out how to get the cap on properly (did not know about the serial number, etc.) So since I could not get the cap to twist on properly, I ended up beating it down with a mallet. (Hey, I have fixed a LOT of things with that mallet!) The result was an improper seal on the tank. Filling up the gas tank caused a very large puddle under the car - boy were they pissed at the gas station!