Write up: High Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) Replacement

[Pfunk951]

Gang,

As we get up in miles, these pumps are sure to become an issue. I pieced together information I found on the web and did the job myself, and am glad I did.

This job is very doable, the key to saving time is doing things in order. This guide should hopefully sort some of this out, so that you don’t install anything and have to take it back out. Some highlights before we get started:

• Secure the truck very well- you are going to be working deep inside the wheel well and under the truck.
• You’re going to get dirty.
• Stay organized- you’ll have a lot of guards, covers, and other items off for this- and some of the hardware is similar but not exact.
• This isn’t covering the timing check (or adjustment) of the cam that drives the pumps. Mine was fine, and I didn’t rotate the engine any time in this procedure.

I’m going to get more descriptive as we get to the pumps, most of the initial stuff is very straight forward. Let’s get crackin’!

Under the hood

We need to accomplish a few things in the engine bay to assist with the removal. This may seem excessive/unnecessary, but it’s unfortunately mandatory. Should take about 15 minutes if you’re taking your time.

• Disconnect Battery
• Remove intake- 3 clamps (the 2 by the MAF sensors and the 1 on the throttle body) and 1 hose underneath the intake
• Loosen crossover fuel line to relieve fuel pressure. Get rags in there, fuel will come out.
  
• Remove Upper Fan Shroud
• Release belt tension, remove belt from alternator pully
  
• Remove Passenger Headlight; Wheel Well screw- this one is sneaky but needed(Tip of my finger)
  
• Drain oil, or sump out 1.5 quarts. I did this with the passenger side jacked up about 6-8 inches higher that the driver’s side, and still lost a quart out of the pump holes
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• Getting in there
• Now, we’ve got to access the pumps. This will involve removing everything that’s in our way in the wheel well. This will take organization- this is all easy work but there are many pieces to it. For a first timer, this should take an hour. Take Pictures!!
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• Remove the wheel well trim cover- This is the painted arch over the wheel well- it’s what we removed the screw under the hood for. This trim cover holds the wheel well lining in place. Push pins and Phillips screws, once they’re all out it will pull off with a quick tug.
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• Remove wheel well lining- A LOT of push pins and Phillips screws here. NOTE: There appears to be some sort of antenna on the outside (not the tire side) of the wheel well lining towards the front of the car. The 2 Phillips screws on the inside front of the wheel well hold this antenna in place. I removed the screws and let it hang- just remember to put this back when you re-insert the wheel well. Also, there is a rubber piece at the top, it’ll stretch around the 2 push washers holding it in place to come off.
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• Remove plastic engine guards- These are up against the back of the wheel well, protecting the engine. One of these guards is in 2 pieces, held together by 2 Phillips Screws.
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• Remove Alternator- 3 bolts and 2 wires:
• The main wire (with red cover) is held in by a nut, remove and get the wire out of the way. The smaller is a plug in the back of the alternator- reach in from behind the alternator and press down on the tab and wiggle it out.
• 2 of the bolts are right there in front of you. The other is on the front (pully side).
• Remove the alternator out of the lower front part of the wheel well.
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• Remove fuel line guard and retaining bolt- The fuel line guard has 2 bolts, one small and one large. The retaining bolt holds 2 fuel lines against the block, take this out to let the fuel lines flex a bit for pump removal.
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[Pfunk951]

Pump removal


I’m not going to lie- it’s going to get tight here. We’ve got a frame rail right in the way, but plenty of room in front and behind it. Be patient, try different angles for access, and if you start getting frustrated- take a break. We’re going to remove the front pump first, which will give us better access to the rear with it removed. A standard size 17mm wrench will work fine, but you’ll have to look for the right angle.

• Foam covers
• I chose to make a small tear in the covers where the fuel lines insert- this will allow for the covers to be removed now for optimal access. The connector portion of the cover has the slot cut out, I’m not sure why they didn’t do this for the fuel lines.. I reused mine, and they went back into place perfectly. This will give us:
• Better access to the mounting screws
• More room with the wiring
• Easier removal of the fuel lines
• If you choose to not cut them, or are buying new ones, the torx screws holding the pumps to the block will be VERY hard to get at, you have to compress the foam significantly just to seat the torx head. Furthermore, re-installation will be difficult as the screw heads are partially blocked by the cover.
  
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• Wiring
• Take a look at (and snap a pic of) the wiring here. Notice how the 2 connectors are routed, we need to re-create this when we’re done.
• Remove the connectors from the Fuel Pumps. These are waterproof ones with the rubber insert in them- so they are slow to come out. Squeeze the tab and wiggle them out. BE PATIENT- they’re hefty but you don’t want to damage these in a fit of rage..
• Front Pump
• Loosen fuel lines completely- leave in place. Fuel is going to leak- if your foam covers are still on they are going to saturate with fuel so let them dry afterwards. NOTE: These lines are very rigid- we’ll use technique to get them off the pump. Don’t yank on them.
• Remove mounting screws. x2 torx screws, use extensions/universals as necessary.
  
• Extract pump while rotating slightly clockwise to disengage fuel lines. Once the pump un-seats, you can lower the body (towards the ground) to help separation.
• Rear Pump
• This is the same as the front, but some of the work will now be accessed from the rear of the wheel well. Once un-seated, this pump just needed some wiggling to get out- the lines separated nicely.
• Cam Followers
• Remove Followers. Stick your clean finger in the hole, pull out the Follower. They slide right out.
• Clean up

Halftime! Now is a good time to stand up, stretch, and get the Shopvac out. The amount of dirt, sand, leaves, and debris was literally piling up on me, and we’ll want to be as clean as we can be when we put this back together. Clean your space up, and take a look at everything you removed and see if it needs a scrub.

Reinstall New pumps.

NOTE: The pump installations are pretty straightforward, but there is one critical thing to note as you get into the installation: The cams that actuate the pumps may not allow one of the pumps to fully seat (as it is pressing on the spring- this is normal). Whichever one this is for you- make sure to slowly walk the pump into place by slowing tightening BOTH torx screws- a little at a time each. Don’t drive one screw in all the way with the other loose- you could bend or break something. Here’s the process:

• Install Cam Followers, coat them with clean oil and re-install. KEEP THESE CLEAN- they are literally going inside the engine. They are finicky to seat- you have to be perfectly on angle to get them into the cylinder they live in.
• Install Rear pump. Apply clean oil to the spring portion of the pump, and fit into place.
• Keep the spring side clean- this also goes into the engine
• Try to seat the fuel lines into their pockets in the pump prior to fully seating the pump in the block. Once the pump is seated, maneuvering the fuel lines is very difficult.
• Seat pump
• Torx screws first
• Tighten the fuel lines
• Front Pump
• Same as rear
• Reconnect fuel pump wires
• Ensure wiring is routed correctly, and replace Foam Covers (if you didn’t put the slits in yours, they’ll already be on)
• Tighten the fuel line you opened on the top of the engine. This will close the fuel system, and keep you from forgetting it later.

We’re on the downhill side of this, and the hard work is over. You’re about an hour from the finish line, but don’t rush the re-assembly- there are a lot of things that can go wrong if we slam this back together. Most of this will be done in reverse order, but let’s make sure we’re methodical.

• Replace Alternator, belt
• Replace metal guarding on engine
• Replace inner wheel well guards
• Replace wheel well
• Replace Wheel Trim Cover
• Put headlight back in
• PUT OIL BACK IN ENGINE
• Replace intake and fan shroud

When you reconnect the battery and open the door, the fuel pressure will prime up. Give it 1 long crank and it should fire right up. Put the tire on and you’re done!

This write up is dedicated to @ryanjl , who left us too soon and now dwells in the land of Toyota..

 

[greiswig]

Thank you for doing this! I’ll refer to it when my time comes.