...with the Jeep still strapped to the trailer, the day after the trail run on Chinaman we decided it was a great time for the whole family to...for the first time ever...have some family fun with all of us together in the Jeep. So we all loaded up in the Ram and we hauled out to our local Ram Off Road Park for a bit of fun...and wouldn't ya know just as we're all done and making our way out...Kilroy's engine just...shut off...leaving us temporarily stranded...well I should say the fuel pump did. It was a new fuel pump module assembly...and yah it was an "Amazon" or local parts store purchase (don't remember which), and as such apparently the module did not come with a quality pump. The park owner Ray was able to strap us back to the trailer, and home we went.

Next day I started to diagnose the problem, which with a non-blown fuse I suspected was the pump. Sure enough there was power getting to the plug, but the pump no workie. SO - since a fuel pump was required I took the opportunity to use only my trail tools and simulate a fuel pump swap 'on the trail'. I had all of the tools to both get the pump assembly out and get the pump itself out, but I'm adding a couple specialty tools to make the process that much smoother...and thinking about it I'm just gonna put together an entire duplicate pump assembly to have on hand to make similar future shenanigans that much easier. And wow I can't say enough awesome stuff about having the trap door above the pump and NOT having to drop the tank - it works positively perfectly 👍 -

First...break all of this out -


...unbolt the rear p-side seat base and bungee it up out of the way -


...disconnect the fuel line and electrical plug and strap them up out of the way, grab the retainer ring wrench, crack the retainer ring loose, and 'pop!' - up springs the top end...

Note, and word to the wise - make sure the tank is only about 3/4 full in order to avoid having about 5 gallons of gasoline flood out all over everything under there...which thankfully did not happen only because I hadn't yet refilled the tank - there was literally about 1/8" of air between the top of the pump module and the fuel level, so that worked out just fine, but wow would I have been pissed if it had been full.

So, once I got over the realization of just how lucky I was...my heart rate got back to normal I grabbed a trash bag to cover the Jeep's floor, lifted the module partially out letting fuel drain off of it as much as possible, then disconnected the forward-aiming extension rod and suction tube, and with the tube in hand lifted the module all the way out, then lay the suction tube on the rim of the tank opening, and carry the module to the work bench for surgery.


Note - because of the long tank, a JK's fuel pump assembly is designed with an internal surge tank, retaining fuel within an internal cavity that is always full even if the fuel level get's low, and this cavity will still be full of fuel so be careful not to tilt the module too much otherwise you'll get a bath you don't want.

Grab a drain pan, and then tilt the module to drain the fuel. Once drained I disassembled the "non-serviceable" totally serviceable assembly, and removed the junk fuel pump. A quality Delphi pump (my intel says is pn# FE0700 - not the whole module assembly - just the pump) is on the way from Rock Auto (~$100 shipped), and once I get it I'll report back if it is indeed a direct match.




This is what it's all about, and it's totally worth every minute of work and penny spent -


The kids love the rope swings at the back edge of the park -


https://imgur.com/ZMXONBo

...more to follow...

 

yep it was the pump; new pump is in and functioning as it should

 

Again, not sure if these'll really help anyone...but they sure help me. These are a series of video's I did (very low production costs) which may help anyone who has questions about the JK fuel pump module, and how it all works, pumps, fuel pressure regulators, how it all gets assembled/installed, etc.

Intro - https://imgur.com/ll9UNWv

Cleaning debris - https://imgur.com/x4Pgl21

Delphi Pump FE0700 - https://imgur.com/QTVTAXS

Pump in & Pressure Regulator - https://imgur.com/zuV7zrz

Strainer, clips - https://imgur.com/AlR39Cj

Assembly - https://imgur.com/PW43rAq

Pump Wiring Connector - https://imgur.com/TQGLQWl

-- (edit: Fuel level assembly is from ISSPRO; fuel return line is from EFI Sys Pro)

Trap Door - https://imgur.com/3Nb7D9u

-- (edit: I misspoke on the wiring schematic - corrected in the next vid)

Wiring Schematic - https://imgur.com/dnJcMty

Pickup Tube - https://imgur.com/xC7ooYc

Installing Pump Module - https://imgur.com/pSbH317

Retainer Plate - https://imgur.com/P2sE34Z

- Sam

 

^Appreciated. This will absolutely be of help for me.

 

Great! - any questions (from anyone) I'll be happy to help if I can

- Sam

 

wow - after 20 years and all of these builds....



...I finally think I have the ideal wheelin' machine for me and the family

 

That's a journey! I have to agree, you landed at maximum cool.

 

Took ole' Kilroy and the wife's JKUR "Gossamer" out for a nice club trail ride with the family - had a really nice time. Love these easy trail rides as much as the hard-core stuff . Jeep is running/performing really well, but there's still some areas that are gonna get some attention, the first being 'cooling'.

For multiple reasons I'm seriously considering removing the mechanical clutch fan and going with a much simpler and bolt-on standard electric fan setup, and I'm looking at three options:

1) OE fan assy - 68143894AB/AA (7-blade)
2) Dorman 621-604 (7-blade)
3) Murray FA90112 (9-blade)

Also planning to use a Dakota Digital 2-speed controller #PAC-2800BT. Prices for each are all more or less the same.

Anyone have real-world experience with either of those and/or have recommendations?

Thanks!
- Sam

 

...one issue I'm foreseeing is how to wire up an OE fan setup with an aftermarket controller. For example, the factory setup has three wires: Power, Ground, and Pulse Width Modulation, and I don't think I can wire up an OE-replacement fan assembly in the old-school manner. Haveta check into that...

 

ok - thanks to my good friend George and his intimate knowledge of electronical voodoo, we think we figured out how to control the OE fan assembly without the OE computer. The OE fan setup uses a big power and ground wires, and a smaller 'signal' wire which uses Pulsed Width Modulation (PWM). If my info is correct, I can simulate the factory PWM signal with aftermarket PWM controllers, in my case two of them, which should activate the OE low speed fan at temp X (the controller is adjustable), and the high speed setting at temp Y. In my case, my Holley Sniper EFI has two output (ground trigger) wires in the harness - one each for low and high-speed fan(s), meaning the Sniper is intended to operate two separate fans, which we think have a work-around for. Here's the diagram -
Low speed. 12v switched power goes to 86 on the Hi relay, and 30 on both. When the Hi relay is not in use post 87a is 'hot' and sends power to 86 on the Lo relay, powering the Lo relay, but it's not active because it's a ground trigger setup. At say 190* (programmable), the Sniper will ground the low-speed output, which will ground/activate the Lo relay, which will send 87 output to the Lo PWM controller, which will send PWM signal (low) to the fan for low-speed fan ops.

High speed. In my case, the Sniper is designed to operate two independent fans simultaneously - one for regular cooling and the second for 'more' cooling, meaning the Sniper does not deactivate the low speed output when the high-speed hits. So, we needed a way to disable the low-speed relay and allow the Sniper to have the low-speed output grounded to no harm. When things get hotter (say 220*), the Sniper will ground the high-speed output, which will ground the Hi relay, which will open 87a on the Hi relay, disabling the Lo relay, and simultaneously send 87 output to the Hi PWM controller (adjusted higher), which will send PWM signal (high) to the fan for high-speed fan ops. Because the relay is disabled there is no way for the PWM controller(s) to 'back-feed' into each other.

These are the PWM controllers - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBFKWHB3?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Anyway, this'll help me get what I want - hope it helps someone else.

- Sam