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Is this normal? Replacing fuel pump in 2003 Grand Prix

G

GrandPrixlbc

New member
I'm not a mechanic, just a driver, and I have to get the fuel pump replaced.

My mechanic is telling me a total of $500 to do it ($250 for the pump, and $250 for the labor).


It seems pretty expensive to me, though he's told me that since this is an electrical pump, and inside the gas tank, it requires a lot more work.


What do you guys think?


Is there a cheaper way to do this, or does this sound about right?


thanks for your help
 


It's not hard to do. There's an access door in the trunk so you don't have to drop the tank. It twists out of the tank...
 
Wow, should most mechanics know this?


thanks for the help




EDIT - I just called my mechanic, and brought this to his attention, and he told me on some other models that is there, but on this one there is no way to do it like that.

I know NOTHING about cars, so I'm wondering if I should call the dealer tommorrow, and see if they say it can be done like this, and maybe THEY can do it cheaper?
 
I have never, never heard of a 97-03 grand prix that did not have an access door. But you can check very easily. Just open the pass through hatch in the rear seat, and pull up the carpeting right there. There should be a 6-8" panel with about 8 screws around it. That is the access panel.

With this panel, it should only take someone an hour to change the fuel pump. Maybe 1.5 hours if the person doesn't have much experience with changing fuel pumps. But any mechanic should be able to do this in no time at all.

If your mechanic is not willing to budge on his price, then I think you should go somewhere else. I wouldn't go to the dealership as they will typically overcharge you. But it doesn't hurt to shop around.

And for fuel pump prices, check your local parts stores. Some garages will charge you a markup on parts. So if you buy the pump and take it to someone to install, you might save some dough. But $250 does sound about right.

But let me ask a question here....why are you wanting to replace the fuel pump? Does the car run?
 
Wow, I'm both surprised, but also glad....

This mechanic has been pretty honest over the years, but I'm wondering if he's just trying to rip me on this one. :th_scratchhead:

After seeing these replies, I'm definitely going to try someone else, to see if they will do it for less.

I guess my first step is to call the dealer, and confirm that this can be done.

After that, I'm really going to have a big question towards my mechanic.

I asked him about this yesterday evening, and he said that there is no trunk access, but from an uneducated consumer's point of view, this would seem like pretty poor design, that you'd have to remove the entire gas tank, in order to replace the fuel pump.



As to why I'm replacing the fuel pump, my car was running on empty the other day, and I just barely coasted into a gas station. After filling the tank, my car wouldn't start.

I have since been told, that it is very bad to let the tank get down towards empty, as it's bad for the fuel pump. I did not know this previously.
 


It is bad fr the pump but even worse on the fuel filter most of the time. SO it still wont start? Can you use a screwdriver and remove the air intake tube and spray starter fluid in the throttle body? THat is a cheap easy way to tell if it's pump related.
 
EDIT - Ok I just got off the phone with the dealer, and they told me that there is no trunk access on the Grand Prix.

EDIT 2 - Just got off the phone with a second dealer, and they told me that there IS a trunk panel.


At this point, I don't know what to do.

The second dealer, gave me an estimate of just $130 for the labor, as opposed to the $250 quoted by my mechanic.

Aye carrumba.
 
VinnieGTP said:
It is bad fr the pump but even worse on the fuel filter most of the time. SO it still wont start? Can you use a screwdriver and remove the air intake tube and spray starter fluid in the throttle body? THat is a cheap easy way to tell if it's pump related.
Click to expand...


Vinnie, I don't know how to do that, but I'm wondering if you guys think it's very strange to be replacing the fuel pump at this point?

My car is a 2003, and has about 85 thousand miles.

I was told that the fuel pumps last about 5 years. Is that right?
 
I just called up Pontiac themselves, to try to get the final answer, but they did not know, and told me that they rely on the dealers.

They called a third dealership for me, different than the first two that I contacted, and the third dealer told me there is NOT a panel in the trunk.


good grief
 
Do you have the car with you? It will take you 15 seconds to just lift the edge of the carpet at the access panel through the back seat. You can't miss the oval shaped panel.

It's not normal to have to replace it at 85K. Mine laster 144K, my Bonnevile is at 110K.
 


VinnieGTP said:
Do you have the car with you? It will take you 15 seconds to just lift the edge of the carpet at the access panel through the back seat. You can't miss the oval shaped panel.

It's not normal to have to replace it at 85K. Mine laster 144K, my Bonnevile is at 110K.
Click to expand...



Well the car is sitting on my mechanic's lot right now, but I can go down there and take a look after work.

I plan on doing this today.


As for the fuel pump, my mechanic checked and said it needs to be replaced. I don't know if he tried what you suggested, but I plan on asking him.

I didn't really question the fuel pump replacement, because I have let my car run close to empty many times, as I did not know this was bad.


Thanks for the suggestions Vinny.
 
There is an access door, It is there 97-08(I think the earlyier body style had em too), the dealers are either retarded or you aren't talking to the right person, When you call make sure you talk to a Tech, not a parts or customer service person...... Lots of people used a used pump, but that is personal preference, just look;
Steps:
1. Get in the back seat
2. open pass-through(middle part of rear seats)
3. Lift carpet(nothing holding it down other than it's own weight)
4.Look for a metal panel (it will be bare while all the other metal back there is painted)
5. There you found it, now call back those 2 dealerships and rip em a new one
 
There is a panel in the trunk, go out to your car, open your trunk, pull the carpet and see thr panel by the pass through. Its there, i promise. Some 1997s didn't have that cover, yours is a 2003, it has it. Quit finding out from other sources, check it out yourself. Just because you call Pontiac or the dealer doesn't mean that the specific person knows a damn thing about Grand Prix's. Seriously.

Honestly, I think your crazy for even thinking of paying someone to replace it. Its cake to replace, anyone with halfassed mechanical knowledge can accomplish this task, seriously. It takes 30 mins to do. Give it a shot, thank me later for saving you some money.

I think you only got 2 options... Do it yourself OR pay some mechanic to do it which he'll end up screwing you and charging you 4 hours of labor to do the job when in reality he'll get it done in 30 minutes and for the rest of the time he'll smoke and drink a few beers and make easy money off you.

The option is yours, good luck...
 


Regardless of what any dealer, or 'mechanic' tells you, there IS, absolutely without a doubt, even without me looking for myself, if you own a Grand Prix, there IS a access panel in your trunk under the carpet right behind your fold down access in the rear seat.

4utn68.jpg

jb2s6s.jpg


From Inside Car (Through Rear Seat Trunk Access) -
2cnv1xs.jpg


NOS Cat Is Unamused At Your Lack Of Fuel Pump Trap Door Knowledge-
2u9mrmg.jpg
 
Last edited:
I agree with what I said earlier and with everyone else:

There is an access door in the floor of the trunk.

My thoughts on all of this. First off, I would want to make sure for myself, or from a second source that the fuel pump is really the problem here. One easy way to tell is just to listen for it. When you turn on the key to the Run position, the fuel pump will come on for 2-5 seconds. It can be heard from outside the car, but even more so if you just stick your head under the car a little. Easiest way is to have someone help you. Kneel down, and stick your head under the rear of the car near the rear tire. Give the other person the okay to turn the key to the Run position, but do not attempt to start the car. If you hear a whining noise that stops after 2-5 seconds, this is the fuel pump. Try it on another car that runs fine to figure out what it sounds like. If you hear the fuel pump, then you don't need to replace it, in my opinion.

If you do not hear the fuel pump, next thing you want to check is make sure you didn't blow any fuses. Check the fuse panel inside the glove box, as well as the fuses in the fuse panel under the hood. Check to make sure that all your fuses are good and not blown. If you find any bad, replace them, and try to start the car, or hear the fuel pump run again.

If you do decide that you need to replace the fuel pump anyway, first thing is to check for yourself that you do have the fuel pump access door. Get in the back seat, fold down the center armrest console. Open the pass through door, and pull up the carpet a little right where the door opens up into the trunk. You may need a flash light, or just pull up the carpet some more. But there will be a door like Street Wolf posted. Once you see that, you know it is only a ½ hour job.

I would bet that many of the mechanics and dealerships that you spoke to were not sure if there was a door there or not. They work on many different cars everyday and can't keep all the differences straight. So to be safe, I am sure they were just saying that no it does not have a door and quoted you a price accordingly. And to them, you coming to them, not knowing much about cars, telling them there is a fuel pump access door and the price should be lower just looks like you are trying to get the price lowered without even knowing. But if need be, take your mechanic out, and show him the access door so he knows you are not BS him.

But as others have said, it is a simple job to replace the fuel pump. Even for someone that doesn't know what they are doing, it should take less than an hour. And as far as a used pump, I bought a used one before from Ed Morad and it worked great! It was much cheaper than buying a new one and worked fine for many thousands more miles. And as long as you don't run the tank dry, it should last a long time. I still have the stock fuel pump in my 97 I drive now. So I would not hesitate one bit on getting a used one from Ed. And Ed also has a warranty on every part he sells. Definitely a great choice to go with Morad.
 
Zef_66 said:
I would bet that many of the mechanics and dealerships that you spoke to were not sure if there was a door there or not. They work on many different cars everyday and can't keep all the differences straight. So to be safe, I am sure they were just saying that no it does not have a door and quoted you a price accordingly. And to them, you coming to them, not knowing much about cars, telling them there is a fuel pump access door and the price should be lower just looks like you are trying to get the price lowered without even knowing. But if need be, take your mechanic out, and show him the access door so he knows you are not BS him.
Click to expand...

werd07.jpg
 
Well first off, let me say a huge THANK YOU!



I went straight to my mechanics lot yesterday, asked him for the keys, and pulled up the carpet in the back, just as instructed here, and low and behold, there was the access panel.

This was BEFORE I saw the pics, that Street Wolf was good enough to share.

My mechanic is standing right there, and I point it out to him, and say to him - "is this not an access panel?"

I don't remember what he said exactly, but he said it was for something else.

So now begs the question if he is being directly dishonest, which is very weird for me, because he has been a mechanic of mine, family and friends for years, and many times he has given us other options that were cheaper, and also told us we didn't need work done, when we thought we did. :th_scratchhead:



Anyways, after reading a few more confirmations from you guys, I'm now trying to find a mechanic who will do this work via the panel.

Question - any of you guys in LA?


Now I don't know much about cars, but I'm no dummy, and I do a little handy work with tools (but not much), so for those of you saying I can do this myself -

Is there anyplace you know, or any link on the net, that can give me a step by step instruction?


I'd really like to move forward, and buy a used fuel pump from MORAD, and just get this done, and I'm ready to try to do it myself.



Thanks again.
 
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