Need help with F430 coupe LHS fuel pump removal

I have the early F430 coupe WITH the top plate that allows the pump to be removed without moving the tank. Big nut is off, all 13 bolts out of plate, plate is loose, pump is loose, I can move it up about 2 inches and also move back and forth but it seems to be stuck at the bottom. I don't think it is the fuel arm because I have pulled so hard on that thing it would have bent or broken off. It feels like the pump is fastened to the bottom of the fuel tank. I have reached in the tank and grabbed it by the metal rods and hoses and pulled, but it won't move up. What am I missing? (Note picture was before I removed the last two bolts from the plate)

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Good luck - when i considered doing myself, i recall seeing a video where they tilted the tank to get the pump out.
I think it was going Dan - Normal Guy Supercar

 

Here it is.

 

Got it out, just had to pull EXTREMELY hard.

Thanks for reply but as I showed, my car has the removable plate so shouldn't have to tilt tank. I also saw Dan's video awhile back. Look closely and you can see the plate in pic above as opposed to what's in Dan's video.

 

Got it out, just had to pull EXTREMELY hard.

Thanks for reply but as I showed, my car has the removable plate so shouldn't have to tilt tank. I also saw Dan's video awhile back. Look closely and you can see the plate in pic above as opposed to what's in Dan's video.

 

OK, as I noted, I got it out. But I had to pull EXTREMELY hard as it is seated in a recess in the bottom of the tank and was really wedged in there. One other thread here made a small reference to the recess, but no one described how stuck mine was. See the picture of the scuffs where it was in the recess. Image Unavailable, Please Login

New pump installed!
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Did the new pump just drop in easily and fit flush easily?

It sounded like if the old pump float was stuck in a recess and had to pulled out very hard, that the new pump wouldn’t drop in easily.

Please advise.

 

What year is your 430? I'm wondering if mine has the plate... it's on its original pumps, so I expect that it will have to be address too at some point

 

2006

 

No it didn't just drop into the recess easily. It had nothing to do with the float. I sort of had to hunt for the spot by moving the top of the pump up and down while rotating it around, if that makes sense. I could tell when it was right because before it was in the correct spot, it pretty much would not compress down to the lip of the flange. Finally it did and it was in. Looking at the scuffing on the side of the pump and the image of the bottom or the tank showing some debris, I believe over the years that as fuel was sucked into the bottom of the pump, it pulled debris down the side of the recess, leaving it lodged there. Here is the recess in the tank. You can see some black junk to the right:

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Here is the final installation:

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My F430 coupe is a 2006. If you look in any parts breakdown, it shows with and without the plate and has a number break-in associated with the change. I don't know if the number is a chassis number or a serial number (last part of VIN). I was just happy I had the plates. Hahaha- probably the only advantage to having the older car vs. 2008+. I do believe the change occurred shortly after my car, probably still in 2006. I believe they were going until they ran out of old stock. Not sure why they would do away with it other than cost seeing as how hard it is to change a pump without the plate.
The parts associated with the plate are: the plate, a seal or (rather large) o-ring, 13 bolts, and 13 wave washers. I replaced the o-ring and wave washers. Neither probably needed replacing but...

Here are my parts for the job:
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Hats off to you!

Kevin

 

Thanks for that picture of inside the tank. Now I understand how the fuel pumps fits and how it could get wedged in there at the bottom of the tank.

Referring again to the same picture, does the float ride up and down in between the two walls of the tank on the left side of the picture?

 

No, it rides up and down in the area at the bottom (7:00 relative to car). I know it looks tight but there is somewhat of an illusion to the picture. In person you can see it would fit I guess. You can also compare the pictures in the thread and deduce the location. With the plate rotated and tilted during installation, I was able to get my hand in there and make sure it was swinging (before it was seated though). HTH

 

Thank you for posting this. I also have an 2006 but as my luck goes, it doesn't have the plates....great!

 

The plate has been removed starting with assembly number 67395.

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@robst oof that sucks. Turns a fairly quick job into a project. Let us know how it goes.