Fuel pump removal with a < cooperative captive bolt?

[Jeremy]

My new main fuel pump arrived today (many thanks, Steve!), so I set to work to get my e28 out of street with snow in the forcast.

As I'm getting into it, I realize the captive bolt that attaches the clamp to the bracket for the fuel pump and filter is no long quite so captive, so the nut and bolt are spinning together. I fiddled with needle nosed vise grips for a while, but since it's not really a captive bolt but just a bolt with a plate on the top side of the bracket, there isn't much to hold on to, and not a whole lot of room to work in. After that, I tried removing the three nuts that hold the bracket to the car, but they seem to engineered such that the bracket cannot be removed by normal means. The single bolt on the filter side is boxed in so you can't swivel the assembly, and the two bolt holes on the pump side (which are slotted) are slotted just deep enough that you can't slide them out without getting the other side out, which of course you can't do cause it's boxed in. Catch 22.

So what have people in this situation done to get the damn thing out? I imagine this would be a pretty common problem. I'm thinking of borrowing a Dremel with a cutting wheel, cutting the bolt that clamps the thing together in half, and replacing it with a real nut/bolt. Is there anything someone else has done that's even easier than that?

I just want my car to run! It's afraid of all its new power I think. . .

Jeremy w/ less than 300 miles on a TCD turbo powered car since installation in August '04 !@#$


[Edit by Jeremy on [TIME]1111665426[/TIME]]

[a]

The easiest way I have found to R+R pumps/filters is to remove the entire assembly. Its on 3 screws, 2 on 1 side and a single.the holes are really open ended slots, loosen all 3 and remove the single screw. use the vise grips like a big hemeostat to clamp the fuel lines . BTW that center clamp bolt should be a sheet metal screw into a J, nut, IIRC.


[Edit by a on [TIME]1111663415[/TIME]]

[Jeremy]

[QUOTE="a"]The easiest way I have found to R+R pumps/filters is to remove the entire assembly. Its on 3 screws, 2 on 1 side and a single.the holes are really open ended slots, loosen all 3 and remove the single screw. use the vise grips like a big hemeostat to clamp the fuel lines . BTW that center clamp bolt should be a sheet metal screw into a J, nut, IIRC.

[Edit by a on [TIME]1111663415[/TIME]][/QUOTE]

Thanks Andy,

Where's the screw you're referring to? I think I saw some kind of small hex head fastener on the same arm as the fuel filter (single nut side) which I didn't futz with, but no screws.

[dworthy]

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... c607e00aa7

[dworthy]

Sorry about that, damn computer has a mind of its own! :@

Here is a pic to help understand what you need/want:



There are 3 mounting points that use rubber bushing which are #5.
The mounting plate that secure the filter/pump down are attached with #6,7,9,10,11.

[dworthy]

Well I guess that didn't work so let me try again, first time for everything!
Link
[URL] [http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... e00aa7/URL]

or maybe....

[Jeremy]

[QUOTE="dworthy"]Well I guess that didn't work so let me try again, first time for everything!
Link
[http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts. ... c607e00aa7

Interesting that the parts diagram shows it as being a real bolt on top. I'll have to feel around a bit more in there as see what my fingers can figure out. The picture helps a LOT to know what I'm dealing with. The J-contraption is what seems to have come loose. Hopefully I can get something hold it or the bolt on top still while I work the nut loose.

Andy and John, think the snow will disappear by Saturday? Seems to be melting rather quickly.

[Edit by Jeremy on [TIME]1111683317[/TIME]]


[Edit by Jeremy on [TIME]1111688765[/TIME]]

[dworthy]

still new at this stuff so it will take some practice on my part to make thing work.

So here is my last shot.....

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... c607e00aa7 !@#$ ~_~