1986 Sedan. Car died on way to visit girlfriends parents. Towed it to girlfriends parents house. 95% sure problem is main fuel pump so need to replace it . Will hopefully find new pump on Monday(or tommorrow if I am really lucky). However unfortunately I have never done this job before and my manuals aren't here and Brickboard FAQ 700 doesn't seem to cover this. Seems fairly straightforward but one thing though I am unsure of is how to relieve fuel pressure. Hose from tank I do not believe has pressure but I think hose from engine does. Don't want gas spraying all over me and all over girlfriends fathers driveway. So if some one can write back about this matter it would be much appreciated. Any other advice/tips/hints would also be welcome. Thanks.
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' 86 manual sedan nearly 210,000 and ' 87 auto sedan nearly 125,000

I would not worry about fuel pressure, just rag it. First though, invest in some wire and run a hot wire from the battery to the pump. I bet it pumps fine as Dan warns. You can pull the rear hose off the FPR and watch it spray strongly (8-12 inch jet. Do not ignite anything.

The fuel pump is pretty reliable are you sure it is not the fuel system relay or corrosion on the 25 amp fuse? Pull the hose off the back of the fuel pressure regulator and run the pumps to see if you are at least getting fuel flow. Collect the fuel in a container. Dan

Hi Dan. Thanx for quick reply. 25A fuse is good. Checked it. Fuel pump relay is good. Checked it. Will try your suggestion in morning when its light out. However pretty sure it is main pump. Replaced in tank pump about a month ago. It was dead. Caused main pump to be noisy. But even after replacing in tank pump main pump was still noisy. Guess damage had already been done. In last week main pump has been really really noisy. So think it was on its final days and that it finally expired. Its pretty old looking. Might even be original one. Anyway if you or anyone else could let me know about relieving fuel pressure I sure would appreciate it. I managed to find a shoppe with a new replacement pump that I will get first thing in morning. So maybe I can get this car running tommorrow. Thanks.
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' 86 manual sedan nearly 210,000 and ' 87 auto sedan nearly 125,000

Hi there,

Don't worry a bit about relieving the pressure. Do as Dan suggests - it is not that dramatic. You barely get a rag soaked.

Besides that, there's no trick that will completely relieve the pressure without getting a little wet. The fuse idea doesn't work.

Much more drama in clamping off the hose from the tank (I use a rubber stopper or I think a 3/8 drive extension will plug it), and if you don't have air tools, the short hose to the filter is easy to break.

I'm always skeptical of main pump failure, and said I would never change one unless I could prove it didn't create pressure when properly fed with both electricity and an ample supply of fuel from the tank. Despite that, I changed one recently when I could not reproduce the failure after being towed home. I changed it just to be damned sure it didn't happen again. Looking inside the old pump, I knew the main pump was good for another 200K miles. I wasted $185 on that lesson. We do what we have to do.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

"Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer." (W. C. Fields)

Don't spend your money on anything but Bosch. You could relieve pressure by removing the fuel pressure regulator from the fuel rail, just cover it with a rag as you do it. Be prepared to plug the fuel line from the tank as it will siphon. Dan

remove the 25 amp fuse&turn the engine over,THAT REMOVES THE PRESSURE.dID YOU do the filter????If that hadn't been done in 10000 miles it might be clogged.If you are doing the pump on the frame you have to disconnect the hose at the sender assembly just outside the tank,,otherwise fuel will rush down the fuel line at the back of the pump by siphon pressure.
I almost let all the fuel out that way from mine.!!!

Removing the fuse and turning over the engine will not relieve fuel pressure. Dan