Ralph, I actually misspoke. It's 3/8" not 5/16". I ran a 3/8" nut on the bed bolt and it's pretty good.I also ran a 3/8" bolt in the threaded bed hole and it's good. Now, just need to get them to line up after I put the bed back down.

 

That's good; that's the best way to make for sure.

You might want to start, but nowhere near tighten, the four corners, then work on the others, and get as many as possible lined up and in.

If I tightened one up, I couldn't get others to line up when I pulled my bed to get to the gas tank back when.

RwP

 

Agree. Also try to start the bolt before the bed is all the way down. Might be able to angle it in...on the marginal ones anyway. The frame holes are a little enlarged so there's some wiggle room there.

 

FINAL REPORT:

Pump came today. Replaced. No big deal. Getting stuff off the old module and putting it on the new module was a bit of a pain. Finally disassembled the old one so I had better/access and visibility to get the crap off. That did the trick. Used a chisel to split the casing down the side to retrieve the vent thingy. Used some mystery oil to lube it up for easier pressing into the new module. Lined up the bed without too much trouble. A little tweaking here and there. Eight bolt locations total, I was missing three and was able to add two of those three with 3/8" bolts. SO I went from five to seven bolts. It's an improvement. No chance to get the 8th. Only 10% of the hole is exposed. Bed wouldn't budge to get that last one. Not a chance.

Nice bonus...my gas gauge works again after three years of it not working. Don't know how long it will last but it is working for now. FYI: The shop quoted me $550 to replace the fuel pump. I paid $128 (incl shipping) for the pump module (Delphi brand). Degree of difficulty 5 on a 10 scale. Not really that hard to do. Just a little time consuming.

Thanks for your replies, fellas. Maybe this thread will help someone else in the future. As long as it isn't me. Ed

 

had a few questions. got '96 3.9 4x4 that im going to change the pump soon. bought it 7yrs ago with 96k and now has 155k. been stone cold reliable for the most part, other than some minor electrical gremlins but theyre nothing worth pursuing since they only affect the dash lights once in a while. since I don't know when or if the pump has even been changed, I figured ill do it now as a preventative measure before im stranded some where. pulling the bed seems easiest for me since I have impact guns and every other tool you could imagine

im mechanically inclined and do most all my vehicle repairs, have tons of tools etc. but ive never seen or messed with a Dakota pump. I noticed theres a big plastic thing going in the top of the tank. im assuming the pump is attached to it inside . also I have a Haynes manual I think. haven't opened it yet so im not sure if its worth a crap. is there a factory service manual around that would be better ?

can the pump/filter be replaced separate from that large big module thing that sits on the tank ? my fuel gauge needle has alittle wobble from 1/2 to full but its steady and accurate from empty to 1/2. not knowing exactly whats causing it, what parts might I need to fix the wobble ? although im not terribly concearned since the gauge still works fairly good for the most part, so if its going to cost a bunch extra or be a pain in the **** then ill just leave the gauge alone..

what is the very best quality pump ? oem ? will it have all necessary parts to do the job? I don't like doing jobs twice so I want to use the best parts I can. I figure its not unreasonable to expect a good pump to last 100k or more and then I wont have to mess with it for a long time

 

ok after watching a youtube vid, it appears the whole module assembly thing lifts out and a new one just drops in. sounds easy enough and I learned something new today. anyone used the denso brand ? they seem to be top notch from what ive seen on their other parts on Toyota and such

 

Denso or Delphi is good. Skip Air Tex. Unless you LIKE changing fuel pumps.

 

I second skipping AirTex.

When I had my 2000 Malibu, it'd go through an AirTex every 40,000 - 50,000 miles. Which may not sound like much, but that's about a years driving for me ...

And it was a LOT harder to change pumps on the Malibu than it is on the Dakota!

RwP

 

Try doing the pump on a third gen Camaro/Firebird...... Those were REALLY fun.....

 

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you seem to think it means."

RwP