So I finally picked up a sending unit/pump for my truck. Got an Airtex. Anything I should know before I put it in tomorrow?

Thanks.

 

Well there are two ways you can go about it: Remove the bed or drop the tank.
Taking the bed off allows you so much more access and you can do other repairs much easier, if needed.
If dropping the tank, I'd recommend emptying the tank as much as you can...either by siphoning the gas into another tank or driving the truck hard to burn it dry haha

When it comes to the lines that are on the old pump, label which one is the supply and which one is the return. And there are these little plastic clips, if I recall, that hold the fuel lines onto the pump. They break very easily, so be careful when removing them

And while you're dealing with the fuel system, why not just replace the filter. It's easy enough on these trucks

 

He's got a '95 so there is no return line and the filter is part of the fuel pump module so it's not serviceable. If the old pump still works you can use it to pump the fuel out that's left in the tank. Dropping the tank isn't that big of a deal on these trucks if it's near empty. One thing you want to be careful of is you're probably going to have to swap over the rollover valve in the top of the fuel pump module. Spray it with WD-40 and work it out carefully so you don't break it.

A.J.

 

One last thing. Place the float the same exact position where the old one was, if incorrectly placed the float may get stuck and not read accurately.

 

Oh man, now I sound like a fool giving out wrong advice. What year did they change the unit, because I had a 92 and it was what I described it as

 

'94 was the first year of the returnless fuel system in our trucks.

A.J.

 

Don't want to hijack this post but we are going to be doing this same job shortly. Living up here in the snow and salt our tank straps look pretty rusty. Are the straps all the same for the different year Dakotas and body styles? Thanks and Good Luck Marcar with your re and re.

 

Far as I know, I think only first gen dakota straps will work. So 87-96 will work Definently.

 

i have a 93 that i did a year ago and as crazy said make sure to pay attention to the float. I didnt, got the tank back up, filled the tank cause it was reading empty cause it was but after I filled it up it still read empty ugh took done a now full tank and repositioned it right and walla.

 

That was an excellent point about the float position. Also that must have been a tough one . . . getting the tank down with a full tank of gas.
What's the simplest way to replace these complicated fuel lines that run from the tank up to the motor?