Hi guys! 

Well I've decided to try and change out my mechanical fuel pump on my 1987 samurai, but before I do i'd like to gather any advice from you guys that i can!

First of all, I want to know if it really needs to be replaced.  Everything is working top-notch!, but the drain on the bottom of the old fuel pump is dripping oil down my engine and onto the from dif.  It's a very minor drip, i never see a puddle under the truck even after a few days of sitting.  I bought it recently and the guy who sold it said the engine was rebuilt less than 3k miles ago.  I don't know his exact words, but he basically told me it might drip a little oil until everything "settles".. (??)  If the engine is running perfect and the drip is the only problem, should i replace it, or give it some time?

Ok, so assuming i do need to replace it, is there anything special i need to know?  It looks like just 2 bolts and a gasket.  Is this going to be a quick swap or is there some other technical aspect i'm over looking? 

If any of you have replaced one of these before, please let me know how tough it was and weather or not a newbie should try this!

Also, I know the gasket needs some kinda of sealant.  What's the absolute best kind/brand?  And do i put the sealant on both metal surfaces and both sides of the gasket?

Some pics:

The old fuel pump:


The new fuel pump:


other side of new fuel pump:


gasket:


Other questions:
-The part came with 2 gaskets.  I'm assuming i only use one.  Am i correct? (yes i'm THAT much of a newb.)
-The black "lever" on the inside of the fuel pump, is that a tricky fit?  What does it attach to in there?
-I'm sure i'll think of some more soon...

Ok so if it's leaking and it really bothers you go ahead and change it, you will only use one of those gaskets, I always put a little rtv black silicone on the side that mates to the motor... As for your lever, they can be tricky they tend to have mood swings
between changes haha but you'll get it in, it slides in and the cam is what moves the lever down to make it "pump"

All in all it's an easy job even for a newb

Does the cam have to be in the right position?  Is there a possibility that i take the old one off and the cam won't be in the right position to put the new one in?  If so, and if the cam is not in the right position, what would i do?

thanks for the speedy reply!

Here's what you do, when you got the pump was there a piece of paper with it? look for the diagram that shows you wether or not the arm goes over the cam or below, I want to say it goes below, then when you are loosening the bolts to remove the old pump you'll notice the pump will ether start to be pushed down and out so just make sure to note this and that means when you put the new one in you need to start at that same angle it came out and you'll feel the cam, make sure you go under(or over if the diagram says so) then you'll have to pull up on it with one hand to make it sit straight with the hole then you can get your bolts started back. ALWAYS start your bolts by hand and tighten them as far as possible with your hand then use your ratchet to get them tight, not to tight as to not break them. I always just pay attention to how something comes apart and put it back the same way.

The fuel pump arm is not driven off the cam directly.  There is a metal rod that rides against a lobe on the cam and sticks into the area of the head where the fuel pump arm goes into (once you remove the old fuel pump, you will be able to see the metal rod....make sure it doesn't fall out, when you remove the old fuel pump....if it does, just push it back in....point is, the fuel pump won't work if the rod isn't in place to drive it).
From what I remember, the fuel pump arm gets moved more in and out, than up and down.  So when you go to put the new fuel pump on, just push the fuel pump straight onto the side of the head....don't try to slide it up or down, to get it into position.
There really is no "wrong" position for the fuel pump rod to be in, so you shouldn't need to worry about the fuel pump not wanting to fit correctly because of the rod being out of position.

Oh, and BTW the previous owner was either clueless or just flat out lied to you.  A fuel pump that leaks oil out of the bottom port needs to be replaced immediately.  What the leaking oil indicates is the internal diaphragm in the oil pump has ruptered and gas can leak into the engine oil and/or engine oil can leak out of the port in the fuel pump.  Once you get the fuel pump replaced, pull the engine oil dipstick and smell the oil on it.  If it smells like gas, you need to replace the engine oil and filter immediately.  Because that means there is gas in the oil and engine oil that is diluted with gas will not lubricate properly and engine damage can occur.

Alright! thanks for all the info guys!  I decided to postpone until the weekend so i can have a more experienced buddy of mine help me out, but from what you guys have said, it doesn't seem like it'll be a problem!  I'll let ya'll know how it goes!

A couple more things, be ready for oil to come out from the head when you remove the fuel pump, more came out then I expected and made a mess. Its really a simple job but I found cleaning the old gasket off the head was difficult. When putting the new pump on it might feel like it won't go on all the way, the lever on the back takes a bit of force to push it, I alternated evenly tightening the 2 nuts to pull the pump in to the head. I didn't use any sealant with the gasket, that might come back to haunt me, gasket dressing might not be a bad idea.

A couple more things, be ready for oil to come out from the head when you remove the fuel pump, more came out then I expected and made a mess. Its really a simple job but I found cleaning the old gasket off the head was difficult. When putting the new pump on it might feel like it won't go on all the way, the lever on the back takes a bit of force to push it, I alternated evenly tightening the 2 nuts to pull the pump in to the head. I didn't use any sealant with the gasket, that might come back to haunt me, gasket dressing might not be a bad idea.

thanks! i'll be sure to surround the area in paper towels when i loosen the bolts!  What did you use to clean off the old gasket?  any type of chemical/cleaner or should i expect to break our the chisel?

The fuel pump arm is not driven off the cam directly.  There is a metal rod that rides against a lobe on the cam and sticks into the area of the head where the fuel pump arm goes into

Interesting, I've never seen one like that, moat I've seen run directly off the cam lobe because they have that egg shape to them that makes for a compression then a decompression stroke, sounds better to have the arm there tho

Quote from: 02CalTaco on March 20, 2012, 11:26:20 PM

A couple more things, be ready for oil to come out from the head when you remove the fuel pump, more came out then I expected and made a mess. Its really a simple job but I found cleaning the old gasket off the head was difficult. When putting the new pump on it might feel like it won't go on all the way, the lever on the back takes a bit of force to push it, I alternated evenly tightening the 2 nuts to pull the pump in to the head. I didn't use any sealant with the gasket, that might come back to haunt me, gasket dressing might not be a bad idea.

thanks! i'll be sure to surround the area in paper towels when i loosen the bolts!  What did you use to clean off the old gasket?  any type of chemical/cleaner or should i expect to break our the chisel?

I used a single edge razor and a putty knife, tried to get in there the best I could but it was really difficult for me to get at it from all angles. If there is a product the loosens the paper gasket it might be worth buying. You might find that yours comes right off no problem though.

If the rod falls out put some wheel bearing grease on the end that you push into the engine, if the engine is cool it will hold it in place so you don't have to worry about it while you line the pump it.

Took me a while to get to this repair, but it's done and working great!  I can feel an increase in power and the dripping has stopped!  Thanks for all the info guys!

now to tackle the auto-to-manual choke installation...