Misfire help
CF Veteran
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,578
Likes: 302
From: Central Iowa
There’s pros & cons to either method, and I’m not saying one way is better or worse than the other. It depends on the situation and condition of the truck.
Pulling The bed makes replacing the pump easier (especially if the tank is full) but I’ve seen many of these trucks that are far too rusty to consider it. The nuts that the bolts thread into can easily break free of the tack welds (or break/strip the cage that holds them), and if the bolts are seized, pulling the bed becomes too much of a hassle due to the added time needed to remove them (at least from a labor standpoint for me).
I’ve only pulled the bed once for fuel pump replacement, and that was on a truck with dual tanks.
Dropping the tank allows for thorough cleaning and inspection of the wiring harness, fuel and brake lines, as well as the frame. It also makes any additional wiring or line repairs much easier.
Pulling The bed makes replacing the pump easier (especially if the tank is full) but I’ve seen many of these trucks that are far too rusty to consider it. The nuts that the bolts thread into can easily break free of the tack welds (or break/strip the cage that holds them), and if the bolts are seized, pulling the bed becomes too much of a hassle due to the added time needed to remove them (at least from a labor standpoint for me).
I’ve only pulled the bed once for fuel pump replacement, and that was on a truck with dual tanks.
Dropping the tank allows for thorough cleaning and inspection of the wiring harness, fuel and brake lines, as well as the frame. It also makes any additional wiring or line repairs much easier.
I want to add to what @Gumby22 said above, and say that if you are doing this work yourself, on my 1996 C1500 rather than drop the tank to replace the fuel pump, I unbolted the bed from the frame (there are 8 or 10 bolts that hold it on), removed the tail lights and tailgate, and unbolted the fill tube, and with just one helper, we lifted the bed and walked it backwards a few feet and exposed the gas tank. That made it trivial to replace the fuel pump without dropping the tank.
If your gas tank is entirely under the bed of the truck, unbolting the bed may make the job simpler than draining and dropping the tank.
If your gas tank is entirely under the bed of the truck, unbolting the bed may make the job simpler than draining and dropping the tank.
CF Pro Member
Joined: Mar 2024
Posts: 668
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From: Huntsville, AL
@Gumby22 It has been some years since I pulled the bed on the 1996 C1500, so it might be a different story 15 to 20 years later - I replaced that particular fuel pump in the mid 2000's. And I also live in Alabama, where road salt and underbody rust are really not common. It's a different story when you get a few states north of here...
If I had to do it today, and by myself, I guess I would put the truck up on jack stands, siphon all the gas out of the tank and pour into my other vehicles or some extra 5 gallon gas cans, and drop the tank. As you point out, those bed bolts haven't been touched in a lot of years now...
If I had to do it today, and by myself, I guess I would put the truck up on jack stands, siphon all the gas out of the tank and pour into my other vehicles or some extra 5 gallon gas cans, and drop the tank. As you point out, those bed bolts haven't been touched in a lot of years now...
CF Veteran
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,578
Likes: 302
From: Central Iowa
If I lived in the south, I’d probably pull beds far more often. 
I’m in Iowa and the brine mixture (in combination with salt) the DOT uses to help keep the roads clear of ice wreaks havoc on chassis systems. A typical 1996 Chevy in this area (and we have plenty of customers with vehicles that are 20+ years old) is a challenge for almost any chassis work, be it fuel pumps, brakes, or wheel bearings/tires.
Even newer vehicles that incorporate aluminum components into the chassis can be difficult to service.
I heard recently that a 50/50 mix of acetone & ATF is the best solution for removing rust - I just haven’t gotten around to testing it yet.
I’m in Iowa and the brine mixture (in combination with salt) the DOT uses to help keep the roads clear of ice wreaks havoc on chassis systems. A typical 1996 Chevy in this area (and we have plenty of customers with vehicles that are 20+ years old) is a challenge for almost any chassis work, be it fuel pumps, brakes, or wheel bearings/tires.
Even newer vehicles that incorporate aluminum components into the chassis can be difficult to service.
I heard recently that a 50/50 mix of acetone & ATF is the best solution for removing rust - I just haven’t gotten around to testing it yet.
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