2001 M-B ML320 Fuel Pump Replacement

Fuel Pump Replacement on a 2001 Mercedes-Benz ML320. How to remove the rear seat to get access to the service panel.
Fuel Pump:
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[@elmono3939]

My mechanic was making big deal out of it. Quoted me $800 to replace the pump. I purchased the pump for under $100.00 on-line, watched your video, and did it myself. $700.00 saved. Thank you !

[@DaytonCarCare]

The high quote was because typically most domestic SUVs and trucks you have to either drop the tank or remove the bed to access the pump. Most German cars are different and have the access panel. Audi sedans would have under the seat and BMW sedans would have this access panel in the trunk.

[@elmono3939]

@@DaytonCarCare : true... yesterday, i happened to replace same pump for my friend... must say, the biggest deal was removing rear seats.... pump install itself took about 10 minutes... Your tutorial is great and I wanna thank you again for posting it !

[@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary]

People like you posting VERY HELPFUL VIDEOS is what makes KZbin worth the while!! Thank you my friend!

[@abdullahmatteo9316]

I realize Im kinda off topic but does anyone know of a good website to watch new series online ?

[@johnnycrew2517]

@Abdullah Matteo try flixzone. You can find it on google :)

[@moviestudioland]

Steve, thank you for this video. IT helped me IMMENSELY. My old fuel pump would not come out. I had to break it in pieces to get it out. I did not know how DIFFICULT it is to attach the float AFTER the pump is held partly into the gas tank. That might be the most difficult part. For me this whole thing was very difficult and I spilled a lot of gasoline. I was able to unbolt the seat and just move the seat forward about a foot. Thank you for this great video.

[@sjo800]

Thanks Blane great help but what a job removing the seat ! Without your advice there would have been a fair few broken plastic panels !

[@McMichen]

For sure. There are a lot of snaps, fasteners, and tucks. I guess that is how they keep the vibration noise low, but it sure makes maintenance work more difficult. Glad to help.

[@psalm2forliberty577]

Thanks Brother great video showing a lot of this challengingly job. I'm changing my Fuel filter, but that requires me gaining access to fuel pump to release hose connectors. Fun fun fun....

[@McMichen]

I had not done that job. Are you sure there isn’t another in-line connector in between? Just a random thought.

[@psalm2forliberty577]

@@McMichen Ok so you have your original Fuel Filter (unchanged) ? The jobs are somewhat parallel, with the FF (also has pressure reg / ck valve built in) having like 3 or 4 connectors - it's buried on top of frame rail between body & frame. Pulling LR wheel & inner liner is required to access. Then you disconnect 2 lines & pull it out with the 2 short hoses that attach to Pump Ports. There's just no easy way (everyone says) to detach lines and not risk breaking them from Fuel Filter w/o detaching first at pump ports. Yes, I may need Fuel pump, and have it on hand. But I'll test first w new FF both drive & Fuel Pressure monitoring. Probably drive for 1-2 tanks of fuel w/o reinstall rear seat. I actually trust my OE pump MAY have many more miles to go, before I try the cheap China pump from Amazon I have here. Appreciate your quick response Blaine ! David in Texas

[@McMichen]

@@psalm2forliberty577 I never changed it but previous owner did all dealer maintenance, so I think it was done. I no longer have the vehicle. Gave it to a family member and it is still going strong.

[@psalm2forliberty577]

@@McMichen Great - I bet they're blessed to have it. Driving an ML is akin to being transported in a bank vault. Just pulling that rear 60% seat, it's H E A V Y. Muffler shop owner remarked when modding my ML "heaviest gauge exhaust tubing I've EVER cut through"....lol Take care - David

[@dongkapuyawn5107]

Hi Blane, which brand fuel pump and fuel lines

[@McMichen]

Hi Dong, I just looked for the part on Amazon and paid less than $50. The brand I got was "A ABIGAIL", but I don't see it listed any longer, but there are other brands, also. I have bought ECCPP brand for a Ford, and TOPSCOPE for a VW and they worked fine, also. I did not need to replace any fuel lines. As far as installing, it does need to go in at an angle and rotate to align the arrow marks that I show in the video. MAKE SURE THAT YOU DISCOUNECT YOUR BATTERY AND NO OTHER SPARK SOURCES (DROP LIGHT, FANS, ETC.) ARE NEARBY. (BTW - You will need the code for your radio when you reconnect the battery.) The worst part is taking the original fuel pump out, because it drips gas. It's best to do it when the fuel tank is almost empty, but you really can't know when your fuel pump will go out ... so that may not be an option. I would recommend putting a towel around the area and having a bucket handy so you can pull it out and go right into the bucket inside the car, so you don't leave a trail of fuel on the way out. It really isn't a very difficult job, you just need to take your time. I'm sure you will do fine.

[@RayHenry100]

Great job. Very clearly explained. Thank you.

[@McMichen]

Thank you

[@ELFAMVLOGS]

I’ll give you all the credits for doing it your own, so nice save tons of money for labor. Btw, I smelled gas in my ML 350 and just the labor alone is $963.00 to drop the fuel to check where it’s leaking from, I wish we could do it our own to save money but unfortunately we are not mechanically inclined.

[@lucjaimar4494]

Great video! Very helpful. Thxs!

[@ozzie6208]

Great video thank you

[@psalm2forliberty577]

Blaine, how's your inexpensive Amazon China fuel pump holding up ? Its been 5 years & how many miles lasting ? (I read you sold it to family maybe you know the miles ?) Thanks David in Texas

[@FMSTheWord]

Thank you, excellent video, question, where did you connect the float?

[@heartsandpunzie3296]

Cool video thank you 👍👍

[@diegopereiraperes3481]

Hi, I'm from Brazil so I'm using Google Translate. As I saw your vast knowledge on Mercedes ML320 maybe you can help me. my ML320 year 2000 AB 54 V6 Petrol. It stopped operating 5 years ago and remained in the garage, I'm doing the repairs at home, I'm an electrical technician, I've already tested and replaced all the fuses and relays that didn't work. Then the ignition part works well on the coils and spark plugs. When I breathe fuel through the throttle body it works. I removed the old fuel, cleaned the fuel tank, replaced the complete pump system, filter and hoses. Where is the thinner hose that comes out of the fuel filter connected to? Is there a fuel pressure sensor? If there is a pressure sensor, where is it? Here I have no signal at the fuel pump, but if I inject + 12 v into Fuse 38 the fuel pump turns on. I cleaned and replaced the injection nozzles and tested them all out and they are ok. However, I don't have a negative pulse on them, just 12v +. The OBD2 Scanner I have does not show any error in the ECU, but it does show an error in some sensors.

[@ericr6287]

Very good video. Not enough emphasis on the pain of getting the back seat out. The trim is a pain, releasing the tabs not easy. I notice when putting my trim back on, that I had broken a few of the tabs. On my 2002, the right back seat had to come out before the left. The seat shared one bolt in the middle and the right was on top of the left at this location. So many bolts! The seats are not so light. I got away without removing the decretive plate at the door and was still able to fold the carpet back enough to get it cleared from pump. Removing the lid over the pump takes time and mine was put in with a lot of glue. Took a long time to remove glue and lid still had to be pried up because there was significant amounts of glue underneath that that had to be ripped during the removal. Blane, how did you remove the ring locking holding the pump in place? There was no way that mine could have been removed using just your hands. Had to use a very big flat head screwdriver and dead blow hammer to get it spun the first 1/8 turn. Ring is tougher than you would think and the raised ribs, grips seem not to have suffered any from my broad screwdriver head. This method of driving the ring rotation by applying heavy blows in the direction of rotation seemed to work well. I had to do the same thing to get the ring spun tightly back on. I would recommend having the tank as empty as possible when removing the pump. The more gas in the take, the gas that will come out when the pump is removed. I used a large garbage bad that I had cut one corner off to cover the carpet. draped the bag around the hole with the pump, much like a doctor does when isolating the area they are going to operate on. When removing the pump, the bag can be used to capture the pump and gas. Just wrap the pump up in the bag.

[@McMichen]

Hi Eric. My primary motivation for making the video was the difficulty inaccessing the pump. Specifically, removing the trim pieces and the seat. I removed the ring with a homemade spanner type wrench. It is just to flat peices of band iron hinged on the middle and two bolts with the heads cut off for engagement pins. Your method is fine, too. As long as the bearing point is not too sharp, so it won't cut. I suppose a piece of wood could do the job. I agree about the low fuel level, but I don't know how you manage that if you have a full tank when the pump fails. The fill tube has an antisyphon block. I suppose you could syphon the gas out from the pump port before removing the pump. There is enough room to get a hose past the pump with oi it removing the pump. Thanks for the comments. I'm sure others will take your advice about lining the area with a trash bag.

[@moviestudioland]

Actually - thank you Blane!!

[@McMichen]

So glad you could learn from my mistakes! :)

[@RabeccaPhiri-bw5me]

Thanks so how can I find the pamp, feel gage

[@TheCsback1021]

Great video ...BUT, I've tried 2 x to set the new pump. Getting the float into the tank without detaching is a real problem. The fuel lines were horrible to remove...I wish I never tried this project

[@matthewperry5083]

Thanks Blane

[@mitchellmoores7553]

Any idea where the fuel pressure sensor is on the ml320? I'm having trouble finding any Information on its location. I might have to do my pump as well as my fuel Gauge isn't working properly either.

[@McMichen]

I can’t say for sure because I no longer have the vehicle. It is probably at the end of the fuel rail. There are probably 2 sensors if there are two rails for the V-6. If the fuel rail is U-shape the. There may only be one.

[@MikeCampSucksFatDick]

How do I know if my pump is bad? I read that everything will work fine maybe says tank is empty early is all. I'd like to think I only need to replace it when its not starting though?

[@McMichen]

Any early sign that it is getting old may be a gas gauge that doesn’t work properly, because it is part of the pump unit. Occasionally you will get some warning from a hesitation while driving, but that could be from any number of things. When the pump quits your car will stop running and will not start again. One of mine died at a stop light and I had to get a tow home. Generally they are pretty reliable, but when the vehicle is older than 10 years old it could fail.

[@MikeCampSucksFatDick]

So I put a new fuel pump in but your video skips the part of how to get it in the hole. I broke one of the tabs that holds onto the float. Last few months been taking it out and trying to use glue or steelstik to keep it on. Some cases it comes off other cases the metal contacts on the resistor broke even though the float is still on. The hoses on top are new but now they're leaking from me going in there a bunch. Currently I got the float on and the resistor is fixed but the arm is so stiff from my repairs that it doesn't move with the gas. Anyway, just buying a whole new set of hoses and pump again. How do you get the pump in the hole with the float connected?

[@MrDeleoco]

sAVEd ME A HEADACHE; you made it look feasible.... can-do project

[@jamfuntime]

I’m glad it was a encouragement. Many money saving projects are not difficult, but without some helpful advice they can be impossible. I’m not trying to monetize, just paying forward the helpful advice I appreciated from others. Blessings.

[@Menga213]

@@jamfuntime when do you change the fuel pump? and the fuel filter? i have 180k miles

[@travisskinner6114]

What does the wire that plugs in under the seat actually go to? I got in a hurry and forgot to plug it back together and not really wanting to take that seat back out to connect it back together if I don't have to

[@McMichen]

I’m not sure. It could be the seatbelt alarm that dings if a passenger’s seatbelt is not secure.

[@travisskinner6114]

Thank you. That's what I figured as well

[@balikci035]

only thing is why you didn’t cover the back Carpet when you pull the gas pump all the gas was leaked everywhere that carpet going to smell long time ! but thanks anyway!!

[@Menga213]

when do you recommend to change the fuel pump? and when do you recommend to change the fuel filter?

[@McMichen]

Good question. I just waited until mine failed, but I was not the original owner, so I had no idea about the history. Mine failed at 125,000 miles, so if you want to avoid being stranded, I’d say every 100,000. Fuel filter should be at least the same or less, but it can be more if you are sure that you buy fuel at a reputable fuel station that changes its filters often.

[@Menga213]

@@McMichen i just got a used ml320 at 170k. I am trying to think what i have to maintenance.

[@McMichen]

@@Menga213 sometimes you cannot predict what will happen. Some things I had to replace... power steering hose off of the pump cracked and leaked; power steering fluid reservoir because filter is integral (makes squealing sound); other than that oil changes, battery, etc.

[@Menga213]

@@McMichen Nice so basically change all fluids to prevent future problems. Hey by any chance did you ever get problems with your door locks? did you replace all actuator? or fueses?

[@McMichen]

@@Menga213 I only had a problem with the rear latch. The actuator worked, but the plastic connection broke. I got a replacement at a local pull-a-part yard.

[@sherridavis3741]

What does the connection to the seat do..? What does it go to?

[@McMichen]

I am not sure, but I can guess. I think it is a weight switch that will determine if the rear/side airbags deploy. Otherwise it could be a seatbelt sensor/indicator.

[@user-nh4ci3gz6x]

Does it works also for ML 55 W163 AMG 2003 ? Thanks

[@McMichen]

I haven’t worked on that model, but I’m sure it is very similar. I changed one on a 2004 VW Passat and it was similar. Look for a round access panel under the carpet above your fuel tank. Most German models will be similar. The pump will be different, but the procedure is relatively the same.

[@jamesgallavin904]

Is it the same process for a W163 CRDI?

[@McMichen]

It should be very similar.

[@sebastiansawicki2662]

You mised a verry impprtant moment, how to a put inside a new one.

[@McMichen]

No real some answer. You probably figured out that you need to put the float in first by tilting the assmebly, lowering it and rotating it into position, until the arrow marks lined up. It is nice than it is new and not dripping fuel like when you take it out.

[@viggoM35]

There's suppose to be a rubber seal for the cover under the seat. Looks like yours is missing then replaced with some sealant. You could probably make another seal with an old tire tube or other sort of rubber

[@trainingrevolution2031]

For other's watching.....There isn't supposed to be a rubber seal for the cover. From the factory they used a heavy amount of body sealant (butyl), this is what he is scraping off in this video. A rubber seal alone wouldn't work because the cover doesn't have any fasteners on it.

[@benekaiwi1]

Can I use my fuel pump from my ml320 for my ml430?

[@McMichen]

I don’t know. You need to compare part numbers for compatibility.

[@shortiemexico9048]

I have a ML55 AMG would this be similar process?

[@McMichen]

I'm not familiar with the ML55, but I changed the fuel pump in a VW Passat and it was very similar. There was an access panel under the carpet behind the back seat, in the trunk. My guess is that most German vehicles will be somewhat similar. The trick is to find out where the panel is located and how to remove the interior trim to access it.

[@madeinaustralia2020]

Surely you don’t have to pull the whole seat out?

[@McMichen]

I suppose you could cut a hole in the carpet, but I didn’t want to do that.

[@daw2310]

@@McMichen If i intended to take a sharp razor knife/ carpet cutter and leave the carpet and trim undisturbed, 2 questions: 1. Can I feel the round cover under the carpet? 2. Any danger of cutting an important wire, etc.? Thank you so much, David in Longmont ('98 ML320 - 107k miles, 2nd owner)

[@daw2310]

@@McMichen Hi again Blane. Not suggesting anyone should want to cut the hole, but do you think I can feel the cover under the carpet so I'd know where to cut? And, is there anything I could be cutting accidentally? Thanks for the prompt response, David

[@McMichen]

@@daw2310 I don’t think you can feel it because of the carpet pad. You may be able to feel it, but the ridge is pretty small. You may be able to cut a square on three sides to make a “flap” that you can fold back to access the area. You would need to look at the video to guess where to start cutting. If you start with a cut close to the seat base (side to side direction) you may be able to get your hand in to feel where to make the two cuts front to back. I’ve cut you can fold it back in the direction of the tailgate. This cut would leave the “open end” facing the seat and not in the cargo area.

[@figgiefigueroa7372]

I just wanted to see the way to inserted back in 😭😭😭😭

[@richardfinnegan4275]

10 minutes on carpet and then skip the install lol

[@figgiefigueroa7372]

@@richardfinnegan4275 Thanks

[@customerrepprotect2160]

Woww! The locking ring just flew right off!👎🏼👎🏻👎🏼

[@McMichen]

Interesting. The large threaded ring that holds the pump in place? Did you turn it or pry it off? It is threaded like a large nut.