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You're reminding me I never posted about my 2 repairs this summer.
Before going on vacation I embarked on the nightmare changing the sending unit because rust. A 2 hour job became a 4 day job. I rented a fuel pressure gauge and after a couple weeks trying to catch the problem (found it would often go away on the second consecutive long crank when I installed the guage between cranks).
Ordered the expensive Delphi Flex Fuel pump (because my truck supports flex fuel and I wanted to try E85 as it was the only thing close to affordable this summer that didn't involve siphoning). Found some YouTube videos that made it look easy. It went well till I tried to separate the plastic tank line quick connects from the rusted steel lines on the chassis. They were SO badly stuck together I ended up bending the steel and making it leak. I finally figured out that if I unclipped the tanks lines from the sending unit (easy) and from the tank line hold down clips (also easy, but not intuitive) I could have saved myself breaking leaks into the rusty line.
Unfortunately that metal fuel line is a discontinued part that is out of stock everywhere.
I got lucky on the pressure line in that it's only about 1' with 2 bends between the plastic tank line and the filter wasn't too hard to make a new line... Doorman had a kit with 2 pipes one with the filter screw fitting on one end, and a second pipe with a quick connect fitting on both ends. A 3/8 compression union fitting and some bending got me a convincing replacement. Side note bending 3/8" steel without kinking it is like asking an Olympic body builder to lift a truck by the sheet metal with denting it. My bending tool did more bending than the stinking tubing I was using it to bend!
Speaking of the filter, I planned to replace it, but there isn't enough room between the body of the filter and the quick connect fitting to insert the quick connect removal tool...How the hell does a shop technician change the darn thing?...Magic?
I was praying the return line which I hadn't snapped off with gorilla strength didn't have enough damage to leak...My prayers weren't answered. I then started looking for a place on the steel line where I could install a union fitting. (Insert sarcastic laughter) there was a place near the filter that MIGHT have been clean enough to install a union but it was so close to the frame and rusty bends between that I knew if I tried to bend it out an inch to attach a union it'd snap and leak at the bend...the next clean place was above the transmission...I was able to make it work but in-between there was a crimped in flex line I had to somehow replicate...I was smart enough to use nickel-copper brake line for everything but the quick connect end (more steel HARD line from doorman) I ran the hard line to the points where the flex line should be and used a brake line flaring tool to double flare the ends then slipped generic rubber fuel hose over the flares and hoose clamped it down.....Ooh did I mention I did better than half of the return line outside, at NIGHT, IN THE RAIN....I had good times contemplating my life choices a few days before I had to pack the Burban for vacation.
I almost tried to fix my transmission leak before vacation (had to pull the from drive shaft to install the return pipe union so I was roughly 1/3 of the way in to the leak fix work), but I was worried I didn't have enough time and after fixing the fuel system shortly after finishing the transmission swap on my Oldsmobile I had had entirely too much of doing involved auto repair...
Then due to 4th of July fireworks being delayed 5 days (due to predicted rain we never got) we pushed vacation back enough I almost did it anyway.
I ended up wishing I had fixed the leak because I put more than 4 quarts in over vacation, and the repair (dropping the transfer case and replacing a seal) was easier than the blasted sending unit job... Despite having to remove and install both drive shafts, half a dozen electrical connectors and a 30-50lb transfer case from under the car on jack stands...I had done this basic job once before to fix a transfer case leak from corrosion so I remembered how to do it, and probably was more efficient than the first time. I literally got it done in a day. I was lucky....in a way my truck has the 4L60... Apparently the the 4L60 4WD trans has no rear shaft seal (the 4L80 does) so I had only one seal instead of 2 to change...The bad news about that was that basically the seal between the transfer case and transmission was the only thing that kept the trans fluid from leaking out the back of the trans....I really have only my self to blame that leak. Back IIRC in 2019 when I fixed the transfer case leak I hadn't realized I needed the seal, was on a time crunch, and couldn't find an open parts store that stocked it the night I put it back together so I added some sillycone to the old damaged gasket bolted it up and said "if I have a small transmission leak I can live with monitoring it and topping it off from the engine compartment dipstick, and it's better than a transfer case leak I can't even check the level of without jacking up the truck and wallowing under with a wrench"... Of course that leak was much smaller a few years ago.
Glad it's fixed anyways. My truck didn't leak a drop of fluid for a couple months since then, but I'm worried I might have an oil leak or oil consumption....Since a week ago it was low enough to trip a warning light and it never lost measurable oil between changes before.
It's always something...
Though it gets points, for never leaving me stranded. Last year when the battery failed in winter It had the courtesy to do the warning die at an oil change place that could jump me, and then the "okay time to fix this" second time in the driveway.
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