Boot floor removal - please help

[L66TEY]

Hoping for assistance.... ideally a visual guide on how to remove the boot floor?

Im faced with having to change the fuel pump, and having done an initial check I don't think it's possible to do so without removing the boot floor completely - and I'd like to avoid having to remove the roll bar (FIA) fitted to my 2010 R300D.

With thanks

Chris

 

 

[timb2117]

Sorry different spec but cant imagine it being too updated, on my 05 k series;

carpet out. around perimeter of boot series of screws, about 10. remove, rear alloy honeycomb panel lifts out with a  jiggle around the fuel filler, pipes removed also. then front panel is ply....many comments on this panel :) lift out central alloy support brace removed with screws either end. bingo.

Sorry if yours is beyond this in development but it is easy. If your pump is side mounted you are going to have to lift out the fuel tank, again just follow logic, its probably a  great time to empty and clean it too. 

Hope this helps Tim

[Wrightpayne]

Chris

my '98 car has less screws then Tims - four I think!  Mine is a two part floor - ply nearest the bulkhead and ally honeycombe to the rear.
 

On mine remove fuel filler cover, remove screws holding the honeycombe panel then lift one end and angle it upwards one side to the other and front to back. Carefully manoeuvre until one end is clear of the upper chassis tube then thread it out. Just be careful not to damage the side skin - gentle, controlled movements and no force. If it sticks, ease it back and try a slightly different route.

To fully remove it you will need to remove the filler neck tube and disconnect the breathers. On my boot floor I cut out the thin section that runs between the rear skin and fuel filler/breathers on the tank. This means the floor will lift out completely without disconnecting any fuel pipes. Perhaps something to consider once it is out?

Just be patient - it will come out.

Ian

[John Vine]

I imagine your boot floor is the same as my 2008 S3 one:

To get at the fuel pump, you need only remove the rear alloy honeycomb panel: three self-tappers along the leading edge,  two along the trailing edge, plus two more holding the filler cover.

It is (just) possible to lift out this panel completely by careful juggling past the rollbar, although I found I had to first remove a couple of the bolts holding the rear wings. (I later cut V-slots in the panel to avoid this.)  However, with luck, you should be able to get at the pump by manoeuvring the panel sufficiently out of the way without having to lift it out completely.

JV

 

[Golf Juliet Tango]

My limited experience of removing & replacing the boot floor is that at one moment it appears impossible then suddenly it is out (or conversely, back in).

One tip is to protect the inside of the skin, particularly around the chassis tube where the painted skin rolls over the top tube, there is a likelihood that it will get scratched on the way out or in.

[John Vine]

Agree about scratches.  

Out of interest, what's the problem with your pump?

JV

[Benton]

Agree about scratches

And it's easy to catch the roll bar, and wear gloves!

 

[TomB]

And cut the Ali honeycomb section part of the boot floor in half while it’s out, makes it much much easier to refit. Mine now has a left side and right side, mine has most of a tube of RTV silicone helping secure it. 

[L66TEY]

Thank you Gents,

Sounds like I just need to man up and give it a go. 

Appreciate the various pointers and hints. 

In regards to why I'm replacing it - the plastic tube collar that attaches the lid to the main lower body has cracked, hence the spring is not retained, subsequently the lower part is presently only held on by the wires and fuel line. 

End result being a super unreliable fuel gauge. 

Having recovered from checking out the price of a new unit via CC, I found a used one for £30 on eBay. 

I'll let you know how I get on. 

Many thanks

Chris 

[Dave Hardcastle]

Another vote for TomB's idea at #8 above. I did the same and removing the floor is now wonderfully easy!

[paul richards]

 Cutting the boot floor is unnecessary.  If you have hood sticks move them up out of the way. If you have a Duratec engine beware. There may be some wiring attached under the boot floor. 

[TomB]

I disagree - whenever I've done it, its been a proper PITA to remove without scraping something.  For various reasons I've had the boot floor in and out a number of times in recent years, plus I've got a painted roll bar I don't want it picking up scratches from the viscous edges of the honeycomb.  It makes it hugely easier to manipulate without damage and swearing.  I'm sure there is a knack to the whole floor, but I can't recall what it is, and in finding the knack, there is a high chance of paint damage to the bar and the skin where its bend around the top of the boot.  

[Dave Hardcastle]

I always found it was the boot roll-tops that caught, not the sticks.

[Blue C7]

There is definitely a knack. When I finally got mine out I put two layers of aluminium Tate around the edge of the honeycomb to try and help soften the edge. 

[Blue C7]

Sorry should read aluminium tape. 

[David Brown]

Having just replaced the fuel pump (in the top of the tank) on my CSR Sv, I struggled with this. Never managed to get the floor out but found that by tilting the floor up I could get the screws out and pump removed and replaced. Was complicated by two of the screws just spinning as rivnuts int the tank were turning. With some trepidation and slow spe speed I managed to drill them out and fit two new rivnuts. Hope you don't have this additional frustration. At great expense, I fitted a new pump as didn't want to have to repeat the job. Just check the pump flow rates as ones that look the same have outputs suited to Berlingo vans rather than Rover SVR. 

[L66TEY]

So.... good progress tonight but now looking for insights (HELP) into the method/technique to disconnect the fuel line fixing from the fuel pump. 
Like you David, I settled on leaving the boot floor in a position good enough to provide access to the pump.

As pictures speak a thousand words here's a couple;

Chris  

[SLR No.77]

Sorry Chris, I can't help with your fuel pump (mine's a 1999 car) but regarding the boot floor I've just removed and refitted mine surprisingly easily.

In the past I've removed the filler assembly then removed the boot floor left side first, this time I did it to the right and it came out easily!

Firstly I removed the hood stick straps where they're screwed to the rear panel so the hood sticks could be flipped forwards without the straps being in the way.  I then removed the filler cap and unscrewed the filler neck from the rear panel. Having removed various screws and cut through the sealant round the edge, I then lifted the forward edge of the floor first, but then forced the filer neck assembly forwards to allow it to pass through the hole in the floor as I raised the RH side. Doing it this way it passed easily above the boot lip enabling it to be drawn out through the RH side of the rollbar, something must be different because I've always struggled taking it out via the LH side which to me seemed the more obvious method.

To my surprise refitting was a simple reversal of removal with no scratches to the paint or sliced fingers.

For info ...

As per TomB's floor setup, in my old car I'd cut the floor into two pieces just to the left of the filler assembly, thereby making removal really easy and enabling just the LH section to be removed to check the diff oil. In my current car rather than cutting the complete floor I've made an access panel, a small section cut out then a couple of ally strips and rivnuts to secure the panel in place.

Stu.

[SM25T]

Do a search on that here. Often discussed. Easy to break. It's a Ford part I recall.

[L66TEY]

Thank you Stu and SM25T.

Ive got the replacement Fuel Pump ready, it is indeed a Ford item, 3M51-9H307 P1697156AT.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to locate info on the L7C site for the fuel pump pipe removal, but a Google.com search eventually led me to the following video which gave me the answer;

Fuel pump connectors - quick disconnects - 2004 Ford Ranger

As per the image below - it was rather simple in the end, just had to apply pressure to the "tab" part of the connector (red arrow) and the pipe came away from the fuel pump - noting I had to twist the pipe circa 180 degrees to get access to the "tab".

Stu,
Thank you for your suggestion of the Diff Oil Access 'door' - I think I shall be making that mod :)

Next step is to carry out the full removal and then refitment of the new (used) Fuel Pump.

Chris

[David Brown]

Sorry for the late reply but my pump is completely different with a solid pipe running down to the side of the tank with a difficult to access quick release. 

[SM25T]

That's the Rover injection pump unit, not the top mounted Ford.

[David Brown]

I said that it was a Rover unit in #16. 

[L66TEY]

Thank you David,

Hopefully this thread can be of assistance for years to come to both Ford and Rover Caterham owners scratching their heads like I have been doing.

Albeit, thanks to fellow members Im now set to achieve my objective - plus learnt a few modification 'tricks' along the way.

Chris