georgeb944

Just finished replacing the fuel pump (in tank, under rear seat) on one of my A6 C5 cars (I currently have 5).

A few tips for those getting ready to do such a job:
1) Do it as a preventative measure. Mine was not giving me problems, but I will be taking a 3000 mile trip this summer, the car show 160K miles, and it's the kind of job you don't want to do on the side of the road.
2) Once you have removed the black triangular cover, use a shop vac to remove as much dirt as you can.
3) Get the factory tools. Shopping around, I was able to buy the lock ring tool for $45 and the pump release tool for $60. Well worth the cost to have a controlled encounter with this area.
4) Do the change when the tank is less than 1/4 full. No spillage.
5) Wear nitrile gloves.
6) My cost for a brand new pump from Amazon was $59. (Factory list is $490) I had already bought and installed the same pump from Amazon 5 years ago and it's going strong.

I can now make my trip without worrying about the fuel pump.

dwengi

Thanks for posting...I'm approaching 180K so I'm going to replace mine as a preventative measure.