2001 Ram pickup 2500 5.9 gas - fuel pump replacement

So my pressure regulator is bad and I figured I would swap out the whole pump assembly. I climbed under the truck and started to remove the cross brace which spans left to right and goes under the gas tank. The first bolt snapped.....

Upon inspecting the bolt it seems that since it threads into the frame which is exposed to water, salt, slush, etc. Most of the bolt was eaten away and therefore broke. I expect the other 3 will also break, does anyone have any tips for this removal?

Next I inspected the gas tank strap bolts, they appear to also be rusted solid, does anyone have tips for removal of these? Do people cut the tank straps then heat the strap bolts once the tank is out of the truck? Or is it a big deal if those snap off? Can I replace the stud easily which the tank strap attaches to?

Let me know any tips you all might have!

Thanks!!!

you can try ,,like PB Blaster on hardware,,,or cutoff grinder ,,,sawsall,,,the bolts can be replaced ,,,think they are carriage bolt style heads,,,just replaced my pump,,,PB Blaster worked on mine,,that stuff was really rusty,,,no suprise living in Wisconsin!!!!

you can try ,,like PB Blaster on hardware,,,or cutoff grinder ,,,sawsall,,,the bolts can be replaced ,,,think they are carriage bolt style heads,,,just replaced my pump,,,PB Blaster worked on mine,,that stuff was really rusty,,,no suprise living in Wisconsin!!!!

Did you take off the cross brace under the tank? If so did any bolts break?

If the gas tank strap bolts are carriage style how would I replace them without removing the box of the truck?

I did soak everything in PB blaster last night, I'll repeat every day until this weekend!

PS, I'm in MN so it's no better for rust!!

mine is a 1/2 ton ,,,,there is no brace in the way,,,comes straight down,,,,carriage bolts will come out the bottom,,,,frame is punched with a slot to remove from the bottom...you might want to heat the nuts a little with a propane torch then give them a shot of PB,,helps wick to oil in the threds....

mine is a 1/2 ton ,,,,there is no brace in the way,,,comes straight down,,,,carriage bolts will come out the bottom,,,,frame is punched with a slot to remove from the bottom...you might want to heat the nuts a little with a propane torch then give them a shot of PB,,helps wick to oil in the threds....

I sure don't see slots for the bolt to come out....maybe the 1500 is different. What size gas tank do you have? Mine is the 34 gallon.

never really looked at the specs,,,,though it holds alot!!!

never really looked at the specs,,,,though it holds alot!!!

According to the dealer they (the gas tank strap studs) aren't replaceable, or at least they don't have a part listing for them. So I'd have to drill them out and create something. Luckily I was able to get the straps lose. PB blaster comes through again!!!

The cross member (maybe called the gas tank skid plate) is a different story though. 3 of the 4 bolts broke. I've got some drilling/tapping to do!

The good news is the new pump and regulator fixed my hard start issue.

If it's a 4x4 (no info on that provided) the cross member and skid plate, which is for the transfer case, does not have to be removed. I also have a 2500(35 gallon tank), and all you need to remove are the tank straps to lower the tank. And of course the fill tube and vent , fuel line and electrical connector obviously. So bottom line is. Replace the pump and deal with the skid plate after.

If it's a 4x4 (no info on that provided) the cross member and skid plate, which is for the transfer case, does not have to be removed. I also have a 2500(35 gallon tank), and all you need to remove are the tank straps to lower the tank. And of course the fill tube and vent , fuel line and electrical connector obviously. So bottom line is. Replace the pump and deal with the skid plate after.

It is a 4x4, I agree the skid plate under the transfer case does not have to be removed. But there is a bar bolted to the bottom of the truck which is under part of the gas tank. If I didn't remove it the gas tank would not come straight down. I removed it and 3 of the 4 bolts broke (after pb blasting them for a week). I drilled them out and retapped the holes, that worked fine. It was just some extra work for the drilling.

Luckily the gas tank strap bolts did not break, so I didn't have to worry about that.