'87 90q fuel pump woes

[Tom Nas <tnas@euronet.nl>]

Hi all,

When I bought my car, the fuel pump was quite noisy. However, on a
late-night run last Friday, my tank was almost empty (no 24-hour fuel
stations in sight, of course), and this seems to have made the noise even
worse. It's now so loud that even revving my engine doesn't make it produce
more noise that the pump. Decidedly uncool, not to mention less than
reliable.

I've been told that cleaning the filter helps, but I think, judging by the
noise, that it's past that phase. It's in a relatively easy place for
changing- at least mine's not submerged in carcinogenic fuel...

Any hints on what to do and what not to? Is there a generic or other-make
replacement that isn't as prone to failure as the original (like the BMW
bearings for the driveshaft)? Should I empty the fuel tank first or is it
easy to prevent spilling by closing off the fuel line? Lastly, being a
reasonably experienced mechanic, how long should this take with basic tools
(do I need any special tools?) and are there any pitfalls? I don't have a
Bentley, and my 80's Olyslager manual doesn't cover this.

I know this has been discussed before, so maybe a private reply would be
best to avoid deja-vu. At least this is not a subject for lengthy threads...

TIA!

Tom (off to change the coolant overflow tank)

 _______________________________________________________________________
 Tom Nas                                          Zeist, The Netherlands
 tnas@euronet.nl
 1988 Audi 80 1.8S, mostly Tizianrot metallic, 219,000km
 1987 Audi 90q 2.3E, Tizianrot metallic, 163,000km

    "We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."
                --Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.