Electric Fuel Pump Failure

[BWA]

I am really cheesed off.  I bought this Walbro inline fuel pump for my TR6 in 2012.  I did not get the car running until last fall and since then I have only driven the car 280 miles.  Yesterday I started the car up and the pump was screaming.
There is a prefilter after the tank and before the pump.  I have a return line back to the tank.
The car runs but it sounds like the bearings in the pump are toast.
I contacted the speed shop that I bought the pump from and they will not help me out as they say that the pump has no warranty!!

Below is a picture of this pump:


To replace this pump with the same make and model will cost me $224.00 Canadian.
I do not want to deal with this speed shop again.  Can you guys point me to some other pump that will be reliable.
Thanks for your time and consideration.

Cheers
Byron

[kstevusa]

Byron, you can google (US)  for replacement pumps  (In Tank EFI) at better price I think. try APE usa or- Auto Performance Engineering as they are called or TRE Performance fuel pumps.  They seem to have reasonable prices and quality pumps.  Maybe I miss understood  and you need a regular pump but most of our cars are modified and many are EFI now.   Hope this is some help.

[BWA]

My car has a 2003 GM 3400 fuel injected engine.
I set it up with an inline fuel pump.  Going to a in tank fuel pump would be an enormous amount of work.

Cheers
Byron

[kstevusa]

YES, but possibly less work than trying to get the in line to work properly. I tried an inline pump but was never happy with it.  You think buying a new tank and then cutting a large hole in it was a leap of faith :-). yes, but I've never had a moments problem with it.  Do it now or Do It Later, less expensive to do it now.

[DiDueColpi]

In tank all the way Byron.
In line high pressure pumps suffer from cavitation which kills them quickly.
They pull fuel so hard from the tank that it "boils" in the feed line.
Mounting it close to the tank. Something like 6" away, keeping it below the minimum fuel level and using an absurdly large supply line (1/2" or better) will help in the short term
To make it live you need to plumb in a low pressure supply pump.
The best place to mount that is....... in your tank.
So, put the high pressure pump in there instead and live happily ever after.

Live like you mean it.
Fred

[BWA]

Thanks Fred I appreciate your advice.  I checked the TR6's in the "How it was done section" and I saw one that had an in tank pump retro-fitted into the original TR6 gas tank.  I have contacted him to find out the make and model and to see if it had to be modified to work in the TR6 gas tank.
"Sigh" just when you think the big stuff is all over.......

Cheers
Byron

[minorv8]

I ran a similar inline Walbro for years in my turbo Mini. It has twin tanks feeding the pump. The pump is fitted just below the tanks. The car has a sealed HIF44 with return line. The fuel pressure regulator is a boost referenced Lotus Esprit type Malpassi. The retun line runs to the inlet side of the pump. The system sounds weird but works great. Originally the car had a typical Bosch Efi pump.

However I managed to kill the pump simply due to not running the car and having 5 years old gasoline in the system. Not only pump but the hoses and carb needed complete overhaul. I cut the dead pump apart to see what was the problem and the contact surface at the brushes was all varnished black. After cleaning it ran great... apart from the body being cut of course :-)

[Orange Alpine]

I'm using a 1985 Ford Mustang fuel pump.  OE application was in the tank, but it does quite nicely working inline and the price is right.

 As to inline or intank/fuel intake, all that is controlled by the location and design of the fuel intake, not pump location.

Bill

[danmas]

YES, but possibly less work than trying to get the in line to work properly. I tried an inline pump but was never happy with it.

FWIW, I've had an inline pump on mine for 7 years with no problems. It may fail tomorrow, but so far, so good.

It is noisy. Perhaps an in-tank would be quieter.

[DiDueColpi]

In the carburated world where the fuel pump is stressed roughly 800% less. Inline pumps work ok.
But they still have issues with noise, early wear and vapor lock.
High pressure EFI systems are a different deal altogether.
The pump works much harder and needs every advantage that it can get.
You haven't seen inline pumps in the OEM world for decades now. And for good reason.
Intank pumps are quieter, last longer, safer and perform better.
In line pumps certainly can be made to work.
But if given the choice why not do it a better way?

Cheers
Fred

[danmas]

In the carburated world where the fuel pump is stressed roughly 800% less. Inline pumps work ok.

FWIW, I have fuel injection. The. In-line pump was included in the FI kit from Edelbrock.

[DiDueColpi]

I ain't tryin to cause no trouble......
Just relaying what I run into every day.
Clearly your system was well installed Dan. And I wasn't meaning to knock it.

Cheers
Fred

[danmas]

ain't tryin to cause no trouble....

Didn't take it that way. I value your opinion more than I do most.

Dan

[kstevusa]

You guys are making us Sick :-)   As Rhett Butler would say,"Frankly Scarlett, I don't give a Damn"

[Orange Alpine]

800% less.  Just how much is that?  100% less means we have achieved zero.   Does 800% less mean the fuel flow turns the pump into a generator and charges the battery?

Bill

[BWA]

I drained my gas tank and removed the pre-filter and found that the 10 micron screen was full of crud.  I cleaned it up and put it back in and put the gas back in the tank.
I fired up the car and it runs, the pump is now louder than before this problem.  I suspect that it is now damaged.
I did a search on Bing Images for in tank fuel pumps for GM 3400 V6 engines and it looks like a pump from a 2003 Olds Alero is a possible fit.  I got a rough measurement from the image and it looks like it is about 8.5" from the bottom to the underside of the mounting flange.  I am going to go to Pick and Pull and get one for measurement purposes.  If it fits I will buy a new one from  a local parts place.



Thanks for your input!!

Cheers
Byron

[DiDueColpi]

Oh come on Kelly..........Group hug .........anyone?

[kstevusa]

Made in Jest, I know, Fred
 Yes, that GM pump will probably fuel you engine.  I had a 98 Malibu with the similar configuration.  Removed the nylon lines an used Aeroquip SS 3/8 and  dedicated EFI hose clamps.  On Dyno pull. the A/F ratio was almost flat across the band at 14.3 to 1. No evidence of fuel starvation on my 5.0L Ford.   RIP

[BWA]

Kelly thanks for the info on the fittings. I was wondering how I was going to attach high pressure fittings to those plastic lines.


Cheers
Byron