Fuel pump replacement

[newyear]

Hi
I am planning to replace my existing fuel pump but would appreciate some advice or views on a suitable replacement.Rock Auto list a Carter(One only in stock) and Airtex pumps.These look superficially the same to me.My existing pump has a sight glass and vacuum lines attached.The Airtex is the pump pictured at the
bottom.
Many thanks
Peter

[jopizz]

Do you still have vacuum wipers? If so you will need the dual action pump like the one you have. Both Carter and Airtex have been making fuel pumps for many years. Since the Carter is $10 cheaper I would go with that one. If you have converted to electric wipers then you don't need the dual action pump and you can go with one of the cheaper alternatives.

John

[Deanj]

Is an electric fuel pump an option? I rank that right up there with electric wipers and washers. I can see if replacing vacuum unit if it's a straight replacement.

Dean

[newyear]

Thank you John and Dean.A Carter is on its way.I have read some of the threads concerning electric pumps but have decided to be conventional.
Regards
Peter

[DKheld]

I was just about to inquire on the same subject !!

Here's what I can add....(in one of my usual long winded dissertations)

Ordered an Airtex ATX-3461 (dual action style) in Aug 2014 from Rock Auto. (still have the receipt on this one)

It failed about a week later. It was pumping fuel however the failure was the oil seal - it was dripping a fairly good amount of oil out of the fuel pump after each drive. Enough that it would blow back on the manifold while driving and you would smell oil burning going down the road.
Here's a pic - you can probably make out the brown oil all over the top of the gray fuel pump as well as the oil on the power steering pump and hose.


Contacted Rock Auto and they had a new one on the way shortly.

Pretty sure that one failed too but after the one year warranty.

Bought another AirTex Dual action and "thought" I bought one that had the lifetime warranty - seems like it was about $89 from Advance Auto (local US parts supplier) but I figured that would at least keep me from having to pay for the pumps that seem to fail sooner than later even if I do have to replace it. (still looking for the receipt on this one - darn it) This pump failed about 2 weeks ago - left me stranded in a parking lot so at least I was not on the side of the road. Was close enough to the house that I just filled the fuel bowls a few times and limped home.

Also - when I installed it some time back - the inlet and outlets were different sizes than ALL the other ones I've bought. Had to make an extra trip to the parts store for more adapters.
Here's a pic of the last one on the right...


Considering the electric option but that will mean either leaving the bad pump on there for the wiper vac boost or going with the electric wiper option. Leaning toward just leaving the old pump on and installing an electric.

Next question is - where? Near the tank in the back seems the best as far as less heat on the electric pump but running the wiring will be a bit harder and will have to either cut the new fuel line I ran or install more adapters. The new electrics are not bullet proof either. Lots of folks using them to replace the SU electric pumps on the MGA's I work on. Most carry a spare electric pump - or two.

Eric

[Frango100]

It can be a coincidence, but I had an electrical pump from Airtex on my Jeep and that one also stopped working in a bit more than a year time. A very noisy pump from the beginning and to me it seems bad quality.
I now run a carter pump in my jeep. ( I know, its a whole other principle pump, but for me no Airtex stuff anymore).
I can´t find a brand on the mechanical pump on my bird, but it doesn´t seem to be that old. I just installed an electrical vane type pump from Carter, regulated at 6 psi, just for priming the fuel bowls and preventing long cranking times. That the electrical pump can be used as a back-up in case the mechanical pump fails, is just a bonus.

[Penelope]

I had the same issue on my '60 and permanently deleted the mechanical pump when i had the engine rebuilt recently and I installed a Holley "red" electrical fuel pump. Suffice to say that with the thin rubber mounting they supply, you couldnt hear yourself talk inside. I am experimenting with ways to quieten it down as we speak, next is a four layer of rubber tyre tube fashioned into a gasket / mounting. It seems wherever you mount it the vibrations / noise will travel so making the feet better has to be the go. I will finish this today / tonight and will update.

[DKheld]

The MGA has rubber hangers/isolators for the exhaust.
Had the old ones laying about.
Installed an old one between the new fuel pump and frame to try and dampen the fuel pump sound.
Helped quite a bit but still did not take all the racket away.
They are fairly cheap but with shipping I guess it would be $20.
Might be something similar available local??
(if your fuel pump is rubber isolated though you do need to run a separate ground wire)

Just a thought for something that may work on the Tbird.
I have another old MGA hanger around and will probably use it on my Tbird if I go electric.

Here is the MGA exhaust hanger.

https://mossmotors.com/mount?assoc=16564

Eric

[Penelope]

The MGA has rubber hangers/isolators for the exhaust.
Had the old ones laying about.
Installed an old one between the new fuel pump and frame to try and dampen the fuel pump sound.
Helped quite a bit but still did not take all the racket away.
They are fairly cheap but with shipping I guess it would be $20.
Might be something similar available local??
(if your fuel pump is rubber isolated though you do need to run a separate ground wire)

Just a thought for something that may work on the Tbird.
I have another old MGA hanger around and will probably use it on my Tbird if I go electric.

Here is the MGA exhaust hanger.

https://mossmotors.com/mount?assoc=16564

Eric

Cheers for that Eric, just tried the same thing with an old engine mount...unsuccessfully. Same story for old rubber tube. I will beat this!

[mh434]

Mine has an electric pump mounted on the side of the spare wheel well, just visible top left in the underside shot. I've not identified a make yet but it seems to do the trick even though it is a bit on the small side. Apart from the initial clicking when you turn the key its inaudible.

Jon

[c4clewis]

It looks like Jon has a Gerotor style pump which is much quieter than others. I have found the Holley pumps to be LOUD!!!

If you start with a cheap, loud pump, you will put a lot of time and effort into quieting it down. I spent a lot of time working with isolators, enclosures, etc to try to quiet down an electric pump. No matter what you do, it will be quieter, but will still be loud.

Your options (IMO) for a "quiet" electric pump are to either drop your tank and do an in-tank pump (best) or spend the money and get the gerotor style pump from the get-go.

The plus of the in-tank setup is that you have the option of swapping to a new fuel injection setup in the future if you choose to.

Anyway though, if you only want to spend $20, expect $20 performance.

[pbf777]

Next question is - where? Near the tank in the back seems the best as far as less heat on the electric pump but running the wiring will be a bit harder and will have to either cut the new fuel line I ran or install more adapters. Eric

Yes, generally one would want to mount the electric pump (universal/remote/inline) to the rear of the vehicle as these units are more efficient at pushing fuel vs. siphoning; as close to the tank as possible to reduce the length of the inlet/suction line; and as low in relation to the fuel level as reasonably possible to reduce the lift requirement on the pump. Also, I like to have the inlet/suction line one size larger than the outlet/pressure line to aid efficiency.

And, void mounting the pump to flat sheet or thin metal surfaces, or surfaces shared with the occupant compartment, as this amplifies the addible noise from the pump unit in operation.

As far as pumps, in the application relevant here, maybe consider the Carter product such as #P4070 or #P4594? These are not the noisiest units ever experienced, and have proven in the past to be durable (nope, I won't get a check ).

Scott.