The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Mechanical fuel pumps

I know this has been discussed in multiple threads. For what ever reason it seems the number one after market part that everyone seems to have an issue with is a mechanical fuel pump. When I got my 47 project up and running it had a new Chinese made fuel pump that failed less than 2 hours in operation. I replaced it with a Carter. Not sure where it is made these days but the name has a long history and it had a 1 year warranty. With less than 10 hours run time on the engine it started cutting out on me at run speeds. It was starved for gas. It would start back up after a minute and I would get a couple hundred yards down the road and cut out again. I requested and received a new fuel pump from Carter under the warranty and installed it last night. After a long test drive I am declaring the issue resolved. That is for now. I am curious how long this fuel pump will last. If this one fails I am going to go to an electric fuel pump. I really wanted to stay with a mechanical pump but I also don't want to keep fighting it.

Brand name and company history mean absolutely nothing these days.

A set of ACDelco brake drums for my Toronado were utter crap. They looked like copies of copies of copies of copies of copies... The cast iron finish was horrible. I had to have a quarter inch of the shoulder inside the drum machined off in order for the brake shoes to fit. So much for a once reputable brand name. Carter , by the way, went bankrupt in the 1980s. Who knows who's using the name today?

All of those fuel pumps are made in the same slave labor factory and sold under different names. The first one I bought failed after a few hundred miles. The second one wouldn't pump a single drop of fuel straight out of the box.

I had Then&Now Automotive rebuild the original glass bowl pump and it's been working perfectly since installation last year - a couple thousand miles.

Find an original pump for your car on ebay and send it to Then&Now for a rebuild. You're going to need it eventually. Might as well be prepared.

The alternative is to install an electric fuel pump but where's the fun in that?

I will keep an eye out for one. I do have an electric booster pump installed for priming when the truck has been sitting for a while. That is the only thing that got me home when the mechanical pump started failing. I flipped it on and was able to get home.

Carter claims to make their heavy duty fuel pumps in Logansport, Indiana.

https://carterengineered.com/fuel-pumps

I wonder what line of pumps they consider their "heavy duty" pumps. I saw something about my pump being made in Mexico but then when I received it I think there was a reference to China. I am going to go look at the package of the replacement they sent me to see if it says anything on it.

I just went to the Carter official web site and started a chat. I asked them where my specific model fuel pump was manufactured and they told me China. I am going to start my search for an original fuel pump.

Of course! I guess that particular pump doesn't qualify as "heavy duty".

Their website claims they've been in business since 1909. What a load of crap! Carter Carburetor was founded in 1909 but went belly up in 1985. This company apparently owns the rights to the Carter name but has no legitimate connection to the Carter's history.

All previously reputable and reliable brand names are now spelled "C C P".
Thank Congress for repealing the law that required the country of original to be visible on every imported product. It was the worst bribe they ever took, but not the last.

When I needed a pump for my 283 I got the least expensive mechanical pump that the national chain store had in stock, simple SBC pump, off brand. I just needed something to get the truck running so I could diagnose other issues. I have not checked the output pressure or volume but after pulling the engine and trans, new clutch, camshaft, lifters, chain and sprockets, seals and gaskets, new fuel tank, lines, carb kit, the truck has never failed to do it's job. 6 years on the no name pump. I know it's a different animal than the 6 cylinder pump, I don't know why it's still working!

You know the old saying. Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds and acorn. It use to be there would be the occasional bad apple. Now it has reversed. Occasionally you luck out and find a good one.

I second the quality rebuilds of "Then & Now Automotive". I believe it was around $200 or so to get my original pump rebuilt & a 2-3 turn around time (cross country for me) Not cheap, but I the fuel pump is one of those parts you gotta count on working. Just my 2 cents

I was going to do it myself but the rebuild kit form them was $52 ++. To have them do it was only $62 more. To me that is money well spent. They have the jigs, equipment, and experience to do it in a few hours as opposed to me futzing around all weekend to do it myself and maybe not as well.

$115 for a rebuilt original pump is less than the cost of those two pieces of junk I bought from Advance.

Had the fuel pump go out on my 1985 S-10, left me stranded in town. Wrecker hauled it to the shop I use. This is my ranch truck and currently has 492,000 miles, 3rd engine. The shop replaced the pump and the next day drove it to work, gas pouring out of it though. They said don't drive it and had a wrecker pick it up. Replaced the pump and drove it several days and then to work where it was leaking again. Drove it to their shop and had fire engine follow, I was a fire fighter.3rd pump is still working 2 years later. Working on my 50 3100, fuel tank out and replacing it and cleaning the cab. next are the fuel lines and pump. Hope I don't have problems, I bought a rebuilt Carter.

Who did the rebuild on the carter pump?

I went through this drill with both vacuum/fuel and fuel only pumps several times. Sometimes the issue was leaking oil, sometimes it was leaking gas, one time it was way too much pressure.

Since the truck is a daily driver, I abandoned the vacuum wipers and the mechanical pump and went electric. No more problem! However, I saved the original pumps and now have several I could have rebuilt should the need arise. I went electric about 2015. In following these threads I see that the problem has not gotten any better. Pumps seem to be the worst. I wonder about water pumps too. I recently installed my last NOS water pump. For my application I have to modify them so they probably are no good as cores. I'd like to have a spare. anyone know a good source for rebuilding water pumps?

How much pressure should it take to move the lever on a mechanical fuel pump? I just swapped mine out, which involved 3 different pumps, and the stiffness of the lever arm was dramatically different on all 3 pumps.

The one in the truck now is the stiffest of the lot (takes about 30lbs of force to operate) and outputs about 4 times the volume of the pump that was in the truck. The pump that came out of the truck was very soft except for the last 1/4 of the stroke where it actually pumped.

Flying Dutchman Water pump rebuilder and seller of antique water pumps for all makes and models
Wade Jenezon, 650 Upper River Rd Services Europe and USA
Gold Hill, OR 97525 USA
1-888-595-1110 Outside the U.S., 1-541-450-2277
http://water-pump-rebuilders.com/


Then and Now Automotive Fuel pump rebuilding kits 1910 and up, Water pumps, bearings, brakes, ignition, etc.
781-335-8860 781-335-1579
https://www.then-now-auto.com/

Both of these guys do excellent work. You can buy a kit or have them do it for you.

Otto, the two links you posted were bogus (one to a site in chinese - from you of all people!, and the other a non-existent site). I've removed them.


Flying Dutchman's site is here.
Then and Now Automotive's site is here.

Thanks. I'll have to update the Flying Dutchman.

That information is from a vendor list I created in 2009. Thanks for the corrections. I've made corrections to my post and to my Huge Vendor List (about 200 parts and services vendors specializing in Cadillac parts and general antique car restoration services.)