I installed a new 85 fuelpump in my 84 vette. It workrd for an hour and I got the failure that I do copy below. It is the Email to the vendor that I did sent a few days ago, no response yet. Any idea what can cause this? Does this happen more?. I repaired the old one by putting new carbon brushes in the motor and it is ok, but I like to have the 85 pump.
Sorry for the long read.


I have received the pump, thank you.
But it has a problem. I mounted the pump and the pre-filter. It worked great for about 1 hour. Than the flow decreased and the car barely came home. I changed the second fuel filter, but without any change. I tested the flow direct from the output of the tank, it was very low and intermittent. So I took the pump out, checked and foud that the pump was rotating very slow like it was pumping against a closed output. Checked the fuel line to the tank connection, was ok. Checked the prefilter at the pump input for holes, was OK I tested again in a container with fuel and the pump rotated a little slow, but did not pump at all now. I blowed with my mouth to test the valves and foud that I could pass air in reverse direction. That should not be the case I suppose, it can not pass air with the old pump, the output valve should prevent that. Blowed and sucked a few times, and the pump started to work again. I supposed it was a stuck valve. Mounted the pump and found that it was stuck completely. I carefully rotated the vanes and the motor came free. The pump started to work again, but is extremely noisy now. It sound like one of the valves is resonating, it does not sound like a mechanical motor problem. I passed clean fuel through a piece of cloth in order to find it if was dirty, but the fuel came out clean. Today it stopped again. After an hour it started working again but still very noisy. So I really can not use the pump, I suppose that one of the valves is bad, perhaps stuck making the pump working very heavy.
Please tell me how we can solve this problem. The customs here in Spain did let me pay 55 $ import, so a swap unit should be noted as such in order to avoid that I need to pay again. Because I did mount the pump, I had to change the wiring from the 84 in order to adapt for the connector. So I can not sent that part retour, only the pump if you require that.
I also need a serpentine belt for the Corvette 1984 (crossfire) and a spare fuelpump- input filter (pre-filter) I am afraid that I damage the old one when I take it off again, I had to take it off 4 times now.. If you have the other materials, we perhaps can combine the transport.
Kind regards,
Sincerely
Nico van Dijk

 

Hey Nico,

Bad luck probably. You just got a bad pump.
It's a thing called 'infant mortality' where some parts will fail at a very early age 'just because'.
Maybe a small piece of trash or something got stuck in the valve and kept it from working.

Good luck with getting another one.

 

Where did you get it from?

 

It just sounds like you got a bad pump. FYI the two biggest killers of electric, in tank fuel pumps, are fuel filters that aren't changed on schedule and running low on fuel too often. The clogged filter makes the pump work harder than it would otherwise have to, and gasoline is the pumps coolant. Don't get too hung up on not having a 1985 pump for a while. You won't get anything from the '85 pump that a good '84 pump can't provide.

RACE ON!!!

 

Ok guys, thanks for the info. I got the pump from ZIP Products, I did sent them 2 mails now, but still no reply. I am afraid I need an other pump. The old one I had to take apart, had to MAKE new carbon brushes, they were gone, melt the brush holders out of the plastic etc. and that is quite an operation. It does not give me a whole lot of confidence in such a repair but like to drive.

 

Get your money back, Ill volunteer to ship you a new Airtex pump w/a warranty. Think they are about $70 or so.

 

He installed a hi (1985) psi pump in a low (1984) psi application. Could that puke the pump?

 

Oh.

 

Strange as it may seem, some new or almost new parts are defective from the factory and we find out the hard way, when we put the in and they don't work. Guess it part of the hobby. Good luck.

 

No. If anything it makes an for an easier environment than the '85 pump was built to contend with. The pump doesn't "make" the pressure. The 1984 car won't harm the 1985 pump. In fact there is an urban legend that substituting in an '85 fuel pump will increase the performance of an '84. That is pure hogwash, but I wish I had all those good 1984 pumps that got tossed.

RACE ON!!!

 

Ah, that was just a guess.

 

There seems to be a LOT of that going around, lately.

RACE ON!!!

 

That is a good idea. I really appreciate that. Please try the pump before shipping, than it is more clear to the customs that it has been used and they don´t ripp me off an other 55 $ like they did before. So a personal package should be fine. I guess. Used pump, value 5$ or so. I will try to get my money back, but sofar ZIP did not respond at two Emails in a week. So they seem not very interested in the word warrantee or aftersales service. I will sent them an other Email promising that I will post their lack of response at the forum with their name in the title. There is always a possibility that something goes wrong, no problem, here a lot of things go wrong as well. But RESPOND I should say This lack of response I do not like at all.
If you PM me your bank details including the routing number, I will wiretransfer the money. Don´t forget the shipping cost by airmail. Here I can not get a fuel pump at all.
Kind regards
And thanks all of you for the suggestions and help.

 

I wish you the best of luck in negotiating with both cuisinartvette and ZIP Products. Cuisinartvette will do exactly as he says. But good luck trying to "post their lack of response at the forum with their name in the title.", Corvette Forum sponsor, ZIP Products in here.

RACE ON!!!

 

I know, that they are sponsor, but this should not happen. They just should reply, even a negative reply is accepted, than I can at least discuss the problem..
I did PM cuisinartvette already. I am really very pleased with all the help I get in this forum.
Thanks for the mental support

 

Very positive response from Zip after sending an other Email
I like to tell the positive things more than the bad news.

 

You beat me too it, i have seen fuel pumps that have turned blue from the heat from running with a 1/4 tank or less all the time.

Ten gallons of fuel makes a very good heat sink.

I have not replaced a fuel pump in one of my cars in a very long time.

my better half is a different story, almost every time i get in her Blazer i wonder if i am going to run out of fuel before i can get to the station.

Greg N

 

Hopefully they will take care of you and send you a new pump.