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Old 09-13-2010, 05:06 PM   #46
Rick Norwood
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

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Originally Posted by serpentracer View Post
I don't know why you guys would use a AC Delco pump again. GM has to have the highest fuel pump failure rate among all the car companies.
reinstalling anything they came with is losing situation if you ask me.
all of their fluids should be changed out in the first year of service, especially the dexcool coolant that is proven to deteriorate stock intake gaskets.
the sooner you get rid of all the stock gm fluids the better. that includes the brake fluid.
the only ac delco products I will use is the spark plugs and battery.

like I said, if this pump fails in less than a few years or under 90k miles I'll agree with you guys. but I've seen plenty of internet people come up with the craziest stories and suggestions I rarely want to believe anyone.
for instance motorcycle guys swear up and down using a diesel engine oil in a motorcycle engine that reaches 15,500 rpm is ok.
and breaking in a engine by beating it from day one is the way you should do it to get the most life and power from it..a guy even made a website and proclaims himself as a professional race engine builder and said you should beat on a new engine on purpose. without any break in period. and all manufactures are wrong about how they suggest a break in period. so guess what, everyone now believes this guy over every single motorcycle company. lol

anyone with a keyboard thinks they are a mechanical engineer.
Well Brother, I got a news flash for you. You better include a distributor cap in your list or you'll be sorry AGAIN.

Ask anyone what their milage was when their OEM AC-Delco Fuel Pump went out. The largest majority will tell you that it was over 100K miles. Mine went out at 105K miles. Mine went out then because I didn't change the fuel filter.

If I only get 50K miles (or half of 100K) out of the Brand new AC-Delco pump that I just installed last month I will be happy BECAUSE I COULD NOT GET ONE FOURTH OF THAT OUT OF AN AIRTEX PUMP. I GOT LESS THAN 25K OUT OF ONE PUMP WHICH IS NOT EVEN 1/4 OF MY ORIGINAL OEM PUMP MILAGE. I GOT LESS THAN 6-7K MILES EACH OUT OF THE OTHER TWO PUMPS THAT FAILED IN LESS THAN 6 MONTHS EACH.

I agree with you on some of the crackpot stuff you read on the internet, even on this forum. I also agree with you on the Dexcool 100%. However, here is an interesting question, MT-2500, Old Master, and I have been preaching AC-Delco Delphi pumps for a couple of years now, why aren't we reading about AC-Delco Fuel Pump failures IN THIS THREAD?

No, I am not a mechanical engineer, I'm just a consumer trying to help other consumers avoid the pitfalls and expense that I experienced. Feel free to boycott OEM parts all you want, after all, it is your truck and your money.
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Old 09-18-2010, 10:09 PM   #47
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

Just came across a NEW problem, haven't seen this one before!

Yesterday a guy dropped off his 98 Blazer. He's had it in so many shops he can't count, including 3 different GM dealerships. Nobody can find the problem. Cold start is fine, no problems at all, starts and runs perfect. After a hot soak, anywhere from 5 minutes to around 2 hours, it turns over fine but does not start. Acts like no spark. Sometimes it will try to start and then idles rough for 1 or 2 seconds, then it dies. Crank it again and it might fire right up like nothing ever happened. Once it's running, it runs perfect.

Vehicle history:
His receipts include: Distributor cap, rotor, wires, plugs, ECM, TP sensor, MAF sensor, MAP sensor, fuel pressure tests, injector cleaner, fuel system treatment, distributor including the cam sensor, crankshaft position sensor, injector assembly upgrade, battery, some of the battery cables, fuel pump relay, ignition switch, ignition module, ignition coil, countless OBD scans, and for some unknown reason, the fuel cap. After all of this stuff, the problem was still there. Needless to say, the guy is pissed and broke!

When I got in the vehicle and turned the key to the RUN position, the fuel pump came on for pump prime, and shut off. I turned the key to START and it cranked a little longer than what I call "normal", (maybe a second, 2 at the most), and tried to start, stumbled a bit, and stalled. I turned the key OFF and tried again. During pump prime the normal pump whirr was present, but it didn't sound just right. There was the normal whirr of the pump at first, then I could hear it change pitch just before it shut off. On a hunch, I connected the fuel pressure tester... KOEO 63psi, drop to 60psi and held rock solid for 15 minutes...perfect. Not sure if you're aware, but 98 has blank terminal just in front of the fuel pump relay. That terminal goes directly to the fuel pump. I connected a fused jumper wire to battery power and touched the other end to the terminal. The pump came on and pressurized the system to 63psi again. Removed battery power and it held at 60psi. With the system pressurized, I touched power to the terminal again and watched the fuel pressure and listened to the pump. Pump turned on, pressure never budged for about 5 seconds, and then jumped to 63psi. The instant the pressure jumped up, the pump motor changed pitch and worked fine. Hmmmm, pump's coming on, but not building pressure right away, WTF??? Connected an ammeter to check pump motor draw... 6 amps initially, then when the pump changes pitch, amperage draw drops to 5 amps. Time to drop the tank and do a visual on the module connector and pump. Module connector is fine, pull the module out. Hot wired battery voltage directly to the pump terminals... it sounded like a two speed motor when it started. Put a Delphi pump in.... all fixed!

Obviously, I called the guy before replacing his pump, that's when he told me it was replaced with an Airtex pump about 6 months before the no start problem started happening. He was surprised the pump could have a problem being it was so new. I gave him the "buyer beware" speech and as close as I can calculate, in the long run, the Delphi pump was about 2 grand less than the Airtex pump!
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Old 09-19-2010, 05:51 PM   #48
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

I call bs because airtex puts a sticker on the pump that is hard as hell to pull off. and why would anyone go through the trouble to pull it off?
it was probably not a airtex.
2 grand less? what??

hell I just found out my brother used a airtex pump in his 96 sunfire. installed it in 2004 and it's still working just fine.

I had a 91 z-28 that would start dying out only after the engine warmed up. no one could figure that one out. it turned out the fuel pump was going bad. and talk about a nightmare to replace on a camaro. I've seen fuel pumps cause all kinds of odd things.
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Old 09-19-2010, 09:24 PM   #49
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

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....2 grand less? what??...
If he replaced the pump with a Delphi or an AC Delco in the first place, he certainly wouldn't have spent all that money trying to fix the problem! Even if you put all that aside and chalk it up to inexperienced technicians, he still had to replace the pump, and pay at least the labor charge, (extremely rare for a shop to cover labor on a 8 month old part).
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Old 09-20-2010, 08:45 PM   #50
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

I paid $269.00 in Oct. 2007 for my brand new Airtex fuel pump and paid a mechanic $200 to install it.

6 months later in April, 2008 I managed to get a new Airtex Fuel pump under warranty for free, but I had to pay my mechanic $100 to install it. He gave me a break because he felt partially responsible.

6 months after that, Oct. 2008, I got another new Airtex Fuel Pump for free because it was still under warranty, and had to pay my mechanic another $200 for Labor, no break this time.

22 months later August, 2010, I had to buy an AC-Delco pump for $310 and had to pay another $200 for labor.

I won't count the $200 in towing bills that was covered by my insurance company.

So let's recap. By my count I paid $769.00 USD needlessly because I was too stupid to listen to my mechanic on the very first pump and go with an OEM AC-Delco Fuel Pump.

THEY'RE NOT HAPPY UNTIL YOU'RE NOT HAPPY!

AIRTEX FUEL PUMPS - BUYER BEWARE
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Last edited by Rick Norwood; 09-21-2010 at 08:35 PM.
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Old 11-11-2010, 06:22 PM   #51
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

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The good thing is, you at least got two years out of your Delphi pump. I am averaging 6 months with the Airtex pumps. The fuel pump that I bought with the bad gaskets was a Bosch. See my Thread http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=532268 So yes, I am sure each and every manufacturer will have their issues.

Here is what I want to really know, or in other words, what should or should not be done to help us get the maximum life out of these pumps regardless of who the manufacturer is:

1. The number One biggest and simplest thing we can do, as I already stated, is to regularly change the fuel filter. Once a year as a rule.

2. I continue to hear the “never let your tank drop below ¼ full” theory. Some say yes, some say it doesn’t matter. I know it doesn’t hurt to keep your fuel tank above the ¼ full mark. Let’s hear from the experts.

3. What about additives? Are certain additives harmful to the system? Here is my thought. I am reasonably sure the additive itself won’t harm the pump; however, these cleaners dissolve the crap from fuel injectors etc. I have to believe they also dissolve the crap from the inside of the tank and either clog the filter sock at the bottom of the pump to a small degree, and most assuredly clog the filter. Some people I am sure do not follow the dilution recommendations on the bottle and instead of adding a bottle to 10 or 20 gallons of gas, they simply add it to whatever is in the tank and run a concentrated solution through the system.

Comments anyone?
A friend who is a mechanic and service manger at a GM dealership suggest running a bit of AFT in the gas at all times, he claims this will prolong the life of the fuel pump. I asked him about running fuel additives, his thought was that's good for you fuel system yet you need the AFT for the fuel pump. He claims those who run AFT do not have fuel pump troubles.
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Old 11-15-2010, 07:46 PM   #52
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

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A friend who is a mechanic and service manger at a GM dealership suggest running a bit of AFT in the gas at all times, he claims this will prolong the life of the fuel pump. I asked him about running fuel additives, his thought was that's good for you fuel system yet you need the AFT for the fuel pump. He claims those who run AFT do not have fuel pump troubles.
O.K. I'll ask the obvious, what is AFT? Do you mean ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid)? Please be More specific.

And as long as were on the subject of clarification, How much is "A BIT of AFT"?

And Just for the record, I doubt any additive would help an Airtex Fuel Pump.
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Old 11-15-2010, 08:25 PM   #53
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

Of course ATF is Automatic Transmission Fluid, always has been to those who knows just a little about cars and trucks. I would suppose 8 to 10 OZ per tank of gas.

Does it work, don't know, although I did put 8 to 10 OZ's in my just a few times, suppose I did not do it enough to know if it works or not.

I did ask him about injection cleaner? Said he did not use them, only recommended AFT and it was the only thing he ever used. His claim was it helped the insides of the pump.

I do know one thing back in my truck driving days AFT was the best thing you could add to your diesel fuel to keep the injection pump and injectors in good condition. Much better than injector cleaner plus it was cheaper. I can say it seemed to work rather good for I never had an injector pump nor injector go bad running back and forth between the east and west coast.
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Old 11-15-2010, 08:32 PM   #54
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

Thanks for the Clarification Jerry. We have had a lot of different suggestions for Fuel Additives but this is the first I've ever heard of Automatic Transmission Fluid.
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Old 11-15-2010, 09:18 PM   #55
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

You more than welcome.

Right now I'm wishing I had followed his advice, if I had perhaps my blazer would not be getting its 4th fuel pump.
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Old 11-20-2010, 08:57 PM   #56
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

I can't say anything for anyone else, only what I've been through.

I haven't tried Airtex, but I tried some other aftermarket brand I got on ebay. Let me tell you folks, these guys here knows what they're talking about. I read somewhere here about the pumps for these Chevys. About not getting anything but Acdelco or Bosch because of the pressure problem. I was in a pinch and went ahead and got the cheap ones. It starts out fine for about 6 months, then craps out in about a year. Those pumps cost about $100 at that time each. I went through about 3 in 3 years. I even got just the motor and swapped it out using the same housing. I learned, after my 2nd one, to let it prime for about 2 seconds then crank it. Otherwise it will turn about 2-5 seconds before it starts.

I finally found an Acdelco for about $200 and broke down and got it. It's been over 3 years with no problems. Starts with 1 crank consistently without priming it for 2 seconds. If I had only listened, the time I would've saved not to mention money.

The factory one crapped at about 75,000 miles. But I always drove it down to E. I was thinking doing so would get any moisture out from the fuel. Now I fuel up at 1/4 tank. I suggest to only get Acdelco for these Chevys.
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Old 11-20-2010, 09:27 PM   #57
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

The fuel pump I just removed was a Cater, was installed in 2005, it was my 2nd fuel pump, don't know what brand the 1st replacement pump was.

The original went about 130,000 miles. With it we did not keep the tank full, yet I have with the later ones, seems not to help. Hardly ever has my tank been below 1/2 full.

I've had 3 since 130,000 miles, not it has a bit over 159,000.

My blazer has always started on the 1st crank, except when fuel pumps went bad and at about 60,000 when my cap, rotor, plug wires went bad.
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12,000 plus miles


Bought 10-22-11-2001 Toyota Camry LE SuperWhite 4 Door sedan I-4 89,680 miles
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Old 11-20-2010, 09:53 PM   #58
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

The original went 130,000 and then 3 pumps in 30,000 miles, wow. Just think, if the first replacement was an AC Delco, you'd still have 100,000 miles left on it! But, there is something to be said for getting a new pump every few months
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Old 11-21-2010, 06:28 PM   #59
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

Yes, there is something to be said about getting a new fuel pump every few months, and its not good and I refuse to say it.

December 09 we got our 2010 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4X4 V6. Which we had a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee that had about 100,000 miles on that we bought new in mid 2002.

Being as I had new fuel pump, new injector assembly in my 92 S-10, had front end work done on it, and its in good condition, I kept it and sold the Jeep. Several fuel pumps might make me think I made a bad decision. Although the Jeep was a good ride and we had no problems out of it, I still like the S-10 Blazer better.
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1992 Chevy S-10 Blazer
4 X 4, 4.3 W engine 3.42 gears
172,000 & still going

Sold
2010 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4X4 V6
4.0 V6 DOHC 24V VVT-i 236HP Engine
12,000 plus miles


Bought 10-22-11-2001 Toyota Camry LE SuperWhite 4 Door sedan I-4 89,680 miles
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Old 12-07-2010, 11:07 AM   #60
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Re: Airtex Fuel Pumps - Buyer Beware

Thought I would add my own experience with an Airtex pump, though my vehicle is a Dodge Caravan, not a Chevy Blazer.

About a week ago I had to change out the fuel pump (original) after 120k miles; pump still worked fine, but had developed a small crack in the out-going port that had a nasty habit of spraying fuel towards the exhaust pipe. Anyway, I got a replacement Airtex pump from O'reilly, and put it in with a new fuel filter. The new pump had a bad check valve out of the box and wouldn't hold pressure when the car was shut off... of course having just replaced it I tore the rest of the engine apart to check the fuel rail and injectors before coming to that realization. Unfortunately I've just put another Airtex in the tank I got from the warranty... this one works so far; does run about 2 PSI higher than it should, but at least the check valve is working for the moment. I just wonder how long it will be before this one dies. I wonder if O'reilly will refund the cost of this piece of junk so I can buy an OEM (90 bucks more and not typically in stock)
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