Hello friends! It's been awhile since I last posted. I have a question I'm hoping someone might be able to help me with...

Been having acceleration issues... Took car in today... Mechanic did a fuel pressure test and said I was down about 15%.... Car needs new fuel pump assembly... He quoted me a price of $525.00... Probably going to take it to another cheaper shop (at the time, they lacked a fuel pres. gauge). Thing is, went online to purchase part and noticed prices range anywhere from approx. 65 bucks all the way up to 300+ for AC Delco... My question is, why such a dramatic price jump? I understand name brand dealer parts cost the most but it looks like their is a wide range in price with all the other brands. Is there something I'm missing? Looks like they all contain needed parts with a direct fit (sender, wiring ect.). Anyone have any insight into this?

Thank you!!!

2003 Monte Carlo SSHS 3.8

 

Usually the price difference is whether or not the part is new or just remanufactured.

 

To add with Chibi's comment it can also vary (in some cars, not sure if it does in ours) if you are buying a pump by itself OR a complete drop-in assembly (pump with sending unit and such).

 

That's the thing.... All the fuel pumps seem like they come with all the same parts and are all new oem style. Confused....

 

just get the $100 option from ZZP or find a Walbro 255 for GM, they are direct drop ins and you can seriously do this in less than 30min. it takes about 5 mins to pull the assembly out of the tank, 10 mins to switch pumps, and 5 mins to reinstall.

 

I beg to differ on the Walbro 255 direct drop in comment... I'm not sure how direct the drop in is on the 6th gen MC in question but on my 5th gen it was a pain in the butt. The factory pump has a small venturi port that uses some of the pressure to pull more fuel into the can it sits in. When I put the Walbro in I had to make a "T" into the main line to run the venturi pump. If you don't do this the can will never have fuel in it. The other option is to swiss-cheese the can with holes to let the fuel in from the tank. The problem with doing that is you risk running the pump dry at 1/4 tank or less. The idea of the venturi design is to keep the pump submerged and cool regardless the level of the tank.

Okay, I stand corrected. You did say a Walbro 255 for GM. I never found one when I did my pump change but there is one on eBay right now for $62.00. LOL if that's even a Walbro. I would only buy a Walbro from a reputable source; not anything on eBay because it's probably rebadged.

 

for the venturi issue, the mod really isnt all the difficult and in the 6th gens, you dont have to drop the tank to get to the pump assembly. to do the required venturi mod, its very minor in comparison


but yes, there could be a requirement for the venturi mod if the proper pump isnt purchased.

 

depending on the year of your car...on the 6th gen, there is a door underneath the carpet in the trunk that is very easily accessible...of course, on the 5th gen, the tank has to be pulled...as far as fuel pumps...being a service manager, i don't use the cheap pumps...price reflects quality, bigtime...if you want to replace the pump in six months, get a cheap pump...when i sell a fuel pump to my customer, i ONLY get a factory pump...get the ac delco or delphi pump...you will spend more $$ on it, but you will get what you paid for

 

The reason I don't like the venturi design is because it lowers the PSI and flow rate. If you have a Walbro 255 lph pump and you "t" off the line to run the venturi, you are lowering well below 255 lph and dropping the PSI. I've seen a different aftermarket kit designed for muscle cars that want to run EFI and the kit involves an in-tank pump but foam is wrapped around the pump to keep it wet at all times.

Has anyone tried this before? I would like to do away with my can altogether.

 

in one of my other GM cars, i did not run the venturi and have had zero issues what so ever. and i ran it down past 1/4 tank many many times. i had over 65k miles on that pump without an issue.