Best Fuel Pump

[68gmcdude]

What is the best mechanical fuel pump for an inline 250 motor? Thanks!

[jumpsoffrock]

Unless you want to gut yourself finding something NOS--and even then the diaphragm might be sketchy--you ought to just buy yourself two cheap ones and keep a spare in the truck or at home.

I have found that basically every "basic" part such as fuel/water pumps, radiators, ignition parts etc, are all made in China nowadays, regardless of the price point or claimed quality level( Economy, Standard, Premium, Professional, etc).

I really don't believe any of them are much worse than the rest so I just buy two of each and keep one on hand for quick replacement since my old vehicles are generally my daily driver.

My unnecessary story: I have only taken my old Ford truck(that has a weird engine nobody stocks parts for) out of town twice, and both times I loaded a fully stocked tool chest and basically every part I'd ever need including oil and a filter. That's the price of piece of mind. One of the trips has a 90 mile stretch of road and a sign that says "No service", I really don't want to need a water pump out there...So I had all those basic parts, tools, flashlights, two spare tires, whatever. Made me feel good.

[truckster]

To echo that, the GM parts I've been buying lately for any of my vehicles all seem to be made in China.

[Jason Banks]

I've had a Carter M4503 for 5+ years and haven't head any problems.

[72SB]

+2 on Carter. I got mine from Summit

IIRC its made in Mexico

[68gmcdude]

None of the new fuel pumps that I've seen have the extra piece on the lever like the one on the attached photo. Someone told me that it would be best to get a pump that has this. Is this true and if so who sells them?

[cj847]

Most aftermarket parts are made in China, but, that doesn't make them the same. You will notice that parts like starters and alternators are offered with one year or lifetime warranties, yet both are made in China. The difference I find is the lifetime warranty state in the literature that they are made in an ISO 9000 or ISO 16949 facility. The one year are made who knows where. I have noticed a difference when I tried to save a few dollars and ended up regretting it.

All automotive OEM parts are sourced from ISO 16949 facilities (now IATF 16949). If you can find one made in a 16949 facility you will be "safe". A ISO 9000 should be OK. A somewhere in China is a crap shoot.

[68gmcdude]

All automotive OEM parts are sourced from ISO 16949 facilities (now IATF 16949). If you can find one made in a 16949 facility you will be "safe". A ISO 9000 should be OK. A somewhere in China is a crap shoot.[/QUOTE]

How do I check to see if it has been made in a 16949 facility?

[cj847]

I just noticed it the other day when I replaced a one year warranty O Reily starter with a lifetime. It was mentioned in the description. I am not sure how many suppliers include this info.

[RichardJ]

I ran into that problem finding a pump for my inline six about 5 years ago. I think the tab is made of a metal that is more compatible for a pump arm that runs directly on the camshaft. After a lot of searching, I found a Airtex pump that had the tab. Unfortunately, I bench tested it and found it wouldn't hold pressure when hand pumped. I got a carter from NAPA and it has worked fine. Tab or not, nothing has worn out yet.

[jumpsoffrock]

Originally Posted by cj847

Most aftermarket parts are made in China, but, that doesn't make them the same. You will notice that parts like starters and alternators are offered with one year or lifetime warranties, yet both are made in China. The difference I find is the lifetime warranty state in the literature that they are made in an ISO 9000 or ISO 16949 facility. The one year are made who knows where. I have noticed a difference when I tried to save a few dollars and ended up regretting it.

All automotive OEM parts are sourced from ISO 16949 facilities (now IATF 16949). If you can find one made in a 16949 facility you will be "safe". A ISO 9000 should be OK. A somewhere in China is a crap shoot.

Thank you for the insight, always something to learn.