>>
>> This is NOT encouraging! <g> If the stock fuel pumps are such garbage,
as you describe, is there a better alternative?
>>
>
>No no no! The pump is not garbage. You just have to make sure that the
>points are properly adjusted and not burned. Many people have tried to
>put on some aftermarket pump to increase reliability. The SU pump is a
>low pressure pump. Many of the after market pumps are higher pressure.
>Using these can cause carb overflowing and other problems.
>
>Fix up your current pump and you'll have good service from it. Plus it
>is easier to remove than the clutch M/C.
>
>
>- -Mark "Click Click Click...." Jurras
>
>
I agree that most of the aftermarket SU replacements
are no good, but I'm not certain how much reliability one
can expect from an SU either. Somehow I can't bring
myself to add "fuel pump points adjustment" to my list
of regular maintenance items.
For a long time I couldn't understand why people complained
about SU fuel pumps. For over 10 years - since I first purchased
my MG - I didn't have a bit of trouble with my fuel pump,
even though this was my daily driver and even though I
drove the car through many a harsh Michigan winter. In
fact, the pump was so reliable I had never performed any
maintenance on it at all!
Finally, the pump housing started to rust and a small leak
developed. When I removed it from the car I was surprised
to find that my SU fuel pump wasn't. Rather, it was a
Japanese unit manufactured by Mitsubishi. I cursed the DPO
(foolishly in this case) and installed the proper SU replacement.
This was one of the new, more reliable SU's with diode. 4 months
later, the new pump died. I tried a few aftermarket replacements,
but none were acceptable. (One didn't work at all, another had
peculiar mounting requirements, pressure was excessive on the third,
etc.)
I finally took the old Mitsubishi pump, which I had saved,
to my local Honda dealer. The parts man came up with a Honda
part number: 16700-689-055. I purchased the pump and installed
it and it has worked without incident, or maintenance, ever
since. (It has the same pressure output as a stock SU and it
fits, with minor tweaking, into the stock bracket.)
I know some may wince at the thought of putting Japanese parts
into a British car. (Maybe the association of "Mitsubishi" with
"Zero" has not been lost entirely from our historical
consciousness!) Admittedly, there is a certain charm to stories
about bringing SU fuel pumps to life with deftly placed hammer
blows, or with clever bungy-cord contraptions. Maybe dealing with SU
fuel pumps requires that unique mix of character traits between
self-reliance and masochism which makes owning these cars so special.
On the other hand, from my point of view, when the fuel pump dies
on the freeway, or in heavy traffic, the balance shifts too
far in the direction of masochism!
Dan Greenberg
Ann Arbor, MI
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