Questions..
Yesterday I decided to put in the fuel pump. Airtex E3212 crosses to the 95 big block TBI pump. I chose this one because it's still made in the USA and it was fairly cheap on eBay, $20 shipped. The stock pump still put out 11 psi but deadhead pressure was only 14 psi. The new pump install was pretty clean. There is a fat little rubber hose called an Isolator that connects the pump to the sending unit assembly. I did not reuse it, as its old and the insides were coming apart. I remember from the early 90s that that fat hose was for noise, but most aftermarket kits just have standard fuel hose as the Isolators sometimes fail. So I just replaced it with 5/16 fuel injection hose and hi-pressure clamps. The new pump sounds like ball bearings rolling in the tank. If you have ever mounted a Holley Blue or Red pump, that's the type of noise I am talking about. The Airtex is not quite that bad but 3/4 of that volume. I drained the fuel again this morning using the test connector for the fuel pump and noticed when I restricted the pump so it build some pressure the rumble noise almost completely disappeared. Around the 30 psi it was designed for it's an OEM sounding pump, at the 11-12 psi it's a very noisy pump. The deadhead pressure is 45 psi so the pump seems strong. There are a lot of complaints on the internet about Airtex and noise, but not any more than other manufactures though including AC Delco. I am thinking I just got a noisy pump off eBay, but I am wondering if the removal of the Isolator would increase the nose that much. Anyone else run into this noise increase when they upgraded to a higher pressure pump?
Update, I got some advice that Airtex is not that good of a brand anymore, even being made in the USA. I will be getting EP377 pump as a replacement in a few weeks. It's a good thing the tank in the van is so easy to drop and install.
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