New option for fuel pump replacement

[VetteMed]

So, with my recent saga of the drop-in pump/sender replacement from the partsladi on ebay (made in china, primary pump failed two months/100 miles after installation, partsladi not willing to refund/replace without original box), I figured I'd look for another option. It's well known that the replacement fuel pumps for a '96 Suburban 2500 with 454 is a drop-in replacement.

Bosch recently introduced a line of "turbine" fuel pumps which are supposed to reduce noise, vibration, and fuel line pulsation. Apparently, the conventional roller-vane or gear rotor pumps actually feed fuel in "pulses" rather than a continuous flow pattern, resulting in the need for a "pulsator" in the fuel line, to smooth out the up-down variation in flow. These turbine pumps apparently feed fuel linearly, and therefore there's no pulsation. These pumps also carry a lifetime warranty (I think through Bosch, though I bought it at Advance Auto and that's where I saw the lifetime warranty mentioned). After being stranded once, I like the idea of being able to exchange the pump at any advance auto store, if it happens again.

The Turbine pump that is a replacement for the Suburban is part number 69225.

-- To access the fuel pumps, the filler door assembly has to be removed. Lift the fuel filler door, then remove four Torx-head screws which secure the door assembly to the body. Lift door assembly off car.

-- Unscrew the fuel filler cap.

-- Gently remove rubber boot around filler neck. These are hard to find, so try not to tear it if yours is brittle.

-- There are 3 hose connections - supply, return, and vapor. All must be disconnected. The rubber will probably be stuck on to the metal fittings, you can gently use a pliers with a rag in the jaws, to twist the rubber off of the metal, after removing the clamp(s). To prevent fuel leakage, use a clean bolt that fits snugly in the supply and return lines.

-- There's one wiring connector - unplug it.

-- There are 8-10 10mm bolts that secure the pump assembly flange to the mounting location on the tank.

-- Once all wiring, plumbing, and bolts are removed, the pump assembly can be lifted up a bit. As you lift it up, you'll need to rotate it 90 degrees to maneuver it out of the filler hole. It takes some trial and error to get the right angle, more so when re-installing.

-- Once the assembly is out of the tank, you can use a wire cutter to snip the zip-ties that secure the pumps in place.


I went to the store with the "correct" chinese Delco pumps, and had the counter person measure them with a caliper. The Bosch 69225 is marginally wider - I think it was a few mm wider, but I figured there's enough play in the assembly that maybe it'd fit.

Apparently, it's just shy of fitting. The pump fits 3/4 of the way into position before getting stuck in the plastic housing cylinder. As a result, it's impossible to fit the strainer sock on the intake of the pumps.

Here's a pic of how far the new pump fits into the housing, with no modifications:


It looks good, but it's about 1/4 to 1/2 inch shy of being fully seated.

So, what I did, was whip out the Dremel with a cut-off wheel, and cut a relief slit in the side of the plastic housing cylinders. I was careful to not extend this to the bottom cup of each cylinder, in order to avoid sacrificing too much strength.



This allowed the cylinder to expand just enough to seat the pump fully. Once seated, the strainer sock could be fitted without a problem, and the factory zip-tie retention method could be duplicated.



More to come in next post...

[VetteMed]

The Bosch pumps include an adapter harness to convert the factory narrow plug to the wider socket of the Bosch pump. This allows the option of returning to an OEM pump without too much headache, other than the presence of the relief slits, which I don't think should present a problem.




Harness adapter installed:


Interestingly, the 2 new 69225 pumps had the same part number, but one had a green top, the other black. Probably just different lots or production times, I guess.

I replaced all of the cheesy stock black plastic clamps with proper metal clamps (the bosch pumps each come with 4 metal band clamps).


-- If the original strainer socks are in good condition, they can be reused. Aftermarket replacements are available (and required for Bosch's warranty on the pumps). The only difference is that the aftermarket strainer socks don't utilize the factory method for securing the free end to the pump holder. I don't see this as a big issue, as the strainer's press-fit on to the intake of the pump seems very secure.

[4DSZR1]

Good pictures and write-up.

Question, Did you dremel in two slits? And did the Bosch pump make it any more difficult to get the unit back in the tank?

Thanks

Rick

[VetteMed]

Originally Posted by 4DSZR1

Good pictures and write-up.

Question, Did you dremel in two slits? And did the Bosch pump make it any more difficult to get the unit back in the tank?

Thanks

Rick

I dremeled just one longitudinal slit into each cylinder. It was just a matter of giving another millimeter or two for clearance, without sacrificing much strength. I had no additional difficulty in replacing the assembly into the tank.

Thanks
Andrew

[secondchance]

Thanks for a great alternative!
My pumps are good so far (knock on wood...) but if I need replacement I will try this route.

[tomtom72]

Thanks for posting this fix!

It kind of stinks that the P/Laddie seems to be inflexible on the warr issue. I mean where else would we all buy ZR-1 pump assemblies from????

I also bought one of those assemblies from Laddie because of the great price. Looks like I should have gone another route. I figured plug & play was consistent with the KISS school of thought. I guess it's too much to think that the parts would have good Q/Control.

[4DSZR1]

Thanks for the reply Andrew

Looks like the best fix yet.

[4DSZR1]

woops, One more question Andrew, please.... How do you know when the bosch pump is filly seated in the housing?

Thanks again

Rick

[VetteMed]

Originally Posted by 4DSZR1

woops, One more question Andrew, please.... How do you know when the bosch pump is filly seated in the housing?

Thanks again

Rick

Easiest way to tell is that the neck that the strainer sock fits on to extends beyond the bottom of the housing. Otherwise, you can't put the sock on correctly. If the sock fits, you're in good shape!

Thanks for sharing the info. I bought one of these too to keep for the day I need it. By then the warranty will be over and wasted $. I don't know if they will refund and I have the original box.