Stupid stupid fuel pump! rant

[1970camaroRS]

My rule of thumb is - if it's electrical in any way, buy the best. If it has moving parts, buy mid-range. If it's anything else, buy the house brand (they're usually re-boxed name brands anyway).

[NewEnglandRaceFan]

You all know that I love the Cherokee! A few weeks ago I drove it on a 200 mile round trip to pick up some materials for Loren. When I exited the freeway on the first leg of the trip I heard such a loud humming sound! I thought for sure it wasn't my car it had to be somebody else! When the light turned green and I allowed the traffic to sort of dissipate around me it became all too clear it was my beloved moaning! Holy Crap! 100 miles from home and my mission yet to accomplish. I picked up the material and the gas was rather low so I stopped and filled up for the ride home. The noise was gone...but when I pulled up at our house it was back as I came to a stop. There was still plenty of gas but the noise was back. Loren explained to me that the 8 month old fuel pump was on its way out and gently advised me that running the car low on gas makes the fuel pump heat up and wrecks it. As I was searching for a new fuel pump a Jeep dealer service manager also gently explained this to me adding that he has explained this to his wife as well.
I ended up going back to O'Rielly and having them replace the Airtex one that went bad with a Precision one. Seemed like a good idea to not use the same brand. Loren did all the work it took to put in the new one and it was much louder than the one that had gone bad! I could hear it up by the house when the car was running. He tested the pressure and did a few other things and it all seemed to be fine except for the amount of noise it was making. Back to trying to find out what the problem was I read many Jeep peoples comments on various forums. The comments ranged from, "that means the pump is about to fail", to "they all run that loud". One guy however said he had gotten a Bosch pump and had no problems. I contacted Summit and talked to their tech guy and eventually ended up getting the Bosch. It did cost more by about 40 bucks. But it works! It is quiet! They also threw in a nice hat and quality t-shirt for 9.95! My concern here is why do the neighborhood auto parts stores sell such CRAP!? How do they get away with it year after year?

why does walmart do the business they do. they sell the cheapest junk going.. to the point of organic food MADE IN CHINA, have some lead and antifreeze with your peas.. people buy ,by price point, not quality and once one parts store has a part that's 5/10/20 or more cheaper than the rest.. then the others start carrying the el cheapo parts.. cause once you go to one store you tend to keep going back. When I was behind the parts counter, I'd ask when they'd point at the cheap part.. "ARe you planning on keeping the vehicle?" and if they said yes I'd advise they go with the better one.. more than a few brought back a part shaking their head, and are now stuck with buying TWO.. as the airtex is warrantied.. but are you going to want to drop the take again?? if they are nice I'd take it back as a working return and then defect it out.. if they were a-h's about it when they were told up front.. they get a replacement of the same thing.. have fun.. the parts stores are forced to carry the junk because of the buying public.. but they do offer better part also.. and most times let the customer choose their fate

[Loren]

We sure weren't shopping price on the first replacement fuel pump...for the first one, I asked the counter guy for his best and that's what he gave me. When it got noisy (at six months, possibly 2,000 miles) we were told there were actually two pump brands they sold and one was getting complaints, so I figured the story must be we had the bad one and if I swapped to their other brand I'd get the good one.

My gosh that next one was noisy, the second we turned it on. You'd have had to crank up the radio quite a bit to not have to hear that thing, it sounded like it was about to fly to pieces. After pulling it back out, it was quiet free-wheeling but not back there in the tank at 32 psi.

The happy thing was, O'Reilly's guys made the refund no problem. The drag was obviously re-doing the job, over and over.

The Bosch part was made in Czechoslovakia, stamped right on the side. Didn't say "Bosch" anywhere, and didn't fit, and didn't come with a single piece of hardware, not even the little 4mm and 5mm nuts for the electric terminals ao I had to add a hole in the bracket, cut a rubber isolation block to fit, machine a plastic fitting and go find the nuts. But with all that we assume that Bosch (like Sears, once...) doesn't put crap in a box with their name on it and it appears we still assume correctly. For $120 or so, it hums just like the stocker which would have cost nearly $400, from Jeep.

A couple years back I had the bed off my Chevy truck and with the top of the fuel tank right there exposed I stuck a new pump in there just to be safe...that was from O'Reilly's and it gave me no issues, so I really don't know what was up this time.

I do believe that much of the reasons stores sell bad parts is, people oftentimes accept it and don't take them back for refund. It's really not doing anybody any favors to let stores sell crap and get away with it...and the only way the store chain buyers are going to pay any attention is to make it impossible for them to do business if they don't.

[NewEnglandRaceFan]

his best, that = what he has in stock.. and if the air tex was the only one on hand, well that's the best he's got. THAT BOSCH YOU GOT WAS MOST LIKELY A RETURN, many prople buy the good part and the cheapie one from say orilies and the other from autozone.. install the better one and return the el cheapo in the bosch box.. and if the counter guy doesn't bother to look or even know how to tell, the part goes back into stock... As far as the jeep pump being 400, maybe from the dealer.. but not from moparparts.com

We sure weren't shopping price on the first replacement fuel pump...for the first one, I asked the counter guy for his best and that's what he gave me. When it got noisy (at six months, possibly 2,000 miles) we were told there were actually two pump brands they sold and one was getting complaints, so I figured the story must be we had the bad one and if I swapped to their other brand I'd get the good one.

My gosh that next one was noisy, the second we turned it on. You'd have had to crank up the radio quite a bit to not have to hear that thing, it sounded like it was about to fly to pieces. After pulling it back out, it was quiet free-wheeling but not back there in the tank at 32 psi.

The happy thing was, O'Reilly's guys made the refund no problem. The drag was obviously re-doing the job, over and over.

The Bosch part was made in Czechoslovakia, stamped right on the side. Didn't say "Bosch" anywhere, and didn't fit, and didn't come with a single piece of hardware, not even the little 4mm and 5mm nuts for the electric terminals ao I had to add a hole in the bracket, cut a rubber isolation block to fit, machine a plastic fitting and go find the nuts. But with all that we assume that Bosch (like Sears, once...) doesn't put crap in a box with their name on it and it appears we still assume correctly. For $120 or so, it hums just like the stocker which would have cost nearly $400, from Jeep.

A couple years back I had the bed off my Chevy truck and with the top of the fuel tank right there exposed I stuck a new pump in there just to be safe...that was from O'Reilly's and it gave me no issues, so I really don't know what was up this time.

I do believe that much of the reasons stores sell bad parts is, people oftentimes accept it and don't take them back for refund. It's really not doing anybody any favors to let stores sell crap and get away with it...and the only way the store chain buyers are going to pay any attention is to make it impossible for them to do business if they don't.

[Loren]

Well the hope would be, if he had in the back of his mind that some particular brand was getting complaints, he'd give us a different one. They are in a better position to know than shadetree guy here...

[squirrel]

Loren explained to me that the 8 month old fuel pump was on its way out and gently advised me that running the car low on gas makes the fuel pump heat up and wrecks it. As I was searching for a new fuel pump a Jeep dealer service manager also gently explained this to me adding that he has explained this to his wife as well.

That is true for older in tank pumps...you didn't mention what year the jeep is, but if it's from the 80s up to mid 90s that's probably true. But by the late 90s most car makers had figured it out, and they put a reservoir around the pump, so the pump always sits in fuel, until right before you run the tank dry.

I don't have too much trouble with airtex mechanical pumps. and my wife's efi vehicles get OEM pumps when they need them...which so far, has been one pump for each of two 1999 vehicles.

[NewEnglandRaceFan]

Well the hope would be, if he had in the back of his mind that some particular brand was getting complaints, he'd give us a different one. They are in a better position to know than shadetree guy here...

maybe.. but some would also ,not know.. they'd just know that they sell a ton of them.. or do know.. but also know he makes more on that one than the others.. the margin might be bigger.. and to a manager that gets a bonus.. guess what one he'll push?? Every shop we delivered to, that I'd send my wife to if I didn't have the time to fix her car. would send an airtex back to us if we sent one down with a driver.. sorry you had to do the job 3 times.. I always open the box at the store and make sure all the parts(hardware/etc) is there.