fuel pump install notes

today i swapped my old fuel pump for a new carter pump. hopefully this will fix my WOT problems i've been having. i didn't take any pictures or make a how to, but i thought i'd point out some of problems i had. anyone installing a walbro will probably have the same issues.

- the pump top plate was horribly rusted in my car. luckily the bolts are very short and i managed to get them all out (mostly by hammering a 5/16 socket onto them). i had to grind clearance in the floorpan so i could get a socket straight onto some of the bolts.
- stupid nissan made the hole for the pump assembly slightly smaller than the pump assembly itself! you have to do some wiggling and jiggling to get the assembly thru the hole. careful of the float!
- the actual pump body for the carter and the stock pump were the same diameter so i could reuse the stock rubber isolator bands which is essential. the height was different tho.
- the stock pump also has another relief regulator built into it (which should be set at 30 psi). my new pump doesn't show anything like that (or at least, it will be set much higher)
- the stock pump uses a strainer that acts as a spacer for the height where the pump sits inside the cage. the carter doesn't have the right profile so you can't use the stock strainer in the same way. and the carter strainer has no stiffness (it's a mesh bag) so you can't use it to position the pump. theoretically you can allow the pump to just 'hang' from the rubber fuel line. the pump is still captured on the sides by the rubber isolaters bands. the hose is pretty strong and it would probably last a long time hanging from the line but i didnt' go that option.
-i cut a new length of fuel line that would place the pump pickup pretty close to the stock pickup. i bent the float an 1/8" just to give myself a bit of safety. i'll run the car empty in the future to make sure the gas gauge is calibrated correctly.
- i didn't want to have the pump hang from the fuel line so i welded a small shim (ground a bolt) onto the bottom of the cage. the pump sits on this shim (the pump has a rubber spacer on its bottom) so the hose is unstressed.
- oddly when i put the assembly back in it seemed a bit too tall (which it can't be since the pump assembly height is determined by the cage which i completely reused)! it seemed to be bottoming out... once i bolted the top plate down tho, it seemed ok. i'll check it again tomorrow.
- my o-ring for the top plate had expanded and no longer fits correctly. i got the old one back on, but i'll have to get a new one from nissan.
- the original pump had a line from the strainer up to near the top of the pump. i didn't have anything to attach this to. i'm not really sure what the purpose of this is.
- the carter pump has a fitting on the top which i left open. i'm guessing this is a relief valve? anyone know? it wasn't detailed in the instructions.

of course anyone doing any work near the fuel tank should be EXTREMELY CAREFUL! drain the fuel if at all possible. watch for any sparks and heat. disconnect the battery and cover the tank when the top plate is open. as soon as gas fumes mix with air you've got a dangerous situation.

i started the car and it idles ok. i didn't notice the sound of the pump over the sound of the car. i didn't drive it yet as i didn't have time to clean everything up. i'll do that tomorrow.

the new pump is a carter competition pump. you'll need to buy a strainer separately. it's 60gph @60psi so it should flow far more than anything i'll need for any future mods as well.

It's good to hear that you got that installed...8)

i am looking at carter 100gph ones
really SWEET
320 lph i like that!

i am looking at carter 100gph ones
really SWEET
320 lph i like that!
1 US gallon is 3.78 litres, so that would make it 378 lph...which is even better!! 8)

yep screw walbro and their 255lph
LOL
and this pump is like 73 bucks
walbro is like 150
i don't mind buying 2 carter 100gph and having one as a spare or make a monster 2 into one Y fitting, one for my primary and one for my secondary injectors later on

where can I get this pump? happen to know the stock #? just want to make sure I get the right one

As an FYI, order a new oring prior to opening up the tank. Most fuels of today have nasty additives that cause it to expand. Also, I wouldn't drive it much if at all until you get the new oring put in, unless you are 100% sure the old one sealed properly.

I'll check with my fuel pump guru next week, and see if I can find out what that second line is for.

Ron

i did get a new o-ring. it didn't seat right and expanded. after that i couldn't get the thing to seat correctly. in the end i spliced it shorter and used some liquid gasket maker to seal the damn thing. it's not leaking yet and no gas fumes. if worse comes to worse i'll order an o-ring from an industrial supplier. i'd pick up 1/4" dia instead of the stock 3/16" as the 3/16 does not seal well.

As an FYI, order a new oring prior to opening up the tank. Most fuels of today have nasty additives that cause it to expand. Also, I wouldn't drive it much if at all until you get the new oring put in, unless you are 100% sure the old one sealed properly.

I'll check with my fuel pump guru next week, and see if I can find out what that second line is for.

Ron

Is this for a universal application or is it made for a nissan? Where did you get it from? That would be nice to know...

he got it through Mean Street Performance

Which would of course be me *lol*

When ordering the pump, tell them it's for an S13. It is just like the Whine-boro setup. It will fit any cylindrical-style pump, but odds are they don't have it listed as an application for the S12. Why? Because they don't make the correct strainer. The pump is universal, it's the strainer that is specific.

And yes, that opening is the relief. The pump has an emergency shut off after 60 psi so you don't burn out the pump.

yeah, that's what i thought, relieft valve.

really tho, you don't need this pump unless your old one is bad or you need more fuel for larger injectors. the stock one should be good for around 14 psi or so. you'll need bigger injectors before you need a bigger fuel pump.

Isn't the pressure supposed to be like around 30-37 psi, 14 psi is usually for those throttle bodied injected cars (Those cars or trucks that have that carb looking thing sitting on top of the intake with usually 1 or 2 injectors, unless its one of those Holley Pro Injection setups with 4 injectors.).

edit: Oh, wait are you refereing to 14 psi of boost, then that would make sense. Forgot about the turbo again, happens when you don't have one.