About 5 or 6 years ago I replaced the fuel pump on my '82 CE with the upgraded '85 AC Delco pump. All went well until the connection hose from the pump to the sending unit split recently. Apparently, the hose on the aftermarket sending unit I replaced did not have an ethanol friendly hose with it. I also noticed that the rubber around the fuel pump had also turned soft and was coming off.
My question is what is the rubber around the pump for? Is this just for sound deadening or is there a purpose? Any issue with not having it on there?
Thanks for your help. Ready to pump it back together hopefully this weekend.
Vette(s): 1973 Orange Metallic Coupe (orig owner), L82, 4 spd (WR), PS, (A/C & PW (I installed from wrecked 73)), leather, AM/FM Stereo, ran with '65 FI unit earlier & will again some day.
Joined: 7/9/2003
Posts: 449
I doubt anything in the fuel system on that car is tolerant of alcohol fuel. I would try finding a place that sells pure gas from now on.
Vette(s): #1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/
Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight"
#2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto
Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas
Joined: 11/8/2003
Posts: 19507
That rubber piece us there for noise insulation, as well as keeping the lower part of the pump from flopping around in the bracket, which will eventually cause the pump and bracket to wear into the metal. So, yes...you need it, or something similar, to keep the pump stable in the bracket.
____________________________________ Joel Adams C3VR Lifetime Member #56 My Link
I will add, however, that all the rubber, in and around the fuel pump, was replaced on my '82. I obviously didn't mention that in the discussion, but the end result is that I did not combine new parts with old...I replaced all rubber components, to include seals/gaskets/tubing, during that repair that got me running again.
I replaced my fuel pump (`82, spec pump vs. `85 pump) and all was great until the sender stopped working after a few weeks because the Willcox-sourced sender had a wire solder issue which they replaced. But, during the replacement after 4-5 weeks I noticed that the small rubber hose that you referenced was already soft and soggy. It felt the same as the 35 year old hose which was on its last legs. It was a blessing that the sender prematurely failed because my wife and I take our car on an extended annual cross-State trip (from Canton, MI to Lexington, MI on Lake Huron) which could have caused a catastrophic failure. So, I went to the local parts store and specified that I needed a "fuel rated hose" replacement. It is critical to request a "fuel rated" hose which is slightly more expensive, but makes all the difference in the world. It cost less than two bucks for the small hose piece and it has performed flawlessly.
Bottom line, unless the small hose segment literally has a white printed notation on it as being "fuel rated", just spend the two bucks at your favorite auto parts store and buy the good stuff. Also, buy two hose clamps to properly secure the hose. I realize that the OE pump did not have the two small hose clamps, but the upgrade and peace of mind is well worth it.
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