So, my 59 and 61 Cadillacs both share the same fuel pump. We all know that the only thing available is that hokey ass China bomb everyone sells. I don't care who you bought it from, they're all made in the same factory, in China, by 10 year old children. What do they know about fuel pumps? After replacing several of these doorstops, I finally tore into one, and this is what I found... We are dealing with a poor quality sand casting, with little machining. They use a cheapo one way valve. That is press fit, into the middle casting (valve body). These tend to either wiggle loose, or pop out of their seat, altogether. If they made the seat wells a bit deeper, they could install a snap ring, to hold the valves in place. This will never happen, so we're stuck with this piss poor design and suffering the consequences. Now, I like to keep my cars O.G., so an electric fuel pump is out of the question. What I've done is remove the valve body portion, of the pump, by removing the screws around the perimeter... seating the valves, with a socket as a pusher, and peening material over, around the edge of the valves. What I found is that you need to make sure you roll over material, on to the valve. Be careful not to distort the valve body, or you can create a leak. I know it's not the most elegant solution, and some may even say it's as hokey as this fuel pump, but you know what??? It works. So, if this thing leaves you stranded, on the side of the road, here's the fix... Hope this helps, my brothers... Bob Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Well... my 59 had a crimped style, AC pump that was prolly original. It eventually failed and this is all I've been able to find. Poorly made Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Bob - I see little wrong. Most pumps I've seen from the 50's, the valves were crimped in..! Yea, they could have done a little better job of it...but. As for the machining, where is this machining required that it hasn't been done ? Actually, IF you look...all of the holes are nicely centered in their bosses, the hole chamfers are cast in to the housing...nothing wrong with that if done well...which they are. A "ring" is cast into the cover to retain the diaphragm, so it doesn't move..! You want high end snap rings, count on about double (or more) the pump cost..! AND a new design...you'll need to move the valves down about .18" or .200", which will cause the housing to be deeper. So buy another Chinese pump, do your own valve crimping, and go driving. You could also deburr the inlet and outlet...which by the way, were NEVER done by any American company on this type part either..! Mike P.s. - I'm NOT pushing the use of offshore parts, just saying that in this case, it ain't THAT bad. And expect to pay 1/4 to 1/2 more money when made in the US for given parts.
Mike, I'm sorry, but these things are absolute junk. The crimps you see, around the one way valves, are mine. Otherwise, there's nothing to hold the valves in place, but light friction (which is easily overcome, by the pressure of the diaphragm, below them). By better machining, I feel that if the bores were a couple thousandths smaller, they would do a better job of retaining the valves. If you haven't torn one down, and your assertions are based solely on my crappy cell phone pictures, then I suggest you do your homework and lay your hands on one. As for your assertion about the valves being centered in the bore... well, I couldn't care less if they were noticeably eccentric, as long as they worked, properly (which they dont). At best this is a poorly manufactured throwaway item, and should not be relied upon, for serious driving, as is, out of the box. I dont mind having a discussion about this, but let's be realistic about it... Lastly I'd gladly pay double, or even triple the price, for a reliable pump. I've replaced several of these, in both Cads and need to find a quality piece. The hunt is on... Bob Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
I took apart "three"...THREE, 50's era (two, the same engine, one different), American car, mechanical pumps today. Mostly because one on my running "parts" car failed and I wanted to see if your comments had merit..! You know what I found in these...USA...made pumps... Exactly...what you are whining about. Pressed in valves, two sets are plastic, one set some sort of steel. No form of solid captivation. So...I'm guessing that the two plastic valved pumps have been rebuilt at some point. NONE of the three have staked in valves, INCLUDING the apparently rebuilt pumps. The three pumps I took apart, the machining was "slightly" less in grade vs. your offshore pump. Not bad mind you, just not as careful as in your pump shown above. The holes are not quite in the center of the bosses, close, but NOT as good as the one that you show above. So...there's my comments that I note above...stand as is..! Mike
This was fantastic advice! Just repaired my pump yesterday, and i wanted to thank Bob for posting this solution! Now, just changing the oil, and tightening some exhaust leaks, so i can get ‘er back on the trail! Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Danged good Cadwork, Bob...Recall a similar 'staking' of a component on an early Pontiac in my apprenticeship, good fix.
Could you possibly find an original pump to rebuild? It's a good thing that the pump is screwed together vs. crimped together, so a guy can actually take it apart for servicing. Here's what's inside the only rebuildable (screwed together) pump I could find for one of my vehicles, made in England: A plastic cup thing with rubber umbrella seals for check valves. After a year or two without driving the vehicle, the pump failed due to one of the seals and the plastic cup warping enough to prevent a proper seal.
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