What Is Wrong With Walbro Pumps?

[Spurdo]

everyone here seems to say walbro's are complete rubbish. and that bosch's are so much better in every way imaginable. i don't doubt that bosch pumps are excellent but from my own experience and that of friends with the same pump as mine, so are walbro's.

why is it that people seem to have nothing but bad things to say about them??

i have had one in my car since 2007 and have had no issues with it. i am also yet to even hear of one failing.

so whats the deal? everyone i've seen talking down the walbro's never gave a reason for doing so. i would like to get to the bottom of this.

[Moodles2]

Because of the cheap chinese copies out there giving them a bad name. Walbro's are probably fine as stock replacements (power under say 220kw), but never as a upgrade which is where Bosch pumps are pretty much proven to be reliable. Even with the genuine Walbro pumps I think there has been some bad batches.

[2LV8ETR]

Some time ago a company in China copied the Walbro pump and sold it on as a genuine item. These pumps subsequently failed and as a result Walbro copped a bad reputation for selling crap.

There's nothing wrong with genuine Walbro pumps and I have been using one now for about 3 years with no issues whatsoever. I have also installed them into a few other cars with a zero failure rate. There are of course better brands out there, but you will get what you pay for and I would say that a genuine Walbro is in the top 10. That's not to say that one of the better brands has a zero failure rate, and if you were to Google you would see what I'm talking about. I won't name the brands here but they still do fail.

As long as you find a genuine Walbro pump, you should be happy with the results, though if you're going to be spending a lot of money on an engine, then why skimp, pay the extra for one of the best out there.

[Brezza]

i've been using a Walbro in my 32 GTR for about 6 months now with no issues. they're quiet and allow for good flow.

i am getting 320rwkw in my GTR with just the intank high flow pump.

i've heard that the bosch ones because they're physically bigger can make noise (vibration) if they are not fitted correctly?

correct me if i am wrong?

[eightsixboy]

Theres nothing wrong with the walbros. It depends on what sort of power your after. I just installed mine last week and im after 160 to 190 rwkw, anything above 200 and the bosch would prob be better.

[SimonR32]

Because of the cheap chinese copies out there giving them a bad name. Walbro's are probably fine as stock replacements (power under say 220kw), but never as a upgrade which is where Bosch pumps are pretty much proven to be reliable. Even with the genuine Walbro pumps I think there has been some bad batches.

Why not as a upgrade???

Can easily flow enough to make at least 330rwkw on pump fuel, are quiet, small, very easy to install and GOOD VALUE...

All the muppets that bag them out are either stupid enough to have bought a fake in the past or have no idea!

Just on personal experience... I have had a total of 7 Bosch 040's on various cars, 3 have failed (in 3 different cars). I now use a Walbro GSS-342 and would recommend for anyone running up to 350ish rwkw

Edited July 30, 2010 by SimonR32

[R31Nismoid]

Mine was legit, 6 years ago before all these fakes appeared on the market 270rwkw, that was show over for my Walbro.

13:1 AFR's. Bosch pump change over, 10:1

So now the Walbro just gets used as a lift pump for my surge tank.

The issue with Walbros is pressure, they are FINE for N/A power applications - as boost climbs, so does pressure, flow rate then drops off.

There are graphs around here and on the net of the various comparo's.

If you intend on running more than 240rwkw and 15psi - get a bosch or a similar jap/other more suited pump.

Otherwise just for the above the Walbro item is a cheap and good solution.

[PhilKenSebben]

I am currently planning to upgrade my fuel system, and the Bosch 040 was my first choice. However I have read too many threads stating that not only will I have to chop up my harness, but because the 040 feeds from the flat base, which doesn't sit in the factory pumps position on the bottom of the tank, many members have suggested never running my fuel gauge below the half to quarter full mark.

Now my 33 is only my weekend toy, but that doesn't mean I'm not at least partially concerned by

A) Never being able to travel more than roughly 300 kms without fueling up

B) Leaving half a tank of old fuel in my car to be mixed with the fresh batch, especially considering how long a tank of fuel lasts me in a weekend only toy

Add to that many posts about how noisy the 040 can be, and suddenly my decision is not so clear cut.

R31Nismoid, would you recommend a NISMO item to remove these issues?

[R31Nismoid]

The whole rubbish about Bosch mounting is just that - rubbish.

People without any idea suffer from this.

It's very easy to get it right, my older HR31 i could run to the fuel light with a 040 and never have a problem.

They are a bit louder than a screw pump (walbro style), but meh, its not that bad IMO if mounted correctly.

If you have the stereo on or a aftermarket exhaust you won't hear it over that so i dont even count that as a problem

[r33cruiser]

I wouldnt even say Bosch units are that good, ive had 1 dodgy unit.

My 040 only lasted 8mths before it died.

A mate has a walbro and its still going 2yrs later.

:S

[The Dan]

How many of you people have removed your tank to clean it when changing a pump? Walbro or Bosch....if you didn't have the tank cleaned, then you cannot make fair comment on either one failing.

I have always, and always will judge them on flow rate

[The Dan]

At 60psi the flow rate drops to 50 gallons per hour which is 189L/hr. The standard fuel pump is virtually the same. The Bosch intank pumps flow 200 L/hr at 70psi. At 60psi they are still doing approx 230L/hr.

Anyone running 15-20psi of boost will see rail pressures of around 60psi

[paulr33]

yes and the clear issue for the Skyline series at least, when you go for a wallbro pump, is the skyline supplies 12v

and all the flow rates / data etc are plotted @ 13.5v or even higher

so yes the pump can flow blah blah, but install it a skyline, and the rate drops signifantly

and re: fuel pump failures

it's fine a fuel pump fails, as it stops, the fuel stops and the engine stalls

its only when the pump can't keep up or maintain the required level that is puts the engine at risk

ie like in r31nismoid's case, if the pump can't keep up, rather than making the engine stall, it will lean out

the end result, if its bad enough, is the engine goes bang as the AF/R's come out at say 16 when they should 12

[geraus]

Well im using a Walbro had it for 2 years, trent tuned my car and its had a hard time at the track, As for tommorow i will be drifting tommorow 251kws on 18psi tommorow. mines working fine.

[frozenpod]

Stock fuel pump with RB25 was ok until about 245-250rwkw in my car, I moved to a Walbro and it was running out of puff at about 280rwkw. Car runs 270rwkw and has done so for about 15 months without issue.

It works fine, fairly quite but a bit more flow would have been nice.

[bubba]

044 in tank unless you want to make +600rwhp then you should be building a bigger fuel system anyway.

[Adriano]

Gee they pull a few amps, hence why a wiring upgrade with a relay is a good ides. What fuse does the fuel pump run?

[nick81xd]

been running a genuine walbro for 4 years now. just starting to run out of puff now at 351kws

[R32 Zilla]

I have 2 genuine walbros fitted intake to make 377 kw without a problem. Plenty of head room too. It seems this thread is slowly crushing the bad rumors about the reliability of these pumps. Flow rates may become an issue if you are pushing them hard compared to Bosch.

Edited July 31, 2010 by R32 Zilla

[Nee-san]

044 in tank unless you want to make +600rwhp then you should be building a bigger fuel system anyway.

I'm putting twin 044's off a surge tank fed from an in tank lift pump It's sad that im so excited LOL