Intank Pump Failures

[Simon-S14]

Hey guys

Ive had several intank pump failures and its driving me up the wall, not to mention unhealthy for my motor, my RB30det has been through several big lean outs now....

pump 1 was a Walbro gs255 set up on the cradle in an s14 tank and died after 11 months, it seized and drew too much current and blew fuses, took this out and replaced with pump 2

pump 2 was a areomotive stealth e85 pump which lasted 3 days, pump stopped pumping all of a sudden, no blown fuses, car was getting thrashed and started starving, took pump out and on the body of the pump there are two melted sections from something failed internally.

stumped!

Im after a pump thats effective for a lift pump in an e85 situation... help me out here

[White GTS-T]

It probably goes without saying, but these new e85 pumps draw a lot of current and thus require a dedicated power and earth from the battery. The standard wiring doesn't cut it.

This is a good read; http://radiumauto.com/media/techarticle-page.php?Radium-s-Ultimate-Fuel-Pump-Test-87

I linked that in the new fuel pump thread, which is also a worthwhile read. http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/446806-the-fuel-pump-thread/

[scotty nm35]

Pumps do draw much more current when they seize, I had a new Walbro draw over 25 amps when seized, caused by testing it with water then sticking it on the shelf for a few months.

As for why, it doesn't take much in the way of crud to jam a pump, most run an oil pump style gear which has tight tolerance, and the shaft will flog out quickly if there is any cavitation (as they only have bush bearings.)

You should cut them open and see what jammed or failed. Were the socks clean and clear? Did you use the supplied sock filters or the OEM one?

There is only one pump I would fit back in there, an e85 Walbro, as they are a turbine design and less likely to fail.

[boostn0199]

Expensive option but ive been using my nismo intank as my lift pump for 4years on e85 and so far so good.

[Simon-S14]

Wiring is all new and more then up to the job. Tank is clean and free of any crud. Both filter socks were clean also.

A 400lph pump is excessive for a lift pump however so after something else

[KiwiRS4T]

I've had a Walbro GSS 341 in my tank for about 5 years. It was my only pump but when I upgraded the turbo I directly wired the pump. When I fitted the RB30 I also fitted a surge tank and exterior pump but kept the Walbro as a lift pump and its still fine. No E85 though EFI sell them as being ethanol compatible. A quick Google lists quite a few users on E85 with their old Walbros for many years.

[scotty nm35]

My 255's have been going strong on ethanol for 5+ years, no issues so far.