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my fuel pump for my sr20det started to make a whining and buzzin noise. i was thinking it was goin bad. so i checked it and cleaned the filter. filter seemed dirty. there was rust in the gas tank. after cleaning it, the sound went away, then a day in a half later, it came back, but its softer then before.

i started searching and seen that these pumps make noise naturally. is this true? or is it a sign of the pump goin bad? or is becuz my tank has rust in it?

thanks

 

I heard Walbros are supposed to make noise... and that they are random in the reliability department

 

thx for the reply

when u say random, do you mean as some walbro work and some dont work?

 

pretty much. Some people I know have had no problems... others have had the Walbro's die out of nowhere, start making really LOUD sounds, or just break.

 

my walbro 255 is still quiet =P

 

would you guys change it and spend another $100 if it makes buzzin noise and whining noise?

i havent notice any performance difference yet. but im scared to throw boost now becuz i think it might be bad for the engine with little fuel flowing.

 

Well if it made noises that it didn't before (like when you first put it in) I'd change it, and look into something else brand-wise. I've heard the sound of some Walbros in friends cars, but I wouldn't describe it as anything more than a low "hum".

But buzzing and whining? I'd be a little scared too considering there's a bunch of flamable liquid back there.

 

thx for the help raine

im gonna search for another brand name fuel pump.

 

if the pump started making a different noise the yes there is a problem... if cleaning it helped for a day then there is something inside the pump that the vanes dont like...one way to check it is to do a pressure test on it... hook up a pressure gague and turn the key to on... see what the pressure runs up too and match that with the specs that came with the pump... if the pressure is out of specs get a new one... if it is good then you should be okay for now... but i would look to replace it as soon as funds allow...im not a big fan of in tank pumps...what i do is i pull th epump out put a plastic fitting on the sock that is in the tank and then a piece of rubber hose to the outlet in the tank and run a remote fuel pump mounted to the frame rails... easier to work on and imo much better... not to mention you can get a holley max gas pump that can feed upto 600 gallons per hour... thats a lot of fuel that you dont need just using that pump as an example...

 

One more question,

what are the symptoms of a fuel pump goin bad?
does it give bad idling? thats what ive been gettin recently.

 

Ive had the same Walbro fuel pump for 3 years. I had it in both of my civics and now my 240. Since the day I put it in it has sounded like it was going to blow. Real loud huming noise. But has worked great, no boubts.

But what I would do if I was you is get the rust out the tank. The extra sound you might be hearing is the pump being restricted from the strainer being clogged. I know when I had rust in my tank when I first got the car it made the stock pump go bad. And usually when a fuel pump goes bad you just dont get any fuel. Thats the reason I had to replace mine. Plus I needed the good ol warlbro for the sr swap

 

I herd that if you drive alot with a low feul level (less then 1/4-1/8 tank) its really hard on the pumps.

 

so as long my car starts, the pump is still good? it has nothing to do with my bad idling that i get once in a while?

and ima try and clean my tank again as much as i can, might even drop some heavy duty magnets in the corners away from the pump to hold the floating rust.

edit* i dont drive on low fuel, i keep mines above the half line. i heard that too.

 

maybe it's like comparing slurping water off a plate with a straw vs. slurping water with the straw submerged in a full glass of water

 

the deposits in the tank can be sucked up easier if the fuel level is low... higher concentration of crap to fuel ratio... a fuel pump going bad can cause a lot of problems... it might not stop all together at one time it might just slow down... surge... burp... or speed up on its own... that is why i suggested pressure testing the pump... that will tell you what the pump is doing... if it is running low on pressure it might not be supplying enough fuel to run correctly... lean conditions are bad for any motor especally a boosted one... pressure test the pump and see what it is putting out... easy way to do this is to get a liguid pressure gague and connect it to the fuel line befor the fuel filter... since there are rubber lines on our nissan it is easy to do... pressure gague fitting for the fuel hose and there you go... turn on the key let the pump prime and then check the pressure... match it to the sprcs on the pump for line pressure and go from there...