Holley Blue Electric fuel pump...

I'm using the Holley Blue (140gal) electric fuel pump on my Carter carb'd small block.
The pump is back by the tank and I have regulator set to 7psi mounted close to the carb, with no return line.

Should I have a return line? I ask because that seems to be a lot of pressure coming from the pump that the whole length of fuel line and connections is forced to bear. I'm addressing the connection on the outlet side of the pump right now as I see some seepage.

Also, the pump is real loud and seems to have gotten louder over the past few months - like it's damaged form working so hard.

So - there's 2 questions...

With this pump should I have a return line?

Is there a lower pressure/volume pump that would better suit my carb'd Vortec engine?

Thanks in advance!

Holley blue's tend to be a little noisy, but they don't require a return line. You can run one if you want, but the stock Holley regulator isn't designed as a return "style". I have rigged it up before, with a restrictor in the line to keep it from bypassing too much back to the tank, but a return style regulator is the best route to go. If you want a different pump, a Holley red, of one of the inline styles would work fine.

We use the Holley blue pump on our race car without a return line and hve had it for 6 years with no problems. But we are not running it for a long time either. I have read in a technical article in the National Dragster that a bypass regulator with a return line is perferable for most electric pump applications like the one that you have. There was a real long explination in the article on the benifits of running a return line including the reason of allowing the pump work easier without all that back pressure. HTH

Thanks for the help.
I should be getting my Mallory pump in the mail tomorrow. As I understand it, this type of pump can handle back pressure better - not to mention it's built for 7psi, vs 14psi for the Holley Blue.

Wanna buy a slightly used Holley Blue?

A Holly regulator can be used in a bypass fuel system. Run the fuel line to the carb. Put a T fitting in the line just before the carb. Screw the inlet of the regulator to the T fitting. Route the outlet of the regulator back to the tank.