Well, guess what??? The only thing full of "sediment" is RACETRONIX. I popped open my trap door, removed the fuel pump assembly, peeked a flashlight down there, and low & behold...the friggin' tank looked as clean and clear as when it rolled off the assembly line!!! Flush the tank?? Bah! What a load of GARBAGE!! So, what now, Racetronix? You gonna tell me the sediment is INVISIBLE???

You know, I don't liked being jerked around, and this is NO EXCEPTION. Tell me, why should I really flush a tank that has ZERO SEDIMENT, and the metal surface on the inside looks like new??? You have (had?) a good product, Racetronix, but after seeing this and hearing your "story" and how you made it sound like it was MY fault (since I installed it), it really hasn't left a good impression on me regarding your business. Sad really, because I really liked your setup, but I don't like being yanked around and treated like I'm stupid. Don't believe me? I'll be uploading some photos either today or tomorrow. I bought this pump around October of 2005 (same with my wife's T/A pump, which still works...your kit too), and it's already failing?? I always keep my tank at least half full, and I'm just baffled as to why it'd go out like this? Once again, I'm not for certain, but all signs point to the pump. Fuel pressure drops once I turn the key off, engine cuts out at higher RPMs and under heavy engine load (50%-100% throttle), and the fuel pressure gradually drops as the RPMs increase under WOT, from 42psi @ idle/low RPMs to 36psi @ 5800 RPM...and YES, I've already replaced the fuel filter...

EDIT: BTW, I can understand parts going out prematurely. It happens...but to tell me it's "sediment", is just ridiculous...

 

Well, here it is, guys! My filthy, sediment-filled, "needed-to-be-flushed", corroded fuel tank:








TA-DA!!!!



And here's the filter sock:




Just FYI, there's two black spots on the filter sock, but those weren't there when I pulled it out. I sat the assembly on my dirty garage floor to go grab my digital camera...

Oh, in case you're wondering in the 4th picture down, that's just discolored plastic back there. I reached in there and tried touching/scratching it...

 

Ya I believe they must have a farely high failure rate. I have a dual walbro setup and I have one pump that is 3 yrs old and one pump that is less than a year old. The pump that is less than a year old is not holding pressure under load. I thought maybe it was the wiring harness so I juxtaposed the harnesses. Problem stays with pump.

These two pumps operate side by side and get alternated one or twice a week from primary to secondary. Kinda blows the sediment theory out of the water.

 

Interesting....

What is this filter sock? does it come with an A/M pump or do you need to buy it seperately?

 

We are very sorry you feel that we are trying to pull a fast one on you. The technical information we have provided is valid and any well-trained mechanic will tell you to always clean a fuel system before installing a new fuel pump or injectors. This is covered in GM's training manuals and is mentioned in some service manuals and bulletins. Contamination is one of the number one reasons Walbro killed their warranty program back in March 2004. Too many people without technical insight where experiencing pump problems and trying to claim warranty.

Sediment is not always visible to the human eye because the dilution can be quite high. Looking down into your tank will not tell you much as it can be like trying to see sugar in water. Particles can be as fine as a grain of sugar and suspended in the fuel as well as settled underneath the baffling in the tank. Some types of contamination dissolve in gas. There is also water contamination caused by a poor tank gasket or cap which can cause parts to rust. Contamination leading to failure is a cumulative thing which takes time. Since the filter sock, pump's magnets and fuel filter constantly have fuel circulating through them, much of what may be in or being put into your tank is being captured in these items eventually leading to problems.

Seeing your filter sock does raise some serious questions as the internal media is VERY black and not the typical light gray or tan associated with long-term gas use. Considering the filter socks are snow-white when new there is much buildup in yours:


These are 30 micron graded-media filter socks approved by Walbro. As you step down through the sock's layers it filters down to a smaller particle size. We can see that your sock is deeply embedded with some sort of black contaminant:



If you say there is no contamination in your system then maybe you should ask yourself how is the filter media filling up with black residue? Perhaps there are some rubber lines breaking down. Perhaps the gas station you frequent has dirty in-ground tanks and your pumping junk into your tank? There is ALWAYS an explanation as to why a pump failed given the right technical training and tools to isolate the cause of failure. Call it pump CSI if you will...

Racetronix is always willing to help customers who are open minded and co-operative. Attacking us on the forums does not help a customer obtain resolution to a problem nor will it alter Walbro or Racetronix warranty policies and procedures. In many cases Racetronix has replaced pumps out of our own pocket even when it was blatantly obvious that customer error was involved. We sell 1000's of fuel systems every year and 99.9% of them work problem free so there should be no reason why yours can not be the same given the right insight into your problem.

If you are willing to contact support@racetronix.com we are always willing to consider a warranty claim even if it is out of the warranty period. We must be given a fair chance to review the situation and product before honoring a claim.

 

Does the sock come with the pump?

 

The proper filter sock shown above comes with our kit.

 

First, I don't think you're trying to "pull a fast one" with me. I do, however, think your claims that "sediment" is the cause of my pump's failure may be false. You may be right, about the GM manuals, but I don't think that "contamination" is always the case. I'm sure you are right in many cases, but I just don't see how it could be with this one. Bear in mind, that not only is the pump only 1.5 years old, but the Camaro it was in is a "weekend-only" car. I MAYBE have put 6000-8000 miles on this pump.


Well, not only did I look in there, but I reached in there and ran my hand across the tank's interior surface...smooth as glass. You say contaminants can dissolve in water? Then how would it cause pump failure? Excuse my ignorance, as I'm not an expert in this area, but I was under the impression that UNDISSOLVED particles is what typically would cause clogging and whatnot, leading to pump failure. I mean, why else would there be an inline fuel filter anyways? You make a fuel pump sound so delicate and sensitive, however, if it were the case, then why even have a secondary, inline fuel filter? I mean, if these tiny, "dissolved" particles can clog the pump, then why even have a filter on the fuel line? I mean, if the pump were that sensitive, wouldn't these damaging particles never make it to that inline fuel filter??

Black residue? Hold on, let me take some pictures for you of the sock as it sits currently (dry). I even took the liberty to dissect the sock for you, so you can see for yourself. Please, show me this "black residue" (in the 1st photo, the dark spot is oil from when I sat the pump assembly on my dirty garage floor):




Maybe I'm off, but it appears tannish, if not light grey, like you described typical "used" filter socks to be... I don't see how it could be rubber...the only rubber in the LT1's fuel system (to my knowledge) are the main fuel hoses, and due to an accident (one was cut), I had just replaced those around the same time I replaced the pump. The fuel injectors are only 3 years old, and the adjustable fuel pressure regulator is 3 years old, also. The rubber seal for the pump didn't look worn, aged, or deteriorated, either. I wished I knew if it was a specific gas station or not, but I stop at whichever gas station is closest (and has 91 to 93 octane) when I need gas. You may be right. I know, there has to be an explanation for premature failure (technically, it hasn't completely "failed" yet, but it is displaying symptoms that it's likely on its way out...)

You're right, I was out of line with my posts, and I do apologize. You must understand, I typed those posts up immediately after removing the pump and examining the tank. I'm sure you can imagine the frustration I had, since I've been asking around online and in my local area about how to flush a tank and talking about it being the cause of my pump failure, yet no one really could give me a clear answer. I've been waiting to change the pump for a few weeks now, and I was expecting the worst when I looked in there. After seeing it looked clean and new...well, you can imagine the frustration I was experiencing at that point. It wasn't my goal either get it warrantied; I was just venting because I was frustrated with the whole ordeal.

Honestly, I don't expect you to consider or honor a warranty claim, as that would be going above and beyond what I would expect from your business, but of course, I wouldn't pass up the offer if it wasn't my fault, either. I'm sure you'll give me the details after I contact you, but I'm assuming you'll want the pump sent to you for examination, correct? If so, no problem at all. Honestly, I really want to know what the cause was, so that you, I, and everyone else here will know whether my claim was true, or whether it was clearly my error; and if the latter ends up being the case, I most certainly owe you a formal and public apology. I do thank you for being understanding and civil with this situation...

 

Obviously without examining your pump and filter sock we can not say exactly what the cause of failure is assuming it is failing. Walbro killed their warranty program as they found that 98% of the pumps sent back to them under warranty were ok. Most of the 2% that had failed had done so due to being contaminated, being run dry or being dropped. We have carried a warranty for over two years after Walbro killed theirs. After looking back at the pumps returned we came to the same conclusion as Walbro.

The mileage put on a car in many cases has no bearing on pump failure. In actual fact we get more failed pumps returned to us in the spring that were pulled from winter storage cars than any other time of the year. This is mostly due to tanks with improper seals and gas caps allowing condensation to get in. This causes rust/corrosion which causes pumps, level senders and electrical connections to fail. In some cases water and rust can be pumped into a customer's tank from gas station holding tanks. We have had customers with plastic tanks full of junk. This contamination was revealed when the gas was passed through a clean filter cloth but it was not visible to the human eye. Perhaps some people here have heard about the sulphur content in pump gas causing sender problems in new cars and trucks. Just add this one to the list...

The filter sock is designed to help protect the pump from common types of contamination while at the same time not to impede the pump's performance. The filter sock does not provide 100% protection for your pump. We have never seen a Walbro filter sock get so loaded with dirt as to seriously impede the pump's flow. For example we could dump few teaspoons of iron oxide powder in your tank and run the pump for a bit and you would never notice it by simply looking down into your tank. If you were to pass all the gas through a clean filter media such as your filter sock you would see nothing but discoloration. This fine dust is what makes it past the filter sock, sticks to the magnets in your pump, chews up the armature contacts and gears. Keep in mind over the coarse of a few years hundreds of gallons of gas have been put into your tank. The fuel system has circulated thousands of gallons.This and other types of contaminants that are captured by your filter sock will turn much darker in color when wet just like sand and tea. When dry many of them are virtually unnoticeable in small quantities. The first picture of your sock clearly shows a dark uniform coating throughout the inner media top and bottom which is below the outer layer / nylon mesh. There is also clear and heavy concentrations of contamination around the dimples in the filter media! These indicators are from stuff being passed through the media rather than coming in contact with the outer surface. Since you opened the sock we will never know for sure.

We hope common sense prevails here and customers reading this will heed our common sense warnings. We are not saying that pumps do not fail from manufacture's defect from time to time. We are not saying that if you clean your tank your pump will not fail. What we are saying is that if you follow proper procedure you are MUCH less likely to run into problems and more likely to be covered under warranty. Just because one person may not be able to explain the source of their problem does not mean that all common sense procedure associated with his installation should be thrown out the window. It is no different than a motor builder spending the extra time to achieve better bearing clearances or your doctor telling you not to smoke. Chances are your motor will last longer and you are not as likely to get lung cancer.

 

I sent you an e-mail a couple of days ago. Just wondering where I need to send this pump to for evaluation...

 

TTT for Racetronix...

 

TTT for Racetronix. I've emailed you and posted it on here, but I've still yet to get a response. You offered to examine my pump to determine the cause of failure, and I've tried contacting you on here and via email, but with no success. All I'm needing to know is where to send the pump to...

 

Just curious, could any one answer me as to why all these sites never once mention FLUSHING the tank?

http://www.popularmechanics.com/how_...36.html?page=1

http://www.allpar.com/fix/fuelpump.html

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/doity.../aa050701a.htm

Also, I checked my Hayne's AND my Chilton's manual, and it mentions flushing the FUEL SYSTEM, mostly for reasons of fuel tank repair and prevention of igniting any fuel particles left in the tank, but NOWHERE does it even allude to the idea of flushing the fuel tank to remove sediment...especially sediment you can't "see or feel". Once again, Racetronix, I'm not calling you out or trying to badmouth your company; I'm just wanting answers. I e-mailed Walbro and hopefully they will be able to clear things up for me, since you haven't been available on here to answer my questions here or in my e-mail that I sent you several days ago. I've been waiting to hear back from you so I know where to send my pump to for analysis. You told me if I contacted you, you'll work with me on this...

 

old post but...I want everyone to see that some tanks will get sediment. Just because someone else's tank is clean doesn't mean yours is. Drop the tank!

The majority of people (not specific to the f-body community) are going to drop the tank and will look inside the tank, if it's dirty they clean it.

Look what I found in mine. I have no doubt my new pump would have been trashed fairly quickly.

 

Did someone toss their cookies in your tank?

Rich