I've found that Jeg's/Summit are about the easiest to deal with, probably because of their corporate size and influence on the industry. Thunder isnt that big. Like comparing mom & pop to Wal-Mart.

Im suprised that the original poster hasnt been flamed, on another (ls1) f-bod board people that work for thunder all have accounts and pop up to deny and belittle anyone that dares to voice any complaints about them or their service. They screwed my best friend for 2 months telling him that 'your parts will ship out tomorrow, or maybe the next day', theirfore, they will never get any money from anyone in this area that asks for advice on where to get performace parts from.

 

I was expecting to get flamed since they sponsor this board....but I'm glad you guys can relate to my situation.

I can't believe I actually bought one of their shirts and wore it .

 

Well they're a pretty good company, and I rate them in First as far as getting what you ordered from a smaller company. They always have excellent sales and I mean I just ordered some stuff from them boy!!!! 10% off all valve train products!!! HELLUVA SALE!!!!!!!!!

 

When you get a part that is defective and are stuck with it, it takes a
"HELLUVA" lot of 10% sales to make up for it. JMO

 

What are the details of the event... ???? before everybody jumps on the bandwagon.

 

Basically, I installed the new pump and started having cranking problems at that point. Pressure test show the pressure not holding after the pump shuts off 2 seconds after the key is turned on. It is suppose to stay at that pressure {41-47 psi} for the amount of time specified in the book, or at least close during a leak down test.
I've checked my fuel pump check valve, fuel pump feed line up to the connection outside tank and also between that connection and the rail connector and the valve within the fuel pressure regulator and injectors for leaks. The only section that fails the pressure test is the pump check valve. It will not hold pressure in reverse of the direction of flow introduced at the pressure output line when bench tested.

It runs fine, even at WOT, although my set-up is basically stock so not requiring excessive volume But the 255 LPH pump runs continuosly to supply the volume needed to do this.
My complaints are long starts associated with the system not holding adequate pressure after the initial ~ 2 seconds of pump run time after the initial key-on pump cycle. And the kit I recieved had no connector to adapt the flexible pump output line to the appropriate fitting therefore using a hose clamp to connect the flexline to a fitting designed for a OE type dissconnect was required. Although it holds pressure for now, this is not an acceptable means of making that connection in my book.
I can live with the connection but if I sell my car, telling the buyer that they need to turn the key on 2-3 times {as I do} before it will crank won't help resale value.

 

The reason a checkvalve bleeds down is because dirt gets stuck on the seat. This does not classify as a defective pump. 99.9% of the time the person who installs the pump does not prevent dirt from getting into the pump's inlet or filter sock during the installation process. All it takes is a small grain of dirt etc. to hang it up. The pumps are all tested at the factory to hold pressure before they ship. The pumps have caps on their inlets to prevent dirt from getting in. The pumps are then placed in sealed plastic bags and boxed to prevent contamination.

We are evaluating a field service kit to remove, de-contaminate and replace the checkvalve. Since most of the people installing these pumps have no formal technical training with widely varying skill sets we are concerned that any attempt to service the checkvalve might lead to further complications.

Please keep in mind that Walbro has not offered any type of warranty on their HP pumps since March 2004. It is the mass merchandisers with liberal 'no questions asked' return policies which led to a 98% non-defective return rate to Walbro and subsequent cancellation of their warranty program. Racetronix pump claim rate is under 0.25% (1:400) across the entire product line. The majority of this very small percentage (as Walbro found as well) is due to installer error / oversight. The FLT1 pump assembly is a very successful proven product with literally thousands sold and working perfectly in customers cars.

Until we are ready to release a field service kit, customers are welcome to ship their pumps back to Racetronix to have the checkvalve cleaned and a new flex-hose, gasket, etc. refitted at no charge.

support@racetronix.com

BTW. In earlier FLT1 systems the factory push-lock fitting was to be re-used. The flex-tube outlet I.D. was made for the enlarged barb on the push-lock fitting. It was not meant to be placed on the steel line. Kits manufactured after 10/05 have new push-lock fittings on them.

 

I agree a piece of dirt may be the cause of the valve leaking back although I installed my pump on the same aluminum table that I build automatic transmissions on and have had no problem with spools hanging or any other debris related problems. But still I agree that could very well be the cause.

Being that there is no warranty to void, I'd be interested in a service kit to install in mine to correct the check valve leakage. I have been repairing cars as my primary source of income since I was in my teens and I'm 45 as of yesterday so I can likely accomplish the task. My shop also is very well stocked with tools but if I don't have what I need, I'll order it. It will most likely be used again in the future. And if my remedy leads to further problems that's my fault. I'll deal with it.

Thanks for the "no charge" repair offer but my problem with sending the pump back for repair is that this is my daily driver and although it's not my only vehicle, it's the only one I can afford gas in for an extended period and the only one I intend to be seen in at some special functions I attend regularly.

I obviously got the older kit since it did not have a fitting. My original 9 year old pushlock fitting was very brittle with age and broke separating it from the also brittle original flex line. I realize the flex hose was not intended to be clamped to the non-barbed hard line, but that is the only choice I had after trying to dissasemble the stock set-up. I'd be interested in a push lock fitting to install if one is available without buying a new pump.
Thank you very much for your reply to this thread. That's more than Thunder Racing did for my e-mail to them.

 

So is the problem overall user error or does Thunder Racing have out dated version of the pump or whatever? Is this a common problem with the Racetronix Fuel pump from Thunder? I ask because I was going to buy mine from them.

 

Thunder Racing runs a professional operation. Perhaps some e-mails were lost in cyberspace? Their hands are tied when it comes to matters such as this.

As stated above, all too often people installing fuel pumps get in over their heads and overlook common sense things which a properly trained technician would not. Doing and understanding are too very different things. This is why we recommend people read the Racetronix instructions (with the product laid out in front of you) AND G.M. manual (covering pump R&R) from front to back before starting the job. If there are any areas of confusion or concern bring them to your dealer's attention or support@racetronix.com before moving forward.

 

All dealers have then new pump assemblies in-stock with the new push-lock fittings.

There are no common problems with this product. From time to time there are customers who run into issues which are mostly installation related. If you have limited technical training we recommend having the pump installed by a Racetronix dealer or a licensed mechanic who is willing to read the instructions before the installation.

 

The e-mail may well have been lost, but they have always replied to all e-mails regarding a purchase I was about to make. And I realize they are only the distributor, therefore claims for nonconforming parts must be presented to their supplier.
I never called about the pump because Matt did and there response to him was:
.

The First and Second responses I have no problem with but I question the Third.


I have never been on the parts selling end, but while purchasing parts in parts stores, I have seen several occasions where inexperienced buyer / installer returned parts that did not work because the inexperienced buyer / installer lacked the proper knowledge required for the job. I agrree this happens a large percentage of the time.
Personally I saw nothing complicated or technically difficult with the Racetronix swap. But that's me. Other than not having the connector to attach the flex feed line, I was really happy with the pump as far as install.
And if I can manage to dislodge the dirt from the check valve {as hopefully that is the problem}, I will likely be very happy with the pump.
Until then I'll keep cycling the key and be unsatisfied with the performance of the part.
Please notify me when the "field service kit" becomes available.
And again, thanks for your response.

 

Thanks, Jack. It's hard for me to keep up with all of the message boards out there, but I thought I should chime in.

ALL of the emails that are received at Thunder Racing are answered. We have a couple of common problems that cause emails not to be received: (1) Customers send one email and cc it to all of the Thunder Racing addresses. This won't get it answered any faster, in fact, it usually get's caught by the spam filters. (2) I spend a lot of time answering emails every day and they bounce. It happens most often with hotmail accounts.

The racetronix pumps are one of the items that we get the most tech support calls on. 99% of the tech calls on this products are related to people attempting installations that either don't have the proper mechanical knowlege to pull their gas tank or have not completely read and understood the instructions. Our tech guys usually go step-by-step with the customer to figure out where the problem lies and helps them through it. VERY RARELY is there ever a problem with the pump. If it is determined that there might be a parts issue, at that time we refer the customer directly to Racetronix to confirm the problem.

Angie

 

its always great to see this right when im about to order one. this puts a damn bump in the road.

 

Harris Speedworks is located in PA if you have reservations about the performing the installation yourself.