The fuel pump went on my 77 the other day. I changed it out, and everything is right as rain again. The bad pump had about 30,000 miles on it since i replaced it last. For the price of a good Delphi replacement ($35) i wasn't that mad. I was just curious if 30,000 miles is more or less the life expectancy of these pumps? I wish i could remember the brand i ordered last time, but it was so long ago, and for some reason that receipt isn't in my file.... Anyway, just a curiosity. Thanks for reading guys!

 

Varies with gas and locale and can be a matter of time as much as miles. In my experience, I've had a fuel pump working on one car for 22 years and as many thousand miles on a 72 GM, and I just replaced my old man's corvette's 11 years after I did it the first time with probably 3k miles on it.

 

Well there you go. As Koda said, time likely has more to do with it than mileage. A 50 year old car with 0 miles on it would likely need every rubber part replaced (the fuel pump has a rubber diaphragm in it).

 

Ok, i knew there was no set in stone answer to this. Like i said, it was more a question of curiosity. I figure that it lived up to its price tag anyway. For a daily driver, living with ethanol, I'm gonna say 30,000 is about right. maybe this Delphi unit will last longer. (I'm reasonably sure the last 1 wasn't Delphi or Delco) Thanks for the quick responses guys.

 

A newer pump should be made with rubber parts that are ethanol compatible. None of the pumps I have installed since the 80s have been affected by ethanol fuel.

 

hmm...good point Fun 71. The recently failed pump was ordered from rock auto, that much i remember. I guess they could have had an old pump on the shelf, but honestly for the price point of these pumps, and the milage, I'm starting to think it just gave its all, ethanol or not lol.

 

30k miles is pretty good longevity. I've had some parts store cheapies last a few months (less than 1000 miles).

 

Everything thing is junk unless proven otherwise.

 

We have this conversation once a week....
How long should a (insert part name) last?

Amswer(s):
- A USA/Canadian/Mexican/Japanese/German/Swiss made part, indefinitely due to specific engineering quality controls and safety standards put in place to keep you safe n happy.

- A chineasium POS! part...anywhere from a few minutes (if it fits) to a few months if your lucky. Due to zero engineering quality controls, zero concern for your safety and simple money grabbing. Yet y'all keep going back for more.
Just stay away from china and all the big box SHoles that fill their shelves with nothing but. Stop the flow of money watch how quick things change.

All ya have to do is steer clear of big boxes, do a little research/homework and ask the supplier "whats the country of origin?" Chances are you will have a few choices. The first price they will throw at you will be the china junk because that's the way most are trained....cheapest quote first. Dig a little and you will find the better stuff sometimes isn't a whole lot more. Sometimes its a lot more. Then you have to decide what your time and safety is worth.

 

My 72 Cutlass still has the original fuel pump. I am amazed that it still works perfectly. Now the car just has 51,000 miles on it, but age and sitting in a garage hasn't caused it to fail. When I drove it to Dayton last year, I packed a spare just in case.

Rick

 

Why doesn’t the fact that China made goods are inferior to the parts made in the USA or elsewhere brought up in political discussions?

 

My dads 1977 CUtlass went 300,000 miles on the original fuel pump. He had changed a couple water pumps and rebuilt the carburetor once. Timing chain at 280,000 miles. We retired the engine at 300,000