LOUD Carter Fuel Pump

[austex]

Hey guys, I just got through putting a Carter P4070 fuel pump on my 74 260, and that mother is L-O-U-D. The one that the previous owner had put on was pretty loud too, but this one puts it to shame.

Anything stupid I'm overlooking? Anything I need to be sure to insulate with rubber? Because it's vibrating that whole side of the car, pretty much. I dismounted it and it was still stupidly loud, so I'm kind of at a loss at the moment. Figure there's something simple I'm overlooking.

Thanks!

*Yeah, I'm guessing it's something electrical, considering the gremlins my Z has.*

Edited October 15, 2008 by austex

[Arne]

Many aftermarket electric fuel pumps are known to be loud. Definitely should be rubber mounted, but I can't think of any other tips past that. Well, maybe try a different brand and style...

This is one of the big reasons that I still rely on the original mechanical pump on mine.

[Big sam]

I have a holley fuelpump in my 74 260, its rubber mounted on "cotton reel" insulators and still sounds like somebody trying to saw the back of the car off!

[austex]

Yeah, Big sam! I'm in the same boat. And thanks for the reply, Arne. The previous owner just bypassed the mechanical one. It's still there, though. Should I run both the electrical and mechanical?

[xray]

http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=470&LineCode=BK&PartNumber=6101075&Description=Fuel+Pump+(Solid+State+Cylindrical+Type)

This is what I use. 4psi and rated right around 24gph. Very quiet, only audible when the engine is not running, and even then it's as quiet as the one on my M.

You can run both pumps, but if you choose to bypass the mechanical one you may as well remove it and attach a block off plate.

[Chino 240Z]

Austex,

I have run Holley red & blue pumps on the track Z car. Terrible loud! I also have a bucket of about 5 or 6 Holley pumps all "NFG" going to the scrap yard.

I currently have the Carter Electric Fuel Pump # 4600HP, and it was only about 1/4 the loudness as the Holleys. About 2 years old and working great. I do have a sub-assembly bracket that the external Carter and the Fram High Volume Fuel Filter # HPG1 is mounted on. Then there is also 1/8" or 1/4" thick rubber insulation pads between the car frame and the fuel pump / filter bracket. I can just hear the pump over the exhaust when low RPM. I always thought Carter pumps were rather quiet, but then again I don't have a street car either.... it could be loud at first while purging the air from the system too.

[Walter Moore]

I have a Holly "red" pump on my car, and I can only hear it when the car is idling, with the radio off, like at a stop light or something. Once the car is moving I never even notice it.

Of course my exhaust system is rather loud.

There is a thread here where I described my installation:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30982&highlight=electric+fuel+pump

[240ZX]

Of course this is just my opinion but, the quietest pumps are of the gear, vane or G-rotor type. The noisy ones are of the diaphram type. I've been using a Mallory electric pump for years and it is only noticable just before the engine fires...can't hear it while driving and its not rubber mounted.

Tom

[Walter Moore]

The pump I mentioned is a vane type:

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=HLY-12-801-1&N=700+4294836965+4294891681+400178+4294785043+115&autoview=sku

[Sailor Bob]

I'm new in tthe carburator game, but when I got my 73 (ex-flat top) the very first thing that bugged me about the car (after some shipping damage) was the electric fuel pump - it was just too loud. I read a few threads on the subject, spoke to Ztherapy and it seems that it wasn't required and possibly the cause of some other problems.

I disconnected mine and it seems to run fine - although I don't have any significant milage on it yet. I will remove it entirely when I get a chance.

[Goose52]

I ran a Carter electric pump from about 1977 until just a few years ago - it was noisy new - and it was noisy when it was nearly 30 years old. You could hear the pump when the engine was running -like when you were stopped at a traffic light. I guess the good thing was that you knew you had fuel flowing !

I finally replaced the Carter a few years ago just as a precaution since it was getting so old. I got the Mallery pump - as 240ZX mentioned - it's quiet and they have a pump with a 4psi rating that's perfect for use with carbs...

[austex]

Thanks for the great replies, everybody! Really appreciate it.

So, what I'm wondering is what makes the difference in the loudness? I mean, one person says that their Holley Red is really loud, and another says it's quiet, etc.