I have recently installed a fuel pressure gauge on my car bc I was concerned I wasnt getting enough fuel. I have recently realized that I dont know how it is suppose to read. when the engine is at idle the needle bounces between 4 and 5 psi. when it is under load it reads a steady 5 to 6 psi. Is this right and would getting an aftermarket fuel pump give me any hp or performance gains?

 

that doesnt sound right....idle should be around 50 psi and at WOT it should be near 60 if not more than that

 

You're converted over to carb. aren't you? Then that's working just fine. Seeing a bounce in the needle is normal since the mechanical pump is cam driven, and not a constant steady-flow pump like an electric. And no, an aftermarket pump won't give you any h.p. or perf. gains. One might give you more reliability, but yours is working fine.

 

Yeah, my car is converted to a carb setup. Sorry forgot to mention that Alih. Thanks 69 I wasnt sure if the bouncing was normal and now I can focus my fuel pump money elsewhere.

also I noticed you specifically said me, just curious what setup would benefit and why wouldnt I? not doubting your word, just wanting to learn a little.

 

Yeah, getting a higher pressure fuel pump wont help anything... my car was at 10psi at 2500rpm and it was bogging down my motor and making it stall. You're doin good.

 

More PSI is not the goal. Constant PSI is. Lets use 69's engine for an example. Say you were to put your fuel pump on his engine. It would run fine at idle, but as soon as you lay into it, those two carbs would be demanding much more fuel than that pump could keep up with, dropping the fuel pressure off. Only time more fuel pressure gives you more power is in fuel injection, and only to a certain extent. The higher pressures allow the injectors to spray a finer mist, allowing easier combustion. As long as you can keep at least a constant 2-3 PSI, your car will run fine. Anything more than 8 or so you start getting problems.