Has anyone installed an Aeromotive belt driven fuel pump on an LT1? I am on my third fuel pump replacement...well, my second, but the car's third...I am sick of having to worry about this so I was thinking of coughing up the extra $$$ and installing one of these so I never have to worry about my electric fuel pump burning out again. The problem is all the kits they sell are electric fuel pump so I have never seen a custom mounting bracket or the pulley that would drive the belt such as an additional crank pulley. Has anyone installed one and if so, what parts did you need? Also, will this work on a properly functioning factory FPR?

By the way, I do know quite a bit about fabrication so I can make a bracket if necessary...a pulley would be a different story considering I don't have access to a lathe.

 

There is really no reason why a stock pump shouldn't last for 100K miles, unless it is being abused by running very low on fuel, or driving with a clogged filter. What you are proposing is a mechanical pump on an EFI engine, it can be done, but you are asking for un-needed complications and expense.

 

My thoughts exactly. The stock fuel pump can normally go to 100k miles. Some crap out earlier, but many go well beyond that. So if your last replacement was an el-cheapo blue light special, don't be surprised if it lives a shorter life. Often times, you do get what you pay for. The pump setup you're looking at not only costs more, you have to redesign your fuel supply and evap system. Did you happen to read the instructions that said it's not to be used on emission controlled vehicles? Plus the supply line to the pump has to be gravity fed, which means the pump needs to be mounted lower than the lowest point of your gas tank. I don't see it being worth the extra cost and time. Just buy a better in-tank pump.

 

What about using an in-line electric fuel pump? That could also be installed on the engine side of the filter. I do realize that you make the pump do twice the work by having to pull fuel up and then pump it out to the engine, but a much higher volume pump would counteract this. The biggest point I am trying to overcome is having the pump in the tank. They are extremely aggravating to change without butchering your car. As far as them lasting 100k miles, there is always the risk of a defective unit which is what I got. The pump that was in the car was an oem unit that worked well for about 2k miles and I never let it go below half tank, which is where it was when it went out. I verified that when I pulled the tank. Still plenty of fuel in the tank when I dropped it. The unit I replaced it with was a Walbro. I know there are much better pumps but that should have been more than sufficient. It lasted 5k miles with no change in how I refueled. This leads me to believe that there is garbage in my tank that the flush I did when I dropped the tank the first time didn't clean out, or that there is some inherent flaw with these pumps and either way I don't want a pump in the tank ever again. Both of these could be overcome by having the pump outside the tank in a more accessible location and the trash problem could be overcome with better filtration. This leaves me only one option...some sort of in-line pump installed after the filter. I refuse to replace the in-tank pump again should another one fail. I have also considered a Bosch 044 for that reason because of the high flow rate even at high pressures. My only reason for considering a belt drive pump is because they almost never lock up under any circumstance and they flow higher amounts of fuel at higher pressures than almost any other fuel pump on the market giving me plenty of room for upgrades I plan to do later.

 

Not gonna try and talk you out of anything if you have your mind set, but I would at least dump the belt drive idea. Google "fuel tank sump" and do some research. With an electric pump, you want to push the fuel instead of pull, it's less strain on the pump. Adding a sump kit to your tank will allow you to install a pump in the back, while drawing the fuel from below the bottom level of the tank. You will need to drop the tank to do this, but it would be for the last time, unless the sending unit ever craps out. And I probably don't have to warn you about the dangers of welding a gas tank, unless you have it done professionally. The inside needs to get cleaned, flushed, cleaned, and even filled most of the way with water as a safeguard. Take some measurements, as with the dimension of your tank, I'm sure you'd need to mount the sump sideways. Ok, I'll be nice (and to keep camaroboy off my back), here's one link to get you started: Gas Tank Weld - How To - Hot Rod Magazine

 

That's not a bad idea. I didn't think of doing it that way. I had considered getting a fuel cell and getting rid of the factory tank altogether just in the hopes of getting a more accurate reading from the sending unit. Always hated the shape of the tank in these cars lol. Thanks for the input. By the way, I didn't mean to sound so closed minded. It really isn't that. I'm just really aggravated about having to drop the tank twice in less than a year so it's made me very determined to solve that problem once and for all.

 

No problem, wasn't thinking you were being closed minded. I know how it is when someone gets an idea in their head though. When it's working well, the in-tank pump is a good system. The pump pickup is down at the base of the tank, and the gas helps to keep the pump cool.