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How to Purchase Right Fuel Pump for your Vehicle

Most modern cars have an essential build, but inside its frame and under its hood are sophisticated parts that work together to make the vehicle function. Among the several components of a car are the fuel delivery parts and air intake.

Author: Stephens H Robertson
Date: Jun 8, 2015 - 6:33:24 AM

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Most modern cars have an essential build, but inside its frame and under its hood are sophisticated parts that work together to make the vehicle function. Among the several components of a car are the fuel delivery parts and air intake. Assembled and connected together, they regulate the flow of fuel and air within the car. On the fuel's route to the engine, the first point of operation occurs in the car fuel pump.

Basically there are two types of fuel pumps, and the difference between them is important for someone while purchasing for a replacement fuel pump. Choosing the right fuel pump will be easier with knowledge about car fuel pumps and related components.

Knowing the types of fuel pump: There are two major types of fuel pumps: Electrical and Mechanical fuel pumps.

1. Electrical fuel pumps are common with modern cars and they come with a fuel injection system that delivers fuel directly to the engine.

• Compared to mechanical fuel pumps, electrical fuel pumps deliver fuel at high pressure, which concede for smoother performance.

• Electric fuel pumps are equipped with fuel injectors, instead of carburetors and they are commonly located near the fuel tank.

2. Mechanical fuel pumps are common with older vehicles and are located closer to the engine.

• The one primary feature of a mechanical pump is the incorporation of a carburetor.

• These fuel pumps first deliver the fuel to the carburetor before sending it to the engine.

• Due to the two-stage delivery process, mechanical pumps are less effective than electrical fuel pumps.

Factors to consider when choosing a fuel pump
Fuel pumps come in different sizes and shapes with varying features. When searching for a replacement fuel pump, owners must make sure that they choose the right fit for their engine. Various factors affect the right selection of a fuel pump. Nevertheless, the most crucial determining factors include:

Engine horse power: When choosing a fuel pump, one needs to determine how much power your engine is developing at the flywheel and how much fuel will be required to support it. If you don't have the actual results, you can estimate your vehicle's power. Wrong horse power estimates can lead to engine damage.

Engine fuel efficiency: Engine efficiency stands for the amount of fuel that is required to produce 1 horsepower for 60 minutes typically. It is referred as engine's brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC).

• Different engine combinations, fuel octane rings and tuning approaches and power adders will have a significant impact on BSFC.

• If you are not accurate, you first need to determine how much horse power will be produced and the amount of fuel required to support your vehicle by estimating engine horse power both on the low side and high side of BSFC.

Voltage: Modern fuel pumps (electric) depend on electricity. Fuel injectors are designed to work within certain voltage limits.

• The voltage of the pump creates pressure on the fuel flow through the lines. As a result, higher voltage pump pushes more amount of fuel through the system. Also, the fuel pump's voltage should match the fuel system pressure.

• For instance, attaching either a low or excessive voltage fuel pump may lead to increased pumping of fuel or can affect the fuel pump relay.

• While replacing electric pumps the vehicle's owner need to know the available voltage at the pump under the engine load and the pump's flow volume at that particular voltage.

Fuel volume and pressure: A vehicle's fuel volume is dependent on its BSFC and horse power rating. The relationship between volume and fuel pressure is inversely proportional. As fuel system pressure rises, the pump's volume comes down. The more productive the engine is, the higher the amount of fuel required and the BSFC.

• Know what kind of fuel pump suits your vehicle: Regardless of whether a vehicle's fuel pump is electrical or mechanical, it can be HVLP or HVHP pump based on the volume-pressure ratio.

• High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP pump): It aids to transfer a high volume of fuel under low pressure conditions.

• High Volume High Pressure (HVHP pump): It is a pump type that operates at high pressure to provide the same volume as an HVLP pump.

Usually in fuel pumps, as the pressure increases, the amount of fuel flow decreases. For this reason, HVHP pumps are more preferred type because they allow fuel to flow at high level even in high pressure situations.

Know the vehicle model and year of manufacture: Other engine details that will help you in choosing a fuel pump are, its year of manufacture, size of the engine as well as the model of your vehicle. These details will guide you in getting the right fuel pump that is well suited to fuel the provisions of the engine.

The power of the vehicle's engine and the amount of fuel needed to attain the right power determines the type of fuel pump needed. A pump that is too large or strong draws more fuel than the engine can consume, leading to unnecessary fuel costs and engine surges. A fuel pump that is small or weak causes poor performance and fuel starvation. The fuel pump chosen should enhance fuel efficiency, thus allowing an engine to function at its best, without suffering over supply or fuel starvation.

Taking the aforementioned factors in to consideration ensures an efficient fit of fuel pump for your vehicle's engine.

Airtex Fuel Delivery Systems is the leading aftermarket supplier of mechanical and electric fuel pumps and modular reservoir assemblies (MRA). For over 50 years, the Airtex brand has been the benchmark of fuel delivery and cooling system components. Airtex fuel pump is an OE replacement pump. Airtex electric fuel pumps and mechanical pump models are available for old and new cars.

View all articles by Stephens H Robertson

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