My spider up me on the side of the road Tuesday night....again. Do these cars ever quit at the house?
Actually, I can't say I didn't know it was coming. My fuel pump had started making a different kind of noise the last few weeks...more like a low pitched growl that varied with engine RPM's as opposed to the high pitched whine of a 'properly working' Bosch pump.
If fact, my car was difficult to start one morning, a problem I attributed to leaving the car outside in the rain due to the fact that we were in the process of moving and my garage was full of boxes. Busy times with the move and work did not allow me the opportunity to investigate.
Anyway, the car dies a mile or so from the house and I push it into a parking space. I'm faced with towing the car home and ordering a new fuel pump. Then it hits me...why am I going to order 'another' Bosch pump when my track record with such is not that stellar?
This would be my third pump...The last time I replace the pump was three years and 8,000 miles ago. Why keep putting the same OEM pump on the car?
I get on the phone and find an aftermarket unit at, don't puke, Autozone for $159. I install the pump after work last night in the parking lot where I had been stranded. Not a bad job...30 minutes tops just reaching under the car (prior fuel pump replacement experience coming in handy). The car fire right up and now runs fine.
The Autozone pump was roughly the same diameter as the bosch and somewhat heavier with a sturdier feel (for what thats worth). The check-valve assembly is visible in the output nozzle. Various pieces and parts were provided for installation on different vehicles. No gotchas for the Alfa install.
I don't know if this pump will perform better or be more reliable than the Bosch unit but I figure it was work a shot. Time will tell but the bar wasn't set too high by the Bosch pump.
A few observations...
1. There is no sound from the pump when your turn the key. No 'Pfsstt' that you hear from a Bosch pump. If fact, after installing the pump last night and not hearing the familiar sound upon turning my key to 'on' prior starting, my first thought was that I had replaced the pump for nothing. Of course when the car started right up, I realized that this pump might have different audio characteristics from the Bosch unit.
2. There is no sound from the pump while the car is running. None at all that you can hear, short of putting your head under the car. Very nice.
My car currenly has less than half a tank of gas, which is when my Bosch pump always got noisier.
A silent pump? Like a real car? how weird! Didn't think that was possible with an Alfa.
New main fuel filter to go on today...to be performed at the house now that I have my car home. The in-tank pump and sock filter are only a few months old.
I'll keep you posted if my experience changes.
Actually, I can't say I didn't know it was coming. My fuel pump had started making a different kind of noise the last few weeks...more like a low pitched growl that varied with engine RPM's as opposed to the high pitched whine of a 'properly working' Bosch pump.
If fact, my car was difficult to start one morning, a problem I attributed to leaving the car outside in the rain due to the fact that we were in the process of moving and my garage was full of boxes. Busy times with the move and work did not allow me the opportunity to investigate.
Anyway, the car dies a mile or so from the house and I push it into a parking space. I'm faced with towing the car home and ordering a new fuel pump. Then it hits me...why am I going to order 'another' Bosch pump when my track record with such is not that stellar?
This would be my third pump...The last time I replace the pump was three years and 8,000 miles ago. Why keep putting the same OEM pump on the car?
I get on the phone and find an aftermarket unit at, don't puke, Autozone for $159. I install the pump after work last night in the parking lot where I had been stranded. Not a bad job...30 minutes tops just reaching under the car (prior fuel pump replacement experience coming in handy). The car fire right up and now runs fine.
The Autozone pump was roughly the same diameter as the bosch and somewhat heavier with a sturdier feel (for what thats worth). The check-valve assembly is visible in the output nozzle. Various pieces and parts were provided for installation on different vehicles. No gotchas for the Alfa install.
I don't know if this pump will perform better or be more reliable than the Bosch unit but I figure it was work a shot. Time will tell but the bar wasn't set too high by the Bosch pump.
A few observations...
1. There is no sound from the pump when your turn the key. No 'Pfsstt' that you hear from a Bosch pump. If fact, after installing the pump last night and not hearing the familiar sound upon turning my key to 'on' prior starting, my first thought was that I had replaced the pump for nothing. Of course when the car started right up, I realized that this pump might have different audio characteristics from the Bosch unit.
2. There is no sound from the pump while the car is running. None at all that you can hear, short of putting your head under the car. Very nice.
My car currenly has less than half a tank of gas, which is when my Bosch pump always got noisier.
A silent pump? Like a real car? how weird! Didn't think that was possible with an Alfa.
New main fuel filter to go on today...to be performed at the house now that I have my car home. The in-tank pump and sock filter are only a few months old.
I'll keep you posted if my experience changes.
