Holly fuel pump piece of s***

ERA 626 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-19-2003, 09:30 PM

Less than 70 miles on the car and the FE Holley mech. fuel pump starts pissing fuel all over the place. It is NOT the hose.
Has any one had any problems like this with the Holly Pumps?
I have heard boot the Holly and buy a Carter... Is this true?
I want to be back on the road ASAP. I will call summit tomorrow and order a Carter.

Also has any one had problems with the MSD Blaster coil? Mine melted down today and almost started a fire...

Ron61 · #2 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 05:07 AM

Mike,

I am not sure if this is the same fuel pumb, but a friend of mine got a new Holly mechanical pump when he built his car a few years ago and he hadn't driven it over 50 miles when it quit running and he could smell gas. After checking and tearing the fuel pump out he found the insides had broken and they had a slim almost needle like rod that drove the diaphram. It broke at the top and then went throgh the diaphram. I am not sure what he went to but he has had no problem since and Holld did admit that they had a problem with that particular high performance pump breaking.

Ron

cobra427mnsi · #3 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 05:56 AM

Being new to electrical fuel pumps and not knowing any better, I bought a Holly pump with a diapham design (I bought it because it was a Holly. Silly me, I thought Holly made good stuff). It was the type that had electrical contacts that connected and disconnected many times a second (this electro-magnetic action drove the rubber diaphram). This design is a piece of junk DO NOT BUY THIS DESIGN . The contacts burn out after a few hundred miles. I junked this pump and got a Carter which has a different design. It has an electric motor that drives an impeller that acually pumps the fuel. ( I'm sure Holly has this design type as well, but, I was so upset at Holly for being stranded because of fuel pump failure, I decided never to buy a Holly pump again).
I have put ten thousand miles on this Carter pump and no problems so far ( touch wood).

Paul

Turk · #4 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 11:26 AM

I would recommend staying away from Holley mechanical fuel pumps, until they get their act together.

It is my guess they have them built somewhere else, due to low demand.

I went through two in 1000 miles. First one lasted less than 100 miles.
This can't all be a coincidence. When I called Summit for a replacement, they were back ordered for over a month.
I doubt that everyone else was building a Ford FE.

I believe they used their stock up in replacing the ones they already sold.
Summit is very seldom is backlogged for over a month, on anything.
Switch to Carter, your only other choice and you should be OK.

TURK

ERA 626 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 12:02 PM

Thanks Turk,
I ordered a carter replacement.
However I went out to my car this morning and removed the Holly. I found that the rubber diaphram had been sucked in leaving a gap. So I fixed the diaphram and put it back together, installed it and it seems to be OK now.
When I get the Carter I will install it and keep the Holly for a spare.
According to my fuel pressure guage I am getting 7-8 lbs of pressure, is this too much?
The car seems to run good when I have my foot in it but while crusing it seems to be running VERY rich any sugestions??

Bud Man · #6 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 12:05 PM

Mike:

Turks right. A friend of mine had a Holley Mech pump lunch at about 1100 miles. Dug out a pin and spring, fortunately no other damage. Amazing.

None of these things appear to be overly precision made, but his Carter and mine are doing just fine. Put the Holley on a shelf and look at it.

Your fuel pressure reading seems fine. As for the richness, what carb and jets are you running, and are your plugs in the correct range?

Bud

ERA 626 · #7 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 12:11 PM

I have no Idea what jets I have

and George anderson (my engine builder) installed my plugs.
So I gues I need to have some one look at my carbs...
SF fire dog are you out there?

keithw · #8 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 12:22 PM

Going with their pumps, filters and regulators on my Ultima.

Keith

renaissance man · #9 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 12:54 PM

Yep,! Same problem with mine last year Mike. I went to CarQuest Auto Part and got an OEM mech. pump...for get this...$19.95 and it runs like a clock!

CSX 4039 · #10 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 01:20 PM

Somebody call Evan!!

Can you say, "Class action lawsuit settlement"? Give half the proceeds to Jenny.

chopper · #11 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 01:30 PM

FWIW, I have the red Holley electric pump mounted in the trunk. I put plug-in connectors on the pump and connecting wires, and carry a spare pump similarly wired and a tool bag. That way, when this one decides to strand me twenty miles outside of East Camel's Breath, Arizona, I at least have a chance of changing it on the side of the road and making it back home.

David Kirkham · #12 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 01:35 PM

Brett,

We have used the Holley electrical pumps for years. I am not sure it they are the impeller type or not. I will have to check.

David

Turk · #13 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 04:33 PM

While we are talking about class action suits, and things that are breaking in large nimbers.....

Anyone else having problems with the MSD distributor caps?(The red HEI type).

We have a few of them showing up with the center conductors breaking off, wearing or just plain coming loose well before 500 miles.
I am talking about the carbon center conductor that rides against the rotor.

TURK

ERA 626 · #14 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 05:18 PM

not the dist. cap but my MSD coil caught FIRE after 50 miles!

David Kirkham · #15 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 06:14 PM

Turk,

If I remember correctly, your cap was burning out too quickly because your MSD was phased backwards. Switch the wires to the distributor, re-time your motor and it should then work fine.

David

hound dog · #16 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 06:15 PM

Heard bad things about Holley so I never bought one, went with Carter in the beginning. Kind of noisy until after I crank the engine but hasn't left me stranded yet. No problems yet with any of my MSD stuff. Have ignition box, distributor, wires, and coil.
h dog

CJ428CJ · #17 (**permalink**) 07-21-2003, 07:09 AM

I guess I've been lucky so far. I have about 850 miles on the car and no problems with either the Holley mechanical fuel pump or the MSD distributor. Knock on wood.

Mr.Fixit · #18 (**permalink**) 07-21-2003, 07:15 AM

My Holley mechanical fuel pump was purchased in 1990, put on my 396 chevy, and heas been running great ever since. I removed and rotated the bottom plate on day one, so maybe your bottom cover bolts were loose. I still haven't even used the spare diaphram I bought 10 years ago for this pump. Something may nave changed in the last 13 years with their production, I don't know.

I have put dozens of their "blue" electric pumps on cuatomer's cars, very low failure rate. Not 0%, but not high either. Just mountit below the fuel level so it will prime itself.

Turk · #19 (**permalink**) 07-21-2003, 07:18 AM

David,
It wasn't my MSD that was out of phase. It was suggested that U2-Driver's MSD was out of phase. He did that, and the same problem persisted. There were at lears 4 or 5 insidents of MSD Dist. caps goiung bad within few miles of the installation.

I am sure one day we will find out the truth.

TURK

Turk · #20 (**permalink**) 07-21-2003, 07:21 AM

Mr. Fixit. I am not surprised that the Holley fuel pump from the 1990's is still running. I always felt I could have gone to the local salvage yard, and picked up a Holley Fuel pump out of a 100,000 mile truck and it would run longer than the new ones.

The Holley fuel pumps we are talking about are the current crop of Holley mechanicals for FEs.

There are too many incidents of failure so soon after the installation. I believe in the 90's Holley built them, and someone else building them now.

TURK