Which fuel pump should I get?

[xmtysonxm]

My 99 QCLB has 315k on it and is on the 3rd lift pump.  The previous owner had the fuel pump replaced by the dealer the first time then used a big rig shop's replacement similar to the carter.  So far it has been working great. The big rig shop also installed a fuel pressure dummy light which comes on only when with the wait to start is there.  One of the banjo fittings on the VP44 is where the dummy light has been installed.  Once the truck is running it never has come on.  I mostly use the truck for hauling a little 7x12 utility trailer, camping, and pretty much any other excuse I can use to drive it.  Reading through the different articles I see the first upgrade I should do is replace the carter style with a FASS or Airdog high flow fuel pump.  On the FASS website I see there are 3 options:

Adjustable lift pump 95gph for $436

Direct replacement (no GPH rating just higher flow) for $249

Titanium series with the filters for $597

My future plans for the truck are some sort fuel/timing controller such as the edge or smarty and some ISSPRO gauges.  I have seen many setups on here that keep the factory fuel filter and lines, some replace all the lines with 1/2", and some run a pre filter.  If you could do it over again, what fuel setup would you choose? I am open to any suggestions. Should I get a fuel pressure gauge and monitor the pressure first? Or replace it then put the gauge on? Is the titanium series with filters worth the extra $ or will a WIX fuel filter in the factory location do what I need?

Thanks

[Hawkez]

Gauges are a must.  Whether you have a super-expensive aftermarket pump or the stock pump you need gauges.  Expensive pumps fail too and the low pressure light may be too little too late.  An actual fuel pressure gauge in the cab will help you troubleshoot and be aware of issues that may be coming. 

 

Personally, I went with the Fuel Boss from GDP and I am very happy with it.  My stock pump is still installed and used to prime the fuel system.  I've had it for 20K miles or so and I have yet to have any issues. 

[KATOOM]

I agree.  No matter what fuel pump you get you cant possibly know what its doing without a gauge, and knowing whats its doing all the time is very important.  But that said, if you choose not to get gauges then just understand that the OEM type fuel pumps are not capable of supplying enough fuel when running a timing/fueling box.  The amount of power your engine makes will dictate the fuel pump size and volume but generally the everyday person with mild power is more than fine with a 95/100 gph pump.  Larger fuel lines and free flow fuel fittings only make all that better.

[dorkweed]

Fuel Boss mechanical all the way!!!

[dripley]

I agree with both of the above. A gauge is absolutely necessary. I run an AD in mine with filters and still run mine thru the oe filter canister. I like having the water in fuel sensor and fuel heater FWIW. It can be installed with or without the use of the oe canister. If you use the canister you need to put a big line kit on it from Vulcan Performance to open up the restrictive banjo fittings that come from the factory. The water/fuel separator on the filter block is a prefilter for the pump. I have been happy with the electric pump others are happy with the mechanical. You cant go wrong either way. But definitely get a FP guage.

[IBMobile]

Fuel pressure gauge first.  Fuel Boss mechanical pump, 3/8" line and stock fuel filter/water separator with edge EZ  and it runs just fine.  

[xmtysonxm]

I finally got a fuel pressure gauge!  I was looking at some ISSPRO gauges online at work and my friend who use to work for Edge came over and convinced me I needed to get the EJWA because it displays everything all in one unit and you get the HP upgrade too.  I found one locally for $200 and it came with the pillar mount, EGT probe, fuel pressure sensor, boost elbow, trans temp sensor and even the original box and instructions.  It also has the hot unlock which I probably will not use.  I compared the $200 price to the 3 ISSPRO gauges I was going to buy and figured this should work at least for EGT and fuel pressure.  I haven't tapped the VP44 or installed the trans temp sensor yet but the main reason for putting it on was to see what my fuel pressure is.  Idles at 11-12 psi.  Driving around with the JWA on 0 (Stock mode) the fuel pressure goes around 8-9 psi. WOT goes to 6. I removed my dummy fuel pressure light which was on the vp44 inlet and the Edge fuel pressure sensor threaded in the same banjo bolt.  I called around locally to see what pump local diesel shops recommend and have in stock and I had several people recommend the FASS DDRP for my application.  None of them told me to mount it back by the tank or upgrade the stock fuel lines.  When I asked about it they said you can but it probably won't make that much of a difference.  At this point I think any fuel pump would be better than my dying Carter.  Long term I don't see myself upgrading injectors or doing too much more performance wise. When comparing the FASS or Airdog premium air/fuel/filter pumps the GDP mechanical looks like the better way to go. I don't really want to drop $500+ on a fuel pump. 

[dripley]

For a stock truck the DDRP will work. But if you decide to tap the pump and use the edge you might wish you had spent the extra money. Unless you have better will power than me, the temptation will be great. Just something to think about.

[xmtysonxm]

Is there such thing as too many gallons per hour? Suppose you had a 200 gallon per hour pump and weren't using all that fuel. If the psi stayed the same would you be creating a tank full of foam? Frothy fuel?

[leathermaneod]

I have heard that too many GPH is a bad thing. I'm not real sure on why thought lol. Maybe just that the pumps dont last as long? I also recommend the Fuel Boss. You can run it with an electric backup, or by itself as I do. Richard at GDP will help you build a kit with exactly what you need and adjust price accordingly. Only downside to the Fuel Boss is that if you want more filters, its a little more work to plumb them in because you CAN NOT put any filter before the Fuel Boss. I would definitely recommend more than the DDRP pump with the JWA. Even if you don't use the hot unlock, eventually the power bug will bite you and you'll want to at least try it turned up some. Best to have the fuel ahead of time. Also, I would recommend a Baldwin PF7977 in the stock canister, if you have the newer one with the black plastic lid. I'm not sure if that filter fits the old style. Otherwise you can go with the PF7777 I think, or the Fleetguard version. 

[dripley]

I am running an ADII 165 gph rated pump. I have run it with a Banks 75 hp chip, stock and with the Edge comp. Never had any issues with the fuel. I used this pump mainly in case I ever did anything crazy with truck and also because it came with a kit to remove my intank pump and modify the fuel basket in the tank.

[JAG1]

Need to keep the fuel pressure at 14 or above. Hauling a load going uphill will heat up the injection pump fast but above 14 and the overflow valve  opens and helps cool the injection pump. Any less than that might be premature wear.

 

Running 2 stroke helps too because the VP was designed for the higher lubricity fuel when it was built.

[xmtysonxm]

Jag1 I recently started running 2 stroke and it helped quite a bit. It improved my gas mileage, better throttle response, engine sound like it runs smoother and my smoke is a lighter shade of black now. 

 

Leathermaneod my stock filter has the metal canister. I'll see which part number is will work in mine.  Thanks for those part numbers. 

 

Dripley I'll see what the biggest pump I can get for the money. I guess it might be too easy to just press the button on the JWA and possibly damage something. 

 

Random on question on the EJWA. If I had enough fuel and tapped the VP44 at what power level do you need to worry about your clutch starting to slip? I'll have to check my maintenance records to see what kind of clutch was put in by the previous owner. I know this truck use to pull a huge triple axel trailer with a mini excavator on it. 

[JAG1]

Good thing on the 2 stroke  my first gen comes alive using that stuff.

[dripley]

A  150 gph pump is plenty big enough for the EDGE. No need for anything bigger. 

 

Knowing what clutch you have would be a good thing to know. I will add this. I put a Banks Stinger plus on mine at 100k miles. The chip was rated for 75 rwhp. I changed the clutch at about 255k miles. This was the stock clutch. I pulled a 35' Cardinal 5th wheel at about 15k. Now I only pull about 3k miles year but I never slipped that clutch. I pulled in the flat lands and the mountains out here on the east coast. I would think with what the PO was pulling and he had no issues you should be OK. Never hurts to check though.

[notlimah]

The choice between lift pumps really comes down to whether you want the integrated filtration or just running the OEM fuel filter. I think everyone would agree that mechanical pump will more then likely last longer and won't be plagued by the electrical bugs that can come up. With that being said, I still choose a FASS 150 over the fuelboss only because I didn't want to have to route more lines for the extra filtration since I didn't want to run with only the OEM fuel filter. Clearly, there's no right and wrong, just personal preference.

 

As far as size/GPH, I'd suggest at least a FASS 95 or equivalent. I went 150 because I really didn't want to have another thought on if I'd have enough fuel pressure later on down the road, regardless of what mods I did, but again, that was just me. You look at guys like @TFaoro who, last I checked, was putting down over 500hp with 300hp sticks and a FASS 95, I think it's safe to say that pump should cover just about any tune and future upgrades.

[Hawkez]

I went with the fuel boss.  I liked it for many reasons.  One is because my OEM Carter pump was still working fine and if something ever did happen to the fuel boss and it quit working the stock pump would kick in and get me home.  It is kind of a redundant system. 

 

A lot of people run bigger diameter fuel line from the tank so that there is less drop in FP, especially at WOT.  I installed GDP's 3/8's line, but that is only from where the stock hard line ends below the driver's seat.  With the Fuel Boss, I don't see a difference in FP from idle to WOT.  My pressure is consistently 16 PSI. 

[KATOOM]

Not to many fuel pumps commonly used in diesel applications over 150(ish) GPH.  Typically the available electric pumps are 95/100 or 150-165 GPH.

The only reason you dont want more volume is because the engine wont be using it, unless HP is in the stratosphere, and it merely means it will make its way back to the fuel tank more often.  That said, the higher volume pumps use more amperage and will require ample fuel line size in order to not place more load on the pump itself.

[xmtysonxm]

Is the stock filter setup good enough? I am leaning towards the Fass 95 gph adjustable series. It comes with larger diameter fuel line from the stock pickup all the way to the stock filter. 

Edited August 26, 2016 by xmtysonxm

[notlimah]

I guess one way to look at it was the stock fuel filter was good enough for the engine manufacturers so no reason that would be different now. Plenty of people run aftermarket filters through their fass/airdog and through the OEM can and see no difference in pressures. So I'd say the stock fuel filter is ok, but there are better filters available.