I had an interesting conversation with a Carter fuel pump engineer this morning. I have been researching just what way I want to go for a new lift pump and filter system. I just can't pay $400+ for something that costs the dealer $100 at the most . So anyway carter sells a pump (P4601HP) with 18 max PSI, 3/8" lines and a 100 GPH flow rate. More then enough for a stock to lightly modded truck. However I was told that the pump MUST be mounted with in two feet of the tank AND the inlet MUST be below the tank. If the height is not fallowed the fuel will siphon back into the tank and shorten the life of the pump. The fix would be a simple check valve mounted between the tank and the pump. This got me thinking, I wonder if the pump kits they sell have an internal check valve or not. BTW the P4601HP kit lists for $99.95/129.95 and comes with 3/8 hose fittings, clamps, mounting bracket, wire stubs, bolts and nuts. Then I'll add a single Cat filter kit after the stock filter for $99 and a bigline kit for $39 and I'm good to go. The only thing I need to come up with is a block to replace the stock carter pump on the OEM filter housing, any ideas for that. I could make one when I get back to work but, if it can be bought I'm open for that.Don

You can get a Walbro GSL392 pump for about 10 bucks more on Ebay. It'll pump the stuffing out of the Carter you're refering to and last a lot longer also.The only reason I mention the Walbro, is because you seem to be "piecing" together a lift pump/FF system here. Which is fine...........but there is something to be said for buying something someone has tested and put together to sell.........aka, Proven!!!But, if you insist, I'd go with a Walbro pump!!!

What do you think about the Raptor pumps. The problem I have is shelling out five to six hundred dollars for three to four hundred dollars worth of parts. Like you said you can pick up Walbro GSL392 pump for about $100/130 off of E-bay then all I would need to do is add in the filter. Maybe I'll open an internet store then buy wholesale and drop ship like all the rest of these places are doing. I could sell for 15% over cost and still make out like a bandit.

Well the only good thing about the AirDog, FASS, and Raptor pumps is there lifetime warranty. As for the Walbro's you might look into the warranty of it and how much time they give you... As for plumbing I would use a 1/2" Big Line Kit and be done... As for the HD carters... I bought one and it barely made 11 PSI at a idle with a 1/2" Big Line Kit.... Not to mention HD Carter's are not designed for diesel fuels...

  Perrysburg Dodgeboy said:

What do you think about the Raptor pumps. The problem I have is shelling out five to six hundred dollars for three to four hundred dollars worth of parts. Like you said you can pick up Walbro GSL392 pump for about $100/130 off of E-bay then all I would need to do is add in the filter. Maybe I'll open an internet store then buy wholesale and drop ship like all the rest of these places are doing. I could sell for 15% over cost and still make out like a bandit.

I don't have any personal experience with the Raptor. But reading on the various sites, almost everyone loves the Raptor lift pump system...........with all the parts!!!! The #1 great thing about the Raptor is the internal regulator.......no separate external regulator and no tank return line. If you decide on the Carter or the Walbro, you'll need an external regulator. I didn't see that mentioned in your first post!!

Well after finding all the parts (I think) here and there it is going to cost me almost as much to piece mill a system together as it is to buy a Airdog I system. Then there is the warranty issues with putting a kit together myself over buying a complete system. So it looks like I'll be getting a Airdog I. I got the call to report to the plant this Monday in the Tool and Gage Room and from what I have heard you can work 7 days 12 hours a day if you want. Don

The lifetime warranty on the AirDogs/Raptor is great, BUT....if it goes out on me at 2am on the way home from work, or 800 miles from home, it does me no good.Also have read too many negatives on these pumps IMHO.I am in the process of putting together a custom system, and will use the Walbro, for a couple reasons.Cost, reliability, ease of change-out on side of the road. For a hundred bucks, you could carry a spare.

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if it goes out on me at 2am on the way home from work, or 800 miles from home, it does me no good.

Same here I'm in the middle of nowhere Idaho which means even if Carter would to fail that mean I'm walking to safety as well as having to order a pump in that might take a few day to show up. With the lifetime warranty I feel that the product was design much better and failure is less likely of a product that a company is willing to stand behind. Like mine has been in service 5-6 years now with very little to do to the pump. Occasionally I would have to clean up the regulator check ball that it. But each his own...

  Mopar1973Man said:

With the lifetime warranty I feel that the product was design much better and failure is less likely of a product that a company is willing to stand behind.

I've spent faaaar too many hours thinking about that, while swapping out warrented parts, to buy into that anymore. Most of the time things are better from small vendors since they aren't making it up in volume on the other side - but I'm to the point where if I can roll my own solution to use off the shelf parts that I'm more likely to find when I'm 800 miles from home, or enable me to carry a spare at a reasonable cost if it proves unreliable, I'll go that route. If I could carry spare injection lines for instance, at a cost of less than $500+ for the set, I would....

  mr.mindless said:

I've spent faaaar too many hours thinking about that, while swapping out warrented parts, to buy into that anymore. Most of the time things are better from small vendors since they aren't making it up in volume on the other side - but I'm to the point where if I can roll my own solution to use off the shelf parts that I'm more likely to find when I'm 800 miles from home, or enable me to carry a spare at a reasonable cost if it proves unreliable, I'll go that route. If I could carry spare injection lines for instance, at a cost of less than $500+ for the set, I would....

Valid point... With you in the hotshot field and hauling a trailer most of the time I can see you doing a homebrew setup more so than Airdog, etc...

Actually it's THE reason I kept the mechanical pump when the motor swap happened. It would have been much easier not to rework the 24v fuel system and just use the stock parts to feed the P-pump, but I like the million mile mechanical lift pump even if it means manual priming now and then, and gave me quite a challenge on fittings for the injector return. If I got a VE truck I'd be tempted to put a mechanical pump on it once the first Carter ____ the bed but swapping cams to get the lobe to drive it might be a bit much

  DennisNYS said:

The lifetime warranty on the AirDogs/Raptor is great, BUT....

if it goes out on me at 2am on the way home from work, or 800 miles from home, it does me no good.

Also have read too many negatives on these pumps IMHO.

I am in the process of putting together a custom system, and will use the Walbro, for a couple reasons.

Cost, reliability, ease of change-out on side of the road. For a hundred bucks, you could carry a spare.

If you are talking the pump only what negative things have you heard? I read about many more FASS pumps failing than AD's. Filtration is another story..

I would only run the Raptor or ADII, the ADI isn't internally regulated and is always moving more fuel than you are using and the flow rate thru the f/w sep is probably more than the filter is rated for nearly all of the time, where with the ADII it's close to rated flow if you ditch the LFF9594 for a Baldwin BF1275.

When my LP fails, or I hit 100K, I am probably going with a Raptor 100. Plenty of flow and easy to bypass if it fails (nice thing about a CP3!!) in the middle of nowhere or at 2am.

Seems any forum I go on to read, there are posts DAILY about problems with the AirDogs, for various reasons.There are probably many more that do not post on forums, as well as many (more) 'satisfied' customers.Please don't misunderstand me. I am not knocking their products, at all. Matter of fact I was going to go with the Raptor 100 myself. After much thought, I believe the Walbro system will be best for me, for reasons listed above.I will be going on an extended trip through Alaska in the Spring. The lifetime warranty on the AD will do me no good in many of the places I will be.I will be carrying two extra Walbro pumps that will have a cost of 185.00 for both. Can be changed out fairly quick and easy.HAPPY NEW YEARS.