Just wanted to drop everyone a note to let you know my recent experience with the RaceTronix LT1 fuel pump kit and harness.

I decided a couple of weeks ago to upgrade my fuel pump as the stocker was finally showing signs of getting weak and not holding good pressure as the RPM's increase. I went with the RaceTronix kit and harness and got everything from HawksThirdGen (great sponsor BTW and fast shipping) as everyone seemed to be sold out and the pumps are on national backorder from RaceTronix.

Install went very smooth (did the trap door method) and honestly very easy. Only snag I ran into was my fuel level sender was malfunctioning after I got her all installed, but turned out to be simple as I put the Purple wire in the wrong connector/pin on the harness (DOOOHHHH). Now she's all done and finished up and seems to run much stronger - esp on the top end.

I have to say I am very very impressed with RaceTronix as the kit was incredible and instructions were very precise. The wiring harness was top notch and very easy to install.

Thanks to all those members on here ( you all know who you are) that have posted up DIY and Writeups on this kit and the step by step install over the years as they really helped me out.

 

Awesome. I was expecting a horror story when I opened the thread lol. I've got my walbro 255/racetronix hotwire kit sitting here waiting to be put in sometime in the next few weeks. Glad to see yet another believer!

 

SECTION 6:
http://www.aftermarketsuppliers.org/...ls/FPMC/Videos

 

Thanks for the input and I completely understand, however this is the most common method used on hundreds of vehicles on this site over the years. After removing the old pump, I thoroughly inspected the inside of the tank and for contaminants and rust and the inside of my tank looked brand spankin' new. Guess that's due to the car only having 49K on the clock.

 

Why not spend the time and do it the correct way?

 

Seriously????? Are you really gonna start that arguement NOOB

 

This is what many customers say when they try to make a warranty claim. The vehicle age or mileage should not impact one's decision to properly clean the tank. It is impossible to accurately gauge the amount of contamination in a fuel tank by simply peering into the opening. Small dirt particles and moisture are not visible to the naked eye when they are suspended in gas. Even new cars with plastic tanks and lines can be full of junk from gas station holding tanks.

'Noob' is right. It is the forum 'gurus' who posted these 'stickies' on 'trap-door' installation methods. These people should be the ones paying to replace all the failed pumps we get back b/c of contamination. There is usually a price to attached to taking shortcuts.

This is not an argument. It is about proper procedure which is taught to all service techs in school.

 

Thanks Racetronix and I appreciate your input, however I am quite suprised as in the dozens of threads about customers of yours doing the same method I did I have not seen you bitch at them the same way. I was trying to give your company a good plug and comment on your wonderful product, not get a tongue lashing about how I didn't do it the way you reccommend.

 

Sucks when a vendor calls you an idiot right after you finished praising their product

 

Agreed. Must be the canadian coming out of them!!!!

 

We are not giving you a tongue lashing.
We just want to drive this message home.
We get a non-stop flow of failed pumps but most of these failures can be avoided if customers would follow proper GM service procedures. Instead people flock to these forums and follow misguided procedures posted by some person with 1000+ posts. This problem has become so widespread and chronic that the AASA and pump manufactures are making these videos and documents to educate people.

We appreciate you are happy with our product and hope that there are no long-term problems b/c of your installation procedure.

Thanks

 

Aaaaaany way, congrats 'OP on your success. Interesting what you said about your sender not working because of the connections being incorrect. How did you get the wiring mixed up? Isn't the whole thing part of a plug-in harness? I'm asking because after I installed my OEM pump I'm having the same issues with my sending unit...

 

Thanks man, I appreciate that. Yes, if you look at the sender plug (inside the tank) that is clipped to the top of the tank mount/fuel pump bucket assembly there is actually 4 holes for prongs. The assembly only has 3 prongs that the plug pushes onto, but as in my case you can put the sender feed (purple wire) in the wrong clip plug and not get a signal. In the instructions it says to make sure to take note of where the purple wire came out and replace it in the same position on the replacement plug, however, on my bench it was upside down and I wasn't paying close enough attention. The term "Plug and Play" for the racetronix pump and wiring harness is really a little misleading as it is really not plug up and your done. You have to remove a few gm weather pack pins from the your car side and replace them in the new pump harness and the optional pump power harness to the alternator. Honestly, it is very easy and their instructions are very thorough and detailed with pictures, but you do have to repin a few connectors to get it up and running. I still stand by my comments and praise of their product, however I now have questions about their customer service and attitude given their comments in my thread above.

 

Some components are listed as plug and play and some are not.
Components which are part of a remaining factory part or for which there are no direct mates should not be listed as PnP. They are listed as compatible.

There is no cutting or splicing of wires required.

Thanks.

 

Great job Racetronix! LOL what a dick.

 

How do you suppose fuel tanks become contaminated? Could it possibly be from filling up at a gasoline retailer with a contaminated supply?

How would turning a 1 hour job into a 6 hour one help insure that the customer doesn't drive directly to a contaminated filling station and load up with silt filled fuel immediately after installing the pump?

If fuel contamination is suspected, a fuel sample should be taken and placed in a clear, gasoline safe container and studied before tank removal and flushing is indicated as a necessary repair step. Many, many, many new cars come with factory installed "trap doors" for fuel pump service without removing the tank.

Send your videos to the gasoline retailers association if you actually want to make a difference in contaminated pump failure returns. Stop contamination at the source, not the end user.

 

I love my contaminated Walbro that I did NOT buy from Racetronix!

 

In your opinion should a vendor and / or manufacturer be liable for a pump which has failed due to contamination?

 

No, the gas station that sold the contaminated fuel should be.

 

True but that is hard to prove and always an after-the-fact realization. Contamination is generally something that gets worse as the vehicle ages and accumulates in the tank.

The majority of the time the customer will come back to Racetronix and Walbro expecting warranty while at the same time not accepting the fact that there was junk in their tank b/c they could not see it by peering through a small hole. These pumps and filter socks are sent back loaded with debris.

As a distributor, it is our responsibility to advise the consumer on the recommended installation methods in order to maximize performance and reduce the chance of failure. These procedures are taught in automotive tech courses and reiterated by all major car manufacturers. To dismiss these procedures as being misguided and irrelevant is foolhardy.

If a customer chooses to take a short cut by using the trap-door method and not cleaning out their tank, they should fully understand the risk they are taking and be willing to absorb the costs associated with pump failure.

Removing the tank is not as hard as many people tend to think. Many forum members have done this at home with jack-stands without complaining.

On a couple occasions there have been fires caused by the trap-door method. Old rusted senders and dried-out gaskets allow fuel vapors to seep out around the top of the tank. Cutting into the metal floor above the tank can create sparks, which can ignite these vapors. There is also the risk of cutting into the fuel lines and wires above the tank.

If by posting this information, we can save one customer the grief of a failed pump it is worth the dissension here.