Thank you Dennis for the very informative post.

I enjoyed reading it, and I can honestly say, VW fuel pumps are no longer a
mystery to me. :>)

Thanks again.

Marshall Ruskin
84 Westy "Leader of the Pack"
Winnipeg, Canada

> Actually, that pump is used on some American vehicles such as Ford
Escorts.
> The VW pump is what is what is known as a "Roller Cell" design. That is,
it
> uses a series of rollers in a cage to pump the fluid. Other designs are
> either of the gear type or multi stage centrifugal. The roller cell is
> extremely rugged and will last along time. The usual causes of failure is
> running dry, (mechanical damage, or sucking air due to leaky inlet hoses
or
> operating in a low fuel condition on steep grades or taking corners too
> fast, or debris jamming the rotors. A rare situation can exist where the
> pump will suck the right mixture of air and fuel causing a "quick" fire in
> the pump. Remember the gasoline actually flows over the armature and brush
> assembly on the motor. Another cause of failure can be a clogged fuel
filter
> or other restriction. This will cause the pump to work hard and strain the
> motor.
>
> The largest advantage of the stock pump is it's resistance to vapor lock.
> Ask any one who's owned a FORD Van from 92 to 96 about the 40k mile vapor
> locking, burning up fuel pump that FORD had a $700 upgrade for. That is
what
> it cost me when my last motor home died in Florida at 41k miles. When the
> tow truck came, he knew what happened by my 2 hour drive from Disney and
the
> year of my camper.
>
> Anyway, if you really need to save money, ask your flaps to get you a
> rebuilt pump from PYHTON. They cost about half of new and I've had good
luck
> with them.
>
> Dennis
>?
>
>
> Hi Listees!
>
> A quick question regarding alternative fuel pumps for Vanagons:
>
> Is there any reason why a domestic FI fuel pump could not be used on a
> Vanagon?
>
> In my ignorance of the details of this subject, it seemed to me that:
>
> 1.    the existing pressure regulator will/should? deal with fuel pressure
> control OK;
> 2.    most fuel pumps should use similar amounts of current/power, and
> definitiely will use 12 V;
> 3.    fuel filters are an unknown??
>
> So, is there a good reason why we should not save money - and buy a less
> expensive domestic fuel pump, oh great Listees?
>
> Thanks In Advance
>
> Marshall Ruskin
> 84 Westy "Leader of the Pack"
> Winnipeg, Canada
>
>
>