Word of caution on the Mallory pumps

[Bigsaint]

They are not bulletproof. Mine is again on the way out. I noticed that my psi's were down somewhat last week, about 2 psi's at idle. I thought it might be the Earl's filter so I removed and cleaned same, which brought the psi's back up about one psi. I bumped the pump back up to 13 psi's (post filter @ idle) and all was fine for a few days. Today, I dropped down 3 psi's while at idle and then observed a surge from 10-12 psi's pre-filter under throttle while rolling in 5th gear. I checked all my fittings and they are tight. When I got back home, I again readjusted the idle psi's back to 13 post filter, only to again see them drop back to 10 psi's at idle after only a few minutes. It appears that the upper gasket is 'wet', possibly the pump is sucking air as their are no visible leaks of diesel on the pump. I will disassemble the pump tomorrow when I replace it with my rebuilt Mallory and report back to y'all. If I don't see something obvious, it's going back to Mallory for repair and I'll let you know what their anaylsis is as soon as I get it back.



I still like the Mallory, when it's working it performs as advertised and did well to keep up with my fueling needs, just wished it had some more longevity built in. This one lasted 8 months.



All the more reason to have a FP gauge, with the combo of the mechanical and the electric gauges (pre and post filter readings), I was able to see the pump starting to fail early enough to avoid a breakdown on the road. Just make sure that you have a back up plan if you are running one of these pumps, this is my second failure with the Mallory in less than 1 year. I'll keep you posted.



Scott W.

 

[MikeR]

Total bummer on the Mallory pump. Last month I was very gung-ho about a 4140M installation. This is how close I got... I got home one morning from work ready to call Jeg's to order everything, then read my email I got from Big Bob and his 4140M failure. That put the brakes on that project. Then the next day I read the thread on 4140M users/failures and most guys that posted having 4140M's already had failures as well. Nah, I put that project out of my mind.



I agree the stock Carter pump is a POS, but at least I'm getting about the same life out of it as guys are with these Mallorys. I've decided to go with an Aeromotive pump when my pump project resumes (after the dust settles from my recent purchases).



-Mike

 

[MCummings]

BigSaint,, So what pump TO Use ??



I plan on doing the MIL Fuel Pressure gauge install, along with a fuel pump by the fuel tank.



If you have any information about your F. P. Gauge and how you installed it, I'd love to have them so I could do it.



Thanks in Advance,

MerrickNJr

 

[Todd T]

Scott, did you have it plumbed to return the excess back to the tank?



that is a huge bummer, man. i hate it when my truck breaks, and its worse when its a well thought out mod (or so i thought) of my own that broke or caused it.

 

[rubberneck]

lift pumps

dang Saint this is killing me to hear this. I just got the mallory installed last night Oh well, i already knew the history on these babies... ..... Yo brandon, you out there, i told ya i should do the turbo charged weed wacker fuel pump.

 

[Bigsaint]

Todd T. never got around to the return, planned on putting one in come spring. I know Mallory says they aren't necessary, but I can't see how a return would hurt the pump.



Merrick, not sure which to try. I really like the Mallory when it's running, just doesn't seem to last very long in my truck and I was very careful to keep the psi's down as low as I could, so it didn't beat it self to death. I'll send you a PM later on the top secret MIL mount, hehehehe



MikeR, ther Aeroquip AEI-11101 ( Summit Racing) is the one that Chris Sutton is using, I believe. You'll need a return regulater with that pump, but Chris's pump is still going strong, last I heard.



I looked at the pump and found nothing obvious from the disassembly, I'm still thinking that the one gasket is allowing the pump to suck in air through it's body. I hope this is the case, should be pretty easy to find a suitable gasket material and make a replacement. The pump's going back to Mallory tomorrow.



On a lighter note, this gave me a chance to try something I haven't tried yet, monitoring fuel temp. , as it exits the mallory and goes forward to the VP44. Used the temp. sender from the SPA and plugged it into a 1/8 NPT pressure port adapter, after the Mallory. I took a short test ride after I put in the pump and saw the fuel temps. go from 39f at start up to 54f after 10 miles (that's with 3/4's a tank of fuel onboard). What's all this mean ???? I know that the returned fuel from the VP44 will heat up the tank contents, just thought it would be interesting to see how hot the fuel gets. Outside air was 41F.



Scott W.

 

[MCummings]

Originally posted by Bigsaint

Merrick, not sure which to try. I really like the Mallory when it's running, just doesn't seem to last very long in my truck and I was very careful to keep the psi's down as low as I could, so it didn't beat it self to death. I'll send you a PM later on the top secret MIL mount, hehehehe

Scott W.

Thanks a bunch,,, as you can see in my sig, a MIL F. P. Mount is in my future...



MerrickNJr

 

[Jetpilot]

Scott,



Sorry to hear about the pump... . As you know I just got mine in this week sure hope I have better luck with it than a few months! I am researching alternative pump options for all of us, if I find out anything conclusive I will let you know.



Please keep me posted on your finding with what malfunctioned.



Doug

 

[Bigsaint]

Doug and Phil... didn't want to bum you guys out, just wanted you to be aware of the problems I have encountered. I still plan on running the Mallory and swapping them out as needed for now. If C. Suttons Aeromotive stands up for over one year, and I certainly hope that it does, that will probably be my next pump if I try another.



One things for sure, it was real easy to see the Mallory going and at least it didn't leave me stuck on the road. I'm going to try running this one at 14 psi's at idle, hoping that the internal return on the VP44 helps it out while at idle. I know it wasn't debris this time, with the Earl's filter my OEM filter was spotless at 7500 miles. About 5000 of those miles were with the Earl's filter. If it was the gasket, that should also be an easy fix, just have to find some suitable gasket material and cut out a replacement for the standard Mallory gasket.



The only other item I can think of is the dead head adjustment on the Mallory. I was a bad boy and never re-sealed the set screw with silicone after setting it up last May, maybe that caused the failure. It didn't bleed any diesel, wondering if it didn't suck air from that location. Needless to say, this one has been set and sealed properly.



MC... top secret plans for the MIL mount coming your way now via PM, standy by.



Scott W.

 

[MCummings]

Originally posted by Bigsaint

MC... top secret plans for the MIL mount coming your way now via PM, standy by.



Scott W.

This is MC, plans recieved loud and clear, over and out.



MerrickNJr

 

[John]

Hey Scott,



I didn't have time to read the whole thread however, I was tipped off to it by a friend.



I was told by a Mallory tech. that when adjusting the pressure on any Mallory electric fuel pump you need to reseal the adjustment set screw afterwards. This is accomplished by obtaining the desired pressure, backing off the set screw two full turns, applying a semi-liberal amount of silicone to the periphery of the set screw threads (with the jam nut removed), screw in the set screw two turns and hold at that position while tightening the jam nut. Apparently air can leak past the threads causing pump problems. This may or may not be your problem... I'm hoping it's something simple like this though.

 

[John]

Scott, MikeR is not talking about using the same Aeromotive fuel pump Chris Sutton is using (the A-1000... Aeromotive part #). Unless he changed his mind he was going for the Aeromotive "Street Rod" pump... #027-11203 (in Jeg's catalog).



Also, you do not need a return line from the Mallory pump unless you want to use the regulator provided (which is still not required for our application).

 

[Bigsaint]

Thanks John. That's exactly what I did with the latest install. Hopefully it will make the difference and I'll be posting in one year on how great it is still running. Come to think of it, I didn't reseal the deadhead on the first pump either, so maybe, just maybe, that is the cause of failure.



If nothing else, I got another good bath in diesel today ( really need to plumb in a shutoff valve at the tank line as plugging it with a capped -AN fitting isn't cutting the mustard). Gave the truck a victory bath and called it a morning.



I love the smell, taste, feel of diesel as it's running down my arms, reminds me of VICTORY !!!! In the words of G. Gordon, " what does not kill me makes me stronger". It's late and I'm getting stupid, time to call it a day .



MikeR, sorry, I had a senior moment. That street rod pump by Aero looks like it's worth a try for sure. Is that a vaned or geroter pump ??? Seems like the vaned pumps have less of a problem with cavitation. Just curious.



Scott W.

 

[Brandon]

that aeromotive red log scares me

 

[Todd T]

OK what is this top secret mount? dare i ask?



you guys are killing me.























and your pumps

ready for that Carter with the lifetime waranty yet?

 

[Bigsaint]

Todd, I knew it was only a matter of time before one of you pusher pump bullys jumped in .



The MIL mount is the exterior mount that I made for my mechanical FP gauge. ( MIL=mother in law, i. e. , good place for a gauge or a MIL, OUTSIDE ).



Scott W.

 

[Todd T]

well you gotta get your digs in when you can!!



I remember now seeing your picture of it from inside the cab. looked pretty cool, thanks



MY mother-in-law is one of the nicest people i have ever known. so i let her ride in the bed of the truck, on a lawn chair

 

[rubberneck]

Originally posted by Brandon

that aeromotive red log scares me

Aw come on b... . quit being a wuss... just think we could put a T in the fuel line and use that baby to pressure wash parts too.





Hey scott, i was a bad boy with the Mallory pressure screw also, i guess i will be running home and getting out the silly cone

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I've been biting my tongue, didn't want to pour salt into an open wound ! Scott, how many miles did you have on the two pumps when they went? I'm hoping that it's just not sealing the dead head adjustment.

 

[Bigsaint]

This topic is turning into a stand up comedy act, Todd, you killed me with the lawn chair bit, I can't get that pic. outta my head now Gives a whole new meaning to ' in the rear with the gear'.



Steve, thanks for the lack of salt as the wound is still healing . One things for certain, your set up with the two pumps seems to be lasting, something I can't say for sure. I only had about 3,000 miles on the first Mallory and 8,000 on the second Mallory. Took a good 60 mile round trip today ( that's big for me ). All systems are go, I set the Mallory at 14 psi's post filter @ idle and it's doing fine, for now. The other Mallory is enroute back to Century, for a closer inspection/repair by the Mallory techs. Should have it back in two weeks. I'll post their findings as soon as I get it back.



Scott W.