Carter fuel pumps for 94-96

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the Carter pumps. I seem to remember a few years ago reading that at that time the AC Delco and Carter were the top choices, but I don't recall where that was.

I am still without a correct or decent pump for the replacement in my 96 RMW. I ordered a Delphi first as that has been the most commonly recommended, I think, but I received a sedan pump. The old Delphi numbers are gone and now the list the same one for the sedans and the wagons, which isn't correct. The other top recommendation is the AC Delco purchased as a pump and sensor separately, but the sensor mount is now listed as the same for sedan and wagon and the pic is of a sedan pump so probably just like Delphi.

The other choice would be Spectra, but they are only sold in Canada now and I haven't been able to find a supplier that will ship to the US. Rock Auto said they had some as a wholesaler closeout so I ordered one and what I got was a $75 economy Ultra Power pump. At least it was a wagon pump.

That just leaves one unknown and that is the Carter. Rock Auto showed the number for it but said unavailable. I searched the part number and found a listing on the Carter site that said it was available. Then I did a long chat session with a tech sales rep at Carter who at first said not available, but then as I had him looking for an external with similar specs, somebody told him they really did have them. He gave me a list of all the local retailers which were all chains, and said they could order the pump. All of them said they had no way to do that. I went to the old school part place that I have used since high school and that had just changed hands, but still had a couple of the old guys that said they would check and see if they could order the pump or not. I don't have any idea if this would be the same pump from a few years ago that was said to be good, or if it would be a typical Asian version we see everywhere else but would like to find out. Carter does have Mexican and Asian manufacturing facilities listed so could be anything. Their other in tank pumps look like many of the Asian ones and they don't have great reviews for those models.

Carter number I have is P77387H, which I was told was their old numbering system. I found one review that said his Carter sticker, on a different part number fell off his pump and an Airtex sticker was underneath. By most accounts, Airtex are not good pumps at all.

If I don't find anything else, I will probably just put the Delphi pump into the Ultra Power sensor mount and call it best I can do at this point. I do need to check the sensor resistance range on them though as it seems everyone gets bad readings with them.

Anybody in Canada want to do a bulk buy and send them down to the US?

There is no difference between the wagon and sedan pump.

I would agree that the pump unit itself is the same, but the sender and carrier units are different so any assembly of pump and sender sold as one item has two different part numbers. It appears that Delphi and Delco offer the parts only separately now, but most of the other sell them as an assembly. The pumps themselves are available as a piece part, but not the sending units in many brands.

As it stands now, Delco and Delphi are saying the sending unit and carrier are the same between wagon and sedan, also.

I would agree that the pump unit itself is the same, but the sender and carrier units are different so any assembly of pump and sender sold as one item has two different part numbers.  It appears that Delphi and Delco offer the parts only separately now, but most of the other sell them as an assembly.  The pumps themselves are available as a piece part, but not the sending units in many brands.

As it stands now, Delco and Delphi are saying the sending unit and carrier are the same between wagon and sedan, also.

If you buy a sedan sending unit, it will not fit in a wagon.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

If you buy a sedan sending unit, it will not fit in a wagon.

Yeah, that is exactly my point. Both the Delphi and AC Delco websites call out the sending unit assembly with pump as the same part, and you get a sedan setup. I have a Delphi sitting on the bench of the house right now, and it carries a cross PN on it besides the Delphi number that is the Spectra current part number for the sedan pump. The Delphi part number on the box is shown as for wagon and sedan, which isn't possible.

Make them show you a picture of the unit they are selling.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

Make them show you a picture of the unit they are selling.

The picture on Rock Auto for the part number I have shows a wagon pump, and lists it as such, but you get a sedan pump and sending unit.

The Delphi and Delco site shows a pic of the sedan sending unit and lists it in the wagon and sedan sections.

I did a bit more research and found this article:

Carter/Airtex

It appears that Carter and Airtex are now under the same ownership so would certainly explain the two sticker thing that poster saw.

It would also seem to indicate that unless the Carter pumps they list under the old number are new old stock, they would probably just be another pump of variable reliability out of China.