fuel pump question

I had a shop replace my fuel pump + sender this week.   I brought them all the parts (fuel pump, sender, strainer/sock, gasket and plate).  I was just taking apart the old sender and pump and noticed that the pump had a little cylindrical rubber or vinyl sleeve around it in the sender.  I suppose it's to dampen vibration, but not 100% sure if it's just for noise or longevity.

That being said, I also noticed that the little sleeve kit that was sold to me with the spectra pump (contains the sleeve, 2 worm gear clamps and 2 pieces of hose) was still in my car, so I'm guessing that the pump was put in the sender without that sleeve (since I know the OEM one was on the OEM pump that I threw out).  In the shop's defence, they didn't pull apart the old pump/sender (why would they ?) and in the instructions provided with the spectra pump, nowhere does it specify to install that rubber/vinyl sleeve.

By now, you probably know what I'm going to ask:  How important is that sleeve for pump longevity ?  Pretty sure GM wouldn't have put it on without a good reason, nor would Spectra sell the kit for no reason .   Should I bring it back to the shop and try to arrange to have it put back in ?   That means another full tank drop.

ugh...probably just going to install it properly.  It will always be on the back of my mind if I don't.

Sounds like you are talking about the pulsator assembly. The Spectra setup provides the parts for you to reuse the pulsator from your original pump. The pulsator assembly helps protect the fuel rail pressure regulator from unnecessary wear.

The sleeve also makes it quieter, and  keeps it from rattling around. If they used the old hose, that could be an issue in the future. They tend to fail from age. They rip. Then you have no pressure at the rail, as it just gets dumped from the top of the pump directly back to the tank.

It was a brand new AC sender. I'm talking about a sleeve. On the stock pump/sender it's more of a little basket that only covers the bottom 1/4 or 1/3 of the pump.

I just called Spectra Premium Industries technical support (they are in Quebec) and they said it was not necessary to use the sleeve or bottom pad.  He said as long as it's securely fastened by the top part of the sender, it's ok.  The sleeve is provided because GM put one in there.  It's there to decrease the risk of vibration and noise. Not using it does not affect Spectra's warranty.

I'll hang onto the kit and keep it with my spare pump.

Is the Spectra Premium without out the sleeve as quiet as the original?
A couple months ago, I replaced the entire assembly with a Delphi complete unit, and short of climbing under the car, I can't hear it running, being more quiet that the original.

I would say it's as least as quiet as the original.

jasonlachapelle wrote:

I would say it's as least as quiet as the original.

I can't hear it,.