Walbro fuel pump users BEWARE! -- FAKES are on the Market

[CALL911]

I mentioned this to a few guys lately, and I thought I would make this post for anyone else looking for a 255 lph fuel pump and considering getting the standard Walbro unit.


A couple years ago China had somehow introduced chinese knockoff fuel pumps into the Walbro supply. They are identical down to the "Walbro" stamp on the pump, and can't be differentiated from the actual Walbro fuel pumps. These chinese knockoff Walbro units are consistantly known to go out in a relatively short period of time. I went through 3 of them myself hoping to get a real Walbro. One of them lasted as long as 8 months before it went on me.

Long story short here, you can't trust getting a Walbro unit anymore. I knew 7 other of my car buddies just in my local area that purchased them all from different places online from Texas, to New Jersey, to California, to Chicago and all of them had issues with them going out pre-maturely as well.

The good news is, that there are some 255 lph fuel pumps that are not mixed with these chinese knockoffs, and are reliable. Racetronix fuel pumps will not have these issues. (I am running one in my Formula right now). They are a little more than you can get a Walbro for, but trust me, it is worth the extra money knowing you are not going to be replacing the pump again in a short period of time. Not to mention the pain and suffering you'll go through if you are at WOT and your fuel pump fails or starts dying, and you go lean, and blow the motor! :cry:

I would love for this to become a sticky, but if it doesn't please tell others of this known issue.

http://dsmpurity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5995

http://www.fuel-pumps.net/walbro-forgeries.html

[blackbirdws6]

Good post. Buddy of mine with a stage 2 05 STi went through 3 walbros before he sold the car. He swore it was the car eating them up but he bought cheap and I suspect the chinese knock-offs were the problem.

I have a single racetronix pump setup with the harness and zero issues to date while spraying the car.

[Paulster2]

I'm a little troubled by your post. I understand where you are coming from as far as getting a good pump in your car, but I don't think it should be at the cost of Walbro's reputation. It is not their fault for the knock-offs. I think if you read further into the article you posted (first one) it tells you how to generally spot a fake Walbro, and once again it comes down to "you get what you pay for" ringing true. I'm not dissing Racetronix here, just saying the true Walbro pumps are good units and should not be overlooked when considering a high-performance pump replacement. If you purchase your "Walbro" pump from a reputable source (ie: Jegs, Summit Racing, etc.), you should be able to feel confident in your purchase. You cannot expect the same level of confidence when you purchase these off of eBay or the like. JMHO. Thanks for posting this up in general, though, as it is good to know the fakes are out there and the lengths Chineese businesses will go to to make a buck. BUY AMERICAN!

[Fastbird]

I'm a little troubled by your post. I understand where you are coming from as far as getting a good pump in your car, but I don't think it should be at the cost of Walbro's reputation. It is not their fault for the knock-offs. I think if you read further into the article you posted (first one) it tells you how to generally spot a fake Walbro, and once again it comes down to "you get what you pay for" ringing true. I'm not dissing Racetronix here, just saying the true Walbro pumps are good units and should not be overlooked when considering a high-performance pump replacement. If you purchase your "Walbro" pump from a reputable source (ie: Jegs, Summit Racing, etc.), you should be able to feel confident in your purchase. You cannot expect the same level of confidence when you purchase these off of eBay or the like. JMHO. Thanks for posting this up in general, though, as it is good to know the fakes are out there and the lengths Chineese businesses will go to to make a buck. BUY AMERICAN!

This. Whalbro is being damaged by the knock off's. They are out there, yes. But, if you use one of the places that had specifically stated they check for fakes, or a place that has worked out well for you and knows what they're dealing with, then you should be fine. Places I would NOT buy a Whalbro pump from would be ANY of the major retailers or parts vendors. Those companies are the high volume ones that can see a substantial savings by purchasing the knock off pumps and have nothing to lose. The smaller companies realize that if they are busted selling the knock off pumps and the fuel pump market is what they've chosen to concentrate on, that their reputation would be ruined and thus would their business too. That said.......

A racetronix pump is nothing more than a Whalbro with a modified intake hat on it for fitting into a stock bucket. That's all. Knowing that, Racetronix is also a company I'd trust buying a pump from because that's their heads on the line. I personally used Auto Performance Engineering for my pumps because they've been in the pump business for a decade plus now, and know what they're doing. The fuel pump website from the link made it pointedly clear that they're not switching. Our forum vendors here are very trustworthy also.

You can't say stay away from Whalbro pumps (because really, what other in-tank option for a stock style performance oriented replacement do we have without spending inordinate amounts of cash), but you can at least avoid those companies who wouldn't give a crap if they had to swap out a few on a regular basis. I'm not bashing ANY of the following companies mind you, just giving a quick list of who I wouldn't buy from based on a non-public corporate standpoint of cost basis -- Autozone, O'Reilly's, Advance Auto Parts, Summit, Jegs, Kragen, Checker, Napa, ect. ect. ect. Notice the HUGE parts vendors and the big box stores. These are the ones that I wouldn't be comfortable buying a pump from because with the volume they go through, it would make sense for them to buy the fakes.

Just my $.02. Sticky-worthy thread because the fakes ARE out there. I am going to change the title a little bit to be less anti-whalbro.

[popo8]

Well, I got my fingers crossed mine is not one of the fakes.... because it would realy suck if it takes a shyt on the way to BG....

[Paulster2]

This. Whalbro is being damaged by the knock off's. They are out there, yes. But, if you use one of the places that had specifically stated they check for fakes, or a place that has worked out well for you and knows what they're dealing with, then you should be fine. Places I would NOT buy a Whalbro pump from would be ANY of the major retailers or parts vendors. Those companies are the high volume ones that can see a substantial savings by purchasing the knock off pumps and have nothing to lose. The smaller companies realize that if they are busted selling the knock off pumps and the fuel pump market is what they've chosen to concentrate on, that their reputation would be ruined and thus would their business too. That said.......

A racetronix pump is nothing more than a Whalbro with a modified intake hat on it for fitting into a stock bucket. That's all. Knowing that, Racetronix is also a company I'd trust buying a pump from because that's their heads on the line. I personally used Auto Performance Engineering for my pumps because they've been in the pump business for a decade plus now, and know what they're doing. The fuel pump website from the link made it pointedly clear that they're not switching. Our forum vendors here are very trustworthy also.

You can't say stay away from Whalbro pumps (because really, what other in-tank option for a stock style performance oriented replacement do we have without spending inordinate amounts of cash), but you can at least avoid those companies who wouldn't give a crap if they had to swap out a few on a regular basis. I'm not bashing ANY of the following companies mind you, just giving a quick list of who I wouldn't buy from based on a non-public corporate standpoint of cost basis -- Autozone, O'Reilly's, Advance Auto Parts, Summit, Jegs, Kragen, Checker, Napa, ect. ect. ect. Notice the HUGE parts vendors and the big box stores. These are the ones that I wouldn't be comfortable buying a pump from because with the volume they go through, it would make sense for them to buy the fakes.

Just my $.02. Sticky-worthy thread because the fakes ARE out there. I am going to change the title a little bit to be less anti-whalbro.
I see where you are coming from, but would not put the likes of Summit or Jegs in with the rest of the crowd you presented. I DEFINITELY agree our sponsors would not fall into this category for the reasons you suggested. How ever you look at it, it is sad to see such practices going on. Bottom line is, know who you are buying from and be an informed consumer. Thanks for making this a sticky ... well worth it IMHO.

[Fastbird]

Well like I said, I am not bashing any of those above companies. But Summit and Jegs are HUGE inventory dealers. I put them in the mix because of dealings I've had with Summit. They've started skimping on some parts and have really let quality on those parts go downill the past couple of years, all for saving a buck (presumption on my part, but my business sense says so). No bashing at all, I just wouldn't choose to buy a pump from them.

[CALL911]

It may be more difficult to find than you think. 2 out of the 3 of mine were purchased from a local small performance shop. Who replaced both of them, but were with "again" more of the same faulty ones.

One of my buddies who purchased his got his from Summit. Summit offered him a refund which he took, and ended up getting a Racetronix later.

That post was an older one, and from my understanding they have got better at disguising the chinese knockoffs, and it is now "impossible" to tell appearance wise the knockoffs from the good ones. You just find out after it prematurely dies on you. :(

[AChotrod]

Well I will be buying a racetronix unit when the time comes. Thanks for the heads up!!

[Z28pr0jekt]

I got my two walbros from speed-inc so hopefully I'm good

[CALL911]

One of the bad fuel pumps my buddy got was also from Speed Inc. That doesn't mean yours will be bad, or even that you can necissarily tell shop to shop where the bad ones come from. It's just a huge gamble getting one pretty much anywhere.

[QC97Z]

I got my two walbros from speed-inc so hopefully I'm good

+1...just finished my F1A build. I'd like to enjoy it for years to come without having to rebuild the motor I just put in :cry:

[CALL911]

^ Do you have a fuel pressure gauge? It is a good idea especially if you are going FI, but I can honestly say my fuel pressure gauge (along with my wideband) saved my car more than once when the fuel pressure died off, I was able to shut it down before damage could occur.

If I had no way of reading it, and I was in WOT and the Chinese unit went out on me, that would probably be a really sh*tty way of spending $12,000 on a new motor.

[QC97Z]

^ Do you have a fuel pressure gauge? It is a good idea especially if you are going FI, but I can honestly say my fuel pressure gauge (along with my wideband) saved my car more than once when the fuel pressure died off, I was able to shut it down before damage could occur.

Absolutely. I have an Autometer electric unit, as well as an AEM UEGO. I'm definitely the guy that watches gauges carefully...probably too much. I worry a lot, but it can be a good thing when it comes to this. Because of that trait, I decided not to wire in a light or buzzer if my water pump fails...i'll just keep my eye on the gauge!