Any huge difference between high performance and stock fuel pump?

Question

Having Dodge Charger 2009 - I had the issues lately with a stock fuel pump which stopped working. I've bought a new one, after 5 months, fuel pump start cranking with a strange noise, and sometimes my engine just turns off, like there is an insufficient fuel pumping into the engine - absolutely same engine stalling when you are running out of fuel.

Dealers have no explanations nor private mechanics, so I thought to buy a new Fuel pump but a good one and I was wondering if there is a difference between a High Performance One and a Stock Fuel pump ?

What I am comparing are:

Arrington High Performance Fuel Pump

and

Stock Fuel Pump 6.1L

Any big difference ? Price difference is about twice more for a Arrington (500$)

Answer 1

I definitely agree with Zaid's answer. The stock fuel pumps should work just fine to start and run your car, because all other dodge chargers are still running on the road with the stock fuel pumps. Check these.

1. fuel pressure on the top of the engine ( fuel rail), usually the fuel rail will have a plug to connect your pressure sensor ( which you can get it at any auto store) the pressure should read atleast 40 psi. if you have more than 40 psi then the fuel pump is perfectly allright, if not the pump could be bad or the filter has debris or the fuel line could be clogged.

2. make sure your fuel injectors are good, they are really expensive could be any where from 100 to 300 bucks a piece. so this would be your last step, but still one bad injector would not make the car stop.

3. mass air flow sensor which tells the how much fuel to be injected.

the performance fuel pumps does make a difference when compared to the stock ones, but to fix your problem check the above. Putting a performance fuel pump might need extra air to be induced as well.

Answer 2

Aftermarket fuel pumps generally can flow more or tolerate higher pressures depending upon the design of the pump and the flaws in the pump it is replacing. They're intended for aftermarket applications which require higher fuel pressures and flows than stock. The only way to tell how it differs from the stock unit is to find the specs of the stock unit and compare them to the specs for the aftermarket unit. The aftermarket one might flow more or it might flow the same but offer higher pressures or maybe both.

Fuel pumps do wear out, but I would troubleshoot electrical issues first before I went out and spent 500+ on an aftermarket one. It would feel pretty dumb to replace the pump and then find out that there was a shorted wire or something causing the pump to shut off. Also, make sure your fuel filter and lines are in good shape. It would suck to replace your pump and then have it die because your fuel filter is clogged and it tries to push through the blockage by pushing 200 psi of fuel pressure.

Answer 3

Performance pumps typically have the ability to flow more fuel while maintaining the same pressure since the fuel regulator is what determines this.

I highly recommend NOT using a performance fuel pump unless the extra fuel is needed for changes made to increase power. Otherwise the fuel flows around the system faster than it normally would, running into restrictions, picking up heat along the way. Many older performance vehicles (a Mazda RX7 for example) used fuel pump resistors to reduce the fuel flow for light driving just for this reason. Modern vehicles accomplish this by adjusting the pumps duty cycle (PWM).

Answer 4

I have a 2015 Challenger 392. I ordered a fuel pump and got the one with the small round float vs the rectangular one. It wouldnt start the car. I believe the small round float is for the 5.7 even if the application says it will work for the 392, dont get it. The fittings ect are the same but not enough pressure. Alot of sites dont distinguish between the two.