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Facet pumps any good?

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I have a customer with fuel problems that currently has a facet on it. Easiest solution would be replace it with the same but I want to know if these things are decent pumps. Money is no object but the less I have to do the better in this case. I'm repairing on-site so I'm trying to keep labor to a minimum.
 
I used an Airtex Pump, < $ 50 from Advanced Auto. Needs to be a <3 Low Pressure Pump. Designed to fit and mount exactly like an SU does on the flat area in front of RR Wheel.
 
This is the Facet pump that I installed for a backup pump. It is mounted on rubber mounts and is no louder than the SU pump. All it takes to switch pumps is to flip a toggle switch.

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/facetpumps.php

IMG_1320.JPG
 
I used a Facet pump on my big Healey for 7 years and was still going strong when I sold the car. It looked just like the one you have.
Charlie
 
double down on the other good comments on the Facet pump. Just make sure it is the low pressure model.
Scott in CA
 
I pulled an OLD Faucet out of a junk Midget and ran it in my Sprite for about 5 years- changed to an SU since that is correct and now the Faucet is in a 1934 Bugatti as a primer/backup and the thing WON'T die!
You won't be disappointed!
BillM
 
They are tough but my experience is that they are noisy. Facet also make's a pump that look's like a can with a domed lid on top. That pump was once made by Bendix. I know of one in my old MGB that was purchased used by a friend of mine in the 60's for his MGA. Three vehicles and 50 some years later and its still going strong!

I like Air Tex.

Kurt.
 
If your brick pump is still working and delivers a steady stream of fuel I would not replace it. They do have a long life.

The brick pumps linked to above are good. My only advice is to follow the instructions that include a step to mount the pump on a 45 degree angle. Supposedly that improves their life but this is hearsay... not personal experience. What is personal experience is that they are noisy as Kurt said. However, rubber mounts will make it quieter inside the car. Once you are off idle you are not going to hear the pump anyway.

Steve, the 40163 (2/1.5 PSI pump) would be fine. The 2 PSI is low but not "too low". If concerned, or you want slightly higher pressure, look at the 40178 pump (3.5/2 PSI). You don't want anything higher than 4 PSI as the max pressure or you run the risk of overpowering the float valves in SU carbs. I believe Webers can handle higher pressure. Of course, you could run a higher pressure pump and use a regulator right before the carbs to drop the pressure. Do NOT use the round, pancake regulators sold under various names. Use the low-pressure Holley regulator which is more reliable.

The other pump style mentioned by Kurt is generically called the Gold Top or Silver Top pump. One series has yellow zinc plated end caps, the other... white zinc. They are a more sophisticated pump, cost more, and are larger. They have a screen filter built into the suction end of the pump. They are quieter but cost about twice what the brick pumps cost. I have used the brick pumps on our GT6 and Mini, the Spitfire has a silver top pump.
 
I used the Airtex low pressure pump, it was quiet and reliable. I had the Facet, obnoxious in my opinion
 
dklawson said:
If your brick pump is still working and delivers a steady stream of fuel I would not replace it.
I believe Webers can handle higher pressure. Of course, you could run a higher pressure pump and use a regulator right before the carbs to drop the pressure. Do NOT use the round, pancake regulators sold under various names. Use the low-pressure Holley regulator which is more reliable.

p.
Click to expand...


It has webers but a solex design (a VW) and the pancake POS and no, the pump isn't delivering a steady stream thus the need to do something. I want to go with no reg and just a pump. According to what I find the webers are 3.5. I have a carter p4070 on my DCOE with no problems and they are supposed to be 4 but now I'm seeing 6. I may just go with a vane type and mount it on the torsion tube. I have to get the car back here but I was hoping I could just put a pump on it there and be done with it.
 
The Carter pump is good, just big. 6 PSI may be high for Webers but I have no first-hand experience with them. I have heard good things about the Airtex pump Bugedd mentioned but I have no first-hand experience with it either. I believe that the Airtex pump is the one currently stocked by AutoZone while the Mr. Gasket version of the Facet is stocked by Advance Auto.

If the delivery from your old Facet is not steady and predictable then a new pump is warranted and either of the pumps I mentioned in my last post would be good for SUs. The 3.5 PSI pump would surely be OK for the Weber and would do away with the need for the regulator.

I used one of the Carter gerotor pumps (GP60504) on the GT6 when we first put it on the road. The pump was great until the pre-filter plugged with scale from the fuel tank. The gerotor pumps need flowing fuel to cool themselves. When our filter plugged the pump overheated and melted into a useless mass. If you want a quiet 4 PSI pump, consider the Carter GP60504 but make sure you use a large, coarse, translucent pre-filter so you can check and change it when it appears to be getting dirty. Don't use the small metal filter that comes with the pump as you won't be able to see it plugging up.

I had one of the pancake regulators on the GT6 when we had the Carter pump installed. After switching to the Facet pump we left the regulator on for years ignoring all the people who told me what crap they were. Then one day my wife called me from her office to tell me the car was pouring fuel onto the ground and she was afraid to drive it. From her description I knew in an instant the diaphragm in the regulator had burst. We bypassed the regulator for the drive home and found the Facet pump was not causing the Strombergs to flood so we left the regulator out completely.
 
I had a Facet pump in my Bugeye, and it worked out well. I installed one in my 67 Porsche 912 too. In the Porsche, I use a somewhat higher pressure pump and regulate it down to ~2.5 PSI with a Holley regulator, in the hope that the higher fuel pressure might be of some benefit in preventing the fuel from vaporizing. It keeps the pressure quite constant, and I haven't had to readjust it. It's noisy, but once the car starts, I can't hear it.

https://www.nonlintec.com/porsche/fuel/

In the Bugeye, I had some problems with a Facet pushing fuel past the float valves (it was putting out 3.5 PSI at backoff) so I added a Holley regulator, and kept it around 2 PSI at the carbs. That solved the problem.
 
Another note on the square Facet pumps. The transmission mount from a MGB has the right bolt hole pattern for a Facet pump and makes a nice, isolating bracket. I've got a Facet in my MGB GT now and it runs nicely -- and really isn't too loud. You can hear it when you turn the key on, but once the car is running it's not noticeable.

fuelpumpdone.jpg
 
Thanks for the info on the MGB bracket as an isolation mount. I'll remember that for my next Facet installation!
 
X2 on the mount Drew mentioned. The Moss no. is: 413-050 and since the mounting studs don't go all the way through the mount, it makes it much quieter (there are two studs that go through the pump bracket and one stud on the other side with a piece of rubber in between).
 
I've used the Facet type pump for years. Napa sells them for $35 . Use with the MGB gearbox mount . The pump should be mounted at or below the fuel tank and push upward for best results just like Drew has in his pic. BillW's setup should work ok , but it may air lock if you run it out of gas and not want to prime. Kevin
 
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