I bought a rebuild kit for my AC Delco fuel pump and I’m feeling a little frustrated with it. The kit requires me to press apart the diaphragm assembly, transfer the original metal parts to the new diaphragm, and then reassemble it. It also didn’t include a new large diaphragm spring. This kit cost nearly twice what a Dennis Carpenter kit costs. The website doesn’t provide much information, and I had to call to place the order.

To make matters worse, I ended up taking apart a second pump because the metal parts in my original pump were rusty and I didn’t want to reuse them. The kit also didn’t include a new press-on retaining ring, so now I’m looking at ordering a bag of rings just to get the one I need to hold diaphragm together.

At this point, is it worth buying an arbor press to disassemble and reassemble the diaphragm properly, along with sourcing a new retaining ring? I’m not opposed to buying another tool if it’s the right way to do the job.

My bigger question is whether the quality of this kit is really that much better than something like a Dennis Carpenter kit. I paid more for this kit, yet it seems to include fewer parts and requires reusing more of the original components. The supplier is one of the two companies commonly recommended here for fuel pump rebuild kits and gaskets, so I expected a more complete package.

For those who have rebuilt these AC Delco single-action pumps, would you stick with this kit and buy the tooling needed, or would you go a different route? Any experiences with these kits compared to Dennis Carpenter would be appreciated.

DC Fuel Pump

 

SEND IT TO COWBOU JOHN AND GET IT DONE CORRECT-- GET IT BACK AND INSTALL--

 

That’s actually who this kit is from. The problem is that it doesn’t include the metal diaphragm pieces, filter screen, large diaphragm spring, or the retaining clip that holds the assembly together. If he has those parts available, I think they should have been included in the rebuild kit, especially considering the price.

I’m also not comfortable reusing my original diaphragm spring. It has noticeable rust and pitting, and that’s a wear item that can affect pump performance. For what this kit costs, I expected a more complete package rather than having to transfer parts from the old assembly and reuse questionable components.

 

Can you return the diaphragm? I would.

 

Cowboy John is getting me a rebuilt one for $105...worth it to avoid the hassle of figuring it out myself.