bigredlimited88

I am having trouble with my 89 XJ...I needed a new fuel pump and I went to advance auto (which I shouldn't have now) and picked up an oem relacement pump. I pulled the assembly out only to find that the top mounting bracket would not fit and the intake side of the pump wouldn't fit into the rubber piece to hold it in...went back they said they didn't understand, spend $30 more and but the whole assembly, I did and it's not oem I put it in and it is noisy and doesn't read the gas in the tank correctly...NOT OEM... I need to find atleast an OEM pump or the whole assembly...thank you very much

tjwalker

If it's an AIRTEX, take it back. They're not the best option IMHO.

When looking for fuel pump assemblies, I settle for nothing less than Bosch if you can find one for your application. They're the best in the business and well worth the extra money.

bigredlimited88

It is an Airtex...I also read about the Bosch pump, can't find the assembly, and the pump itself doesnt match either

tjwalker

My experience is that very few people are happy with their Airtex. I had two back to back failures with them and will never install another nor will I recommend them. Some of them sound like a freaking 757 taking off and their failure rate is off the chart for the XJ application.

Can't help you with what else is available, you'll just have to bend the ear of every parts store in your area.

bigredlimited88

Yea I'll never buy from them again, thank you though

Jeepney

I went with Delphi in my Dodge Dakota...was pricey but I highly reccommend..super quiet was built exactly like oem

Firehawk068

Hey guys.
I want to chime in here on this subject. Sorry BigRed that you are having a problem, but I'm actually glad that this subject came up again.

I just met with one of the Reps from Airtex, and I am in contact with the Tech Supervisor for Airtex.

I'll start by saying that Airtex are actually really good quality fuel pumps. I sell a TON of them. Many different applications, and Rarely get any calls or returns for warranty. And maybe 75% of the ones that came back, failed because of improper installation, or supporting sytem problem.
Not sure how many of you know that Airtex supplies the US Military with ALL of their fuel pumps for the Humvee. They were rigorously tested by the Military, and found to be superior to any other aftermarket fuel pump, including AC Delco, Bosch, and Carter.

Granted, there seems to be a problem associated with the Cherokee application in general. When I was in Phoenix, I had sold some that came back for warranty. One person went through 3 of them in a month.
Could be something with the design, or could be a problem with sediment in the tank clogging the inlet screen.
One part number that I sell for Cherokee went through a recent design change.(The rep told me that any pump assembly part number that ends in "MN" has been redisigned because of a problem found)
I had him e-mail the tech supervisor with my question about any known issues with my specific year Cherokee fuel pump, and he responded with:

"Good afternoon. I show that a 1996 Jeep Cherokee 2.5l or 4.0l will use an E8335 fuel pump. We have not had any low pressure calls on this pump & we have only had one call this year about a short life pump so I would say that the failure rate is extremely low on this pump. If he is having issues with a specific vehicle please have him call in & we can discuss to see if we can find the issue. Let me know if you need anything else."

I would like to compile some info that I can send to their tech department supervisor.
If you guys would care to help out, post up on here if you have replaced your pump with an Airtex brand pump, and what the outcome was.(Good, or Bad) Include what year, and engine combo you have. Also if you could provide an approximate date that you purchased/installed the pump.
Maybe we can get them to look at specifics on this.
Thanks Guys

rleymanii

I had the original pump fail in my '91 Cherokee and got it replaced at a local shop. Turns out it was an Airtex. Complained that the fuel gauge would not read correctly (read about 1/2 what it should and the low fuel light would come on with more than 7 gals in the tank!

They sent a new one, I had a mechanic replace it, because frankly getting that retainer ring reseated is a pain. Drove 25 miles and then onto my bumpy dirt road, engine simply died, pump dead (but the gauge worked right). Called Airtex, they are very nice, but swore up and down that they had never heard of this problem!! What BS!

Got another, got it installed, gauge does not work right (same problem). Returned it and took the truck to the dealer (not something I am accustomed to doing).

Dealer replaced with some other after-market, drove 25 miles, bumpy road, pump fails. Dealer tows it back, has it for 1 1/2 weeks (and 3 more pumps later) before I get it back.

So far this one is working good (rather loud though), but fuel gauge still does not read right. Same problem, reads about 1/2 what it should.

The problem with the pump failures turns out is the rubber shock rings that hold the pump in the frame. They swell up when exposed to gas, and if they don't do it evenly, the pump can move within the frame (bumpy road) and short the electrical contacts against the frame and you get instantly dead pump.

Anybody have any good ideas on adjusting (if even possible) the fuel gauge to read right?? Otherwise, I guess I'm stuck with keeping an eye on the trip odometer.