Hey guys, my 02 45k mi MCS fuel pump is just giving me 22psi of pressure off the rail. Obviously, hard starts & hesitations go w/ it.
Anyone tried fitting the Walbro Hi Pressure kit inside the VDO pump? Any problem making the fuel gauge work? Looking for some 1st hand reviews & hopefully some fool-proof R53 specific how-tos. It's about half the cost of new OEM, gives more pressure/flow & rated for higher HP engines . Looks promising on paper.
Inputs,guys? If indeed it's worth trying, where's the best place/site to get it from?
Thanks!

 

The OEM one is just as powerfull as a Walbro, even guys makeing 400+hp dont change the fuel pumps theres no need too. Just replace it with OEM. Dinan had a replacement kit at one point but the story gos their car actually shipped with a bad pump to begin with. Also if you mess with the OEM pump it can screw with the evap system or worse inplode your gas tank if you dont do it right.

 

Everything you mentioned is valid. The risks are what I'm concerned of. Was just wondering why not too many have jumped onto this lower cost fix & upgrade when the Subi, Evo, Bimmer & other tuner scenes have been commonly using & recommending this mod.

 

i dont see the benefit, if you dont have bigger injectors right? i mean, you can push all the PSI you want, but if the injector and computer only can handle so many CCs, then, the extra PSI does nothing for you

 

Technically, probably no gains. Cost-wise, this fix is about half that of a new OEM pump. Plus, we might just have a revelation should Walbro be found more durable, reliable than VDO. This topic should be more fitting under the cheapskate mods thread, I guess.

 

Anyone w/ 1st hand experience on Walbro conversion in a 1st gen?

 

I ordered one from RMW and will be installing later this month. Conversion is reportedly fairly straightforward (requires changing out the electrical connector).

 

I've the Walbro kept as spare. Upon delivery, opened the pump assembly only to find the hose from pump to filter brittled & broken. Obviously the cause of very low 22psi feed. Replaced that w/ submersible fuel line SAE 30R10 hose & metal tube assembly from a friend. Wow, I gotta be running w/ that leaky hose for the longest time that I forgot how a new R53 runs. Feels brand new!
The swap seems straight up. The OEM just had soldered terminals exposed to fuel w/ no problems.