I replaced the stock LP w/a Holley black pump back in Feb 04. In June, it started acting wierd(fp reading all over the place), then just died. So I replaced it w/Holley blue because they are easy to come by at most auto parts places. Well, fp readings are starting to act wierd w/ the blue, so I think what is causing these to fail. So I took the black apart last night to diagnose problem. Bottom line is, the brushes are 80-90% used up, and there is a burn spot on the copper where the brushes make contact. I beleive one could replace the brushes if one could find them, but it would require soldering the new ones in. I also noticed that the brush dust has become a paste like substance, that was stuck to everything inside. It appears to me that the brushes are not designed to last more than 10 - 15k miles, and since the Holleys only come w/90 day warranty, if I stay w/this type of pump, I will be replaceing them every 4-5 months at my expense. I am at the point where I think I am going to jump on the RASP system.

 

I experianced the same symptoms you did with my Blue and finally said enough is enough. I just use the Blue for priming after filter changes now.

 

I discovered the same thing with me PE pump except the brushes in that were worn real jagged, they were burnt, and there was a ton of gunk, grease, and grime in there. The bearings were also burnt up. I had a black on my truck for well over 15K miles and never had any problems with it. Only reason I replaced it was cause I thought it was pushing over 30psi out of it. Turned out to be my gauge. I put a rebuild kit on it and put it on my roommates truck and it's running great. I've got a blue on mine now and so far so good.

 

If you do a search on ebay for "holley fuel pump" there are numerous adds for rebuilt holley pumps, for around $60 and a few of them have policy that reads "YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER HOLLEY BLUE PUMP AGAIN." They claim that all you have to do is send in the old one, and they will send you a new, rebuilt one. But it is ebay, so buyer beware. If anyone has an experience with this/these companies that offer this service, pleae let us know how everything worked out.

 

I took a stock LP apart and found some interesting things out. The motor and brushes are flooded with fuel for lubrication and cooling. Seems to me the cause of failure in the stocks ones is vibration. Being bolted to the engine is like being on a paint shaker, only worse.

I even wanted guys to send me their old LP's to see if I could come up with a solution, but I got no takers. I think if you isolated the stock LP it would last longer.

 

ive heard of guys moving the stock lift pump to the frame rail back closer to the fuel tank so it is pushing fuel instead of pulling it all the to the front of the truck......I forget who is doing it but there was a post on here about it....

 

That is correct, but the failure of these Holley pumps is not due to where the pump is, just that the brushes wear out too fast.

 

Well, my blue pump died, so yesterday I removed it, and took it apart to see what went wrong w/it. The brushes were still over 50%, but one of the magnets in the body of the motor had come loose, and was sticking to the motor shaft. The magnet had grooves in it, and the windings were damaged. Too bad these pumps only come w/a 90 day warranty. From what I can tell, the Blue and Black pumps are exactly the same motor.