sweetbeats

I have a tendency to rabbit trail and start replacing everything related to something I'm working on when I work on a car...the whole "well I'm in here already I may as well..." syndrome. Case in point I'm digging in to getting our 2001 Vortech charged GT on the road again. Its been sitting for about a year and a half waiting for funds to arise for a new intake manifold, coils and plugs. Because the fuel has been sitting in the tank for 18mos, and because I don't know when if ever the fuel filter was replaced, I'm draining the tank, replacing the fuel filter, and will be draining the lines. That all makes sense, right? But here's where I think I'm starting to wander...

So I figure hey I've already got some stuff disconnected from the fuel tank, the rear of the car is already off the floor, I'm draining the tank, why not drop the tank and replace the fuel pump while I'm in there?

The car has about 60,000 miles on it, prior to the issue with the existing intake manifold (cracked heater hose nipple on Dorman garbage) there was no indication whatsoever of a problem with fuel pressure/delivery, and there was still quite a bit of pressure in the lines even after the car was sitting all this time.

Somebody talk some sense into me...leave the fuel pump alone until there's indication there is actually a problem with it? The Mustang is not a daily driver. I just keep thinking its 17 years old now, and at one time my wife had a BMW 325 and the rule of thumb on that car was to replace the fuel pump at 100,000 miles regardless...and then I start spinning again. Leave it alone? Replace it?

Related question in case y'all come back at me and tell me its a good idea to proactively replace the fuel pump at this point: since our Mustang is supercharged, is there any reason to blow extra $$$ on a high output fuel pump, or is that a marketing trap? Is the stock pump fully capable of feeding our Mustang's thirst? The injectors are stock.

WJL

if the car is running check fuel pressure and if OK leave well enough alone if you have a vortech chances are its not a stock fuel pump or injectors and replacing them can get costly

I have the same problem that's why have more money in the car than it's worth just a bad habit i guess

sweetbeats

Thanks for the input.

I'm pretty sure the pump and injectors are stock...When my wife purchased the car in 2013 the seller provided a detailed list of modifications, and fuel pump and injectors are not included. I'll know soon enough on the injectors when I pull the intake manifold.

So is that to say it is indeed recommended to upgrade injectors and fuel pump when adding the Vortech charger? The stock parts are not up to the task? Is it safe to assume the injectors and fuel pump are different on the factory supercharged 03-04 Cobras? Anybody know?

Urambo Tauro

Those Cobras do indeed take different injectors, and I think the fuel pumps are different too. According to this chart, the '03-'04 Cobras use 39 lb injectors, while stock '01 GT ones are only 19 lb.

sweetbeats

So helpful.

Thanks.

Now I'm super curious as to whether or not the injectors are stock. If they aren't I now have all the info as to what needs to be purchased and installed, and once the injector type is known it can be determined whether or not the existing fuel pump is up-to-task.

Thanks!

WJL

Any time you add air you'er going to have to add fuel and lots of it, more fuel equals more horsepower. based on the Vortech S2 any tuner should be able to tell you what size injectors you will need my guess is somewhere between 36 & 39 lb/hr and you will need a fuel pump to match

Good luck with your build

Z28KLR

There's no way you have stock 19 or 21# injectors (orange or pink tops, respectively). It would have ran lean and melted a piston it's first time out. Likely not stock fuel pump as well, I can't imagine the stock one keeping up with even modest boost for very long, and for the same reason as the injectors. At a minimum probably has a BAP installed, but not being there to actually look makes it pure speculation as to what you got.

sweetbeats

What is a "BAP"?

I don't know...the previous owner that put all the mods on the car spent a lot of money, and didn't skimp on the pedigree of the parts...and seemed to go the distance on what he/she decided to put on the car, but then at the same time when the stock intake manifold needed replaced (presumably because the original plastic coolant crossover failed), a Dorman manifold was installed...whether that happened before the Vortech charger was installed I don't know...if it was after that's a head-scratcher...if it was before that's still a head scratcher because of all the speed parts that were put on its hard to imagine the manifold wouldn't have been addressed. My point is that I can't assume the injectors and fuel pump would have been addressed because there is an example of an obvious upgrade that was missed with the intake manifold. Thousands of dollars were spent on the upgrades and why an additional $270 wasn't spent on the right manifold just baffles me...or an additional $70 if the Dorman was installed at the time of the other upgrades. Anyway, I'll have to look closer at the injectors as soon as I can.

Is it conceivable though that, with the Dorman air restrictor assembly (the intake manifold) and the fact there is a MAFterburner installed, the air flow is restricted enough that if stock injectors are still in place they can keep up and the fuel curve has been mapped appropriately to the non-ideal setup? I dyno pull about 5 years ago, with the current setup, was only 308.49whp.

As an aside I also have no idea if the stock MAF sensor is still in place.

I really want to get this setup correctly...like not for extreme max hp...we want a reliable car with great driveability, but with the correct ratio of kickass get-up-and-go and pony sonics to go with the setup...if that makes sense. We aren't taking this car to the strip.

sweetbeats

Z28KLR

BAP is "boost a pump", believe KB makes them although there may be others. Basically is just runs in-line with your fuel and assists the (assumably) stock pump in delivering additional fuel.