Re: Need help on identifying this part

Posted by JeromeSolberg On 2023/1/16 0:12:42

As mentioned, some folks have these either in place of or in addition to the mechanical fuel pump. One common usage is to have the electric fuel pump in-line with the mechanical fuel pump, operated by a switch somewhere on or under the dashboard, turn it on for a few seconds before starting up, but leave it off in normal operation. This keeps one from having to run the starter a while to get fuel up into the carburetor after a long time sitting as is a common use-case with vintage cars. Some folks don't have this problem, seems to have a lot to do with the fuel available in the area (esp. as regards the quantity of ethanol) and the conditions in which the car "lives", e.g. temperature-controlled garage or not. Folks in hot climates also use it to prevent vapor lock, especially at hot startup, using a similar strategy. Basic point - it's not verboten to have one on your Cavalier, many do for legitimate reasons - vintage cars are not operated as frequently as "daily drivers", and because of the different characteristics of modern fuel, vapor lock can be more of a problem than when the car was built, as was detailed in a series of recent articles in the Packard Cormorant club magazine. There is a heat shield that is provided between the mechanical fuel pump and the engine, which has sometimes been removed sometime in the past by a mechanic who was too bothered to put it back on (these are available from various Packard vendors as I understand it), and there are insulated fasteners used to mount the fuel pump to the engine, both of which are there to help prevent vapor-lock. There are threads in this forum on how to properly select and install an electric fuel pump without having to remove the mechanical fuel pump.