Airtex versus Carter fuel pumps??

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

I'm looking to buy a new fuel pump for my 70. On Ebay, the Airtex are approx. 1/2 the cost of a Carter. Any thoughts? I'm looking for the best quality ,not necessarily  the best price.
Thanks, Bob

[Dave Shepherd]

I have had 2 Airtex pumps fail, one leaked oil from the diaphragm on a Mopar, the other had low pressure.

[Bill Ingler #7799]

Bob: I have had no experience with Airtex pumps but have with Carter. I have had Carter pumps on my 41 as well as the 47 for about 10 years and no problems. I have installed 4 Carter pumps on friends 41 Cads here in Scottsdale and they have had no problems.    Bill

[harry s]

Bob, My experience with the Airtex is they indicate a wide pressure range. I put one on my '37 and it was too strong without a regulator.    Harry

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

Guys,
Thanks to all. MTS is selling only Carters. I'm going with a Carter.
Bob

[Brad Phillips]

My first and only experience replacing fuel pumps was with an Airtex on my '65. It was defective so I returned it for another. It has worked fine but after reading this thread I am wondering if I chose wrong.

It is extremely frustrating when you install new parts assuming they perform correctly, then continue to look for other reasons why the car won't run or start.

[willits]

I’ve put an Airtex on both my ’58 and ’61 and they seem to work fine.  I didn’t really have a preference when I bought, it just happened the Airtex were in stock and the Carters weren’t.  But then again, maybe the Carters are more reliable and that’s why they were sold out. 
Peter

[buicksplus]

I have used both the Carter and Airtex.  I have been using a Carter as the sole pump on my 40 LaSalle.  It has worked fine for quite a few years and thousands of miles.  The only issue I have with the Carter is it uses lots of current continuously, draws about 8 amps.  This is not a problem for the fairly hefty electrical system on my LaSalle.

But I had to stop using a Carter on an older car because it put too much strain on the generator.  I switched to an Airtex because it draws much less current and it runs intermittantly.  Looks like one or two amps most of the time. Time will tell how the Airtex works out, but it is doing fine for now.  The Airtex also costs about half of the Carter.

Bill.

[TJ Hopland]

MTS seems to do a good job of not selling junk so I would be comfortable going with what ever they sell.   I don't know that I have used airtex stuff but have used carter stuff and don't have any complaints.  Its been a while so its possible things have changed. 

One note on fuel pumps is it seems they are not doing as good a job on the way the fasten the inlet and outlet fittings to the housing so be sure to use 2 wrenches when putting the lines on so you don't twist the fitting on the housing and cause a leak.  Had that happen with a couple Delphi pumps.  Due to their location they were difficult to get 2 wrenches on so I took the short cut of just using one.  The 3rd time I finally learned and remove all the brackets that were in the way to get both wrenches on em.   In the past I remember not having issues using just one wrench. 

I too have observed and read that the fuel pressure on current mechanical pumps does not seem to be as accurate as they used to be.  This is especially a possible issue with carbs that have fairly small floats like the Q-jets.  It does not take much fuel pressure to push past the needle on those. 

[mechanic80]

I sell auto parts for a (fun) living, and Airtex is the BOTTOM OF THE BARREL when it comes to reliability.