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Mercruiser fuel pump - what's the verdict on after market pumps vs OEM?

P

poloperson57

Member
So, I had a low pressure fuel pump go on my Mercruiser MAG 350 MPI last year. I replaced it with an after market pump, from one of the very well known Online sellers of marine parts. It has literally done between 1 and 2 hours of work and its failed this week. (Yes, my boat took a long time to get into the water this year, but it was professionally laid up last year after the pump was replaced, and professionally brought back into service this year.)

I was advised not to use an aftermarket pump because they are so unreliable, but the after market pumps range from £75 to about £180 online ( I went for one costing £140 from a reputable online store), whereas the genuine Mercruiser OEM pump is £720 plus VAT!!! Yes folks, that's a total of £864.

What I cant work out is, what's so special about the way mercruiser have their pumps manufactured? Surely it's not beyond the whit of a half decent engineering company to make a very good, equivalent quality, after market fuel pump, for a reasonable price? Are there any after market fuel pumps out there that are actually as good quality as the genuine OEM ones?

I feel an £864 bill coming my way, but it does really stick in my craw!
 
Buying from Amazon or Ebay is a crap shoot

Airtex was a great Marine fuel pump manufacturer but they are out of business
Current manufactures are Holley, Aeromotive, and Walbro, so look for them for replacements
 
AllDodge said:
Buying from Amazon or Ebay is a crap shoot

Airtex was a great Marine fuel pump manufacturer but they are out of business
Current manufactures are Holley, Aeromotive, and Walbro, so look for them for replacements
Click to expand...
Thanks for this. Are these pumps as good as, or close to being as good as the Mercruiser genuine ones, or are there still reliability issues with them?
 
There’s OEM, decent aftermarket and off brand junk. And sometimes Merc or Volvo OEM is actually good aftermarket marked up 2-3x what it costs from the original manufacturer. Like with the old style mechanical fuel pumps. Exact same pump is $250-300 from Merc, OMC or Volvo but $70-$80 from Carter!
 
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