New Airtex pump intermittent failure? Options

[jrmdir]

Sorry in advance for the long post but I'm going crazy here with lack of fuel delivery. Have been assuming for weeks that it was due to kinked lines and have had the stupid tank in and out several times.

After creating what I thought was a truly kink free setup (I checked with a scope and by tracing with my hand from one end to the other.) I anxiously awaited seeing 28 psi on my gauge and got ........ only 15!

So, pull the tank up again to relieve any hidden pressure on the lines, moved them around again and, yes! 28psi. So then I put all the tank pieces back on again and buttoned things up to go for a drive. And of course it was back to 9 psi !!!

Then I got so frustrated I pulled everything back out again and swapped out the tank with a 2 gal gas can to which I'd added nipples. Ran straight lines from this small tank with no chance of kinking. and still only got 9 psi.

I didn't suspect the fuel pump (until then) because it's a brand new Airtex E8445 that has no more than about 15 min run time. (A good portion of which was running dry due to the above work, in case that matters) This is mounted on the rear firewall pending a move to the front after I switch to SS lines at a later date.

But having ruled out everything else I pulled the pump and filter, verified that the supply line from the tank was clear and cobbled up a bench test with my small gas tank and pressure gauge. Again, only 9 psi. So I figured I'd received a loser of a pump. BUT then I happened to move my tank around a bit and it magically started sucking fuel and went straight up to 70 psi!

Now of course I can't recreate the failure mode on the bench and am trying to figure out if it's possible I just did not have enough fuel in the tank to get the pump primed, or if I've got an intermittently failing pump. (I had more than a gallon in the tank and the level was half way up the bronze mesh strainer tube.)

The next step probably is to put it all back together and cross my fingers, but if it works I'll be reluctant to drive it since I have no idea what the failure mode is.

Does anyone know of reports of these pumps having this type of issue? This is the one I have: https://www.amazon.com/Airtex-E8445-Univers...72394&psc=1

Thanks,

Ron