Safety Issues

Only certified and licensed automotive technicians should do fuel system maintenance or modification. This is especially true of fuel injected fuel delivery systems, because the high pressure in these lines can be maintained for hours or even days. In-tank fuel pumps present additional risks due to the nature of placing a 12-volt electric circuit into a fuel tank. Gasoline vapors are highly explosive. They can be easily ignited by many different heat sources (including static electricity) and can travel unseen for long distances to be ignited, only to return in the form of flames to the fuel source. Fuel-Pumps.net and its partners and parent corporation make no express or implied approval of any of its products for any application. The buyer holds the sole responsibility for the selection, purchase, safe installation, and safe use of any of the products on this website. For a list of precautions for fuel system service, click here.

98-04 Ford Mustang Fuel Pump

The fuel pump for the 98-04 Ford Mustang is an unusual beast. So much so that Walbro does not offer a 255 LPH high performance fuel pump for this application. Read on to find out why or jump directly to the Fore Precision Fuel Hat to see what we recommend.

We don't list a high performance 255 LPH fuel pump for the 1998 and later Ford Mustang. Some companies will sell you the same kit used on the 96-97 Cobra, but there are a list of reasons why you should consider this option very carefully.

The '98 and later Mustangs do not use a standard mechanical-style fuel pressure regulator. Instead, the computer senses the fuel pressure and controls it by sending a "pulse wave modulated" (PWM) signal to the fuel pump. To simplify, this means that it alters the voltage to control the pressure output by the fuel pump. This works well with many turbine-style fuel pumps, but the Walbro 255 LPH fuel pumps are gearotor-style. The low voltages that PWM-controlled systems generate cause them to start "cogging", which can result in reduced pump longevity. One solution to this would be to simply install a 12 VDC power to the fuel pump, switched to "on" when the key is in the on or start position, then add a mechanical fuel pressure regulator. This disables the cability of the ECU to control the fuel pressure (which is considered by most to be a positive feature.)

Assuming that the installation of a switched 12 VDC power supply to the fuel pump was done correctly (and ignoring the obvious safety considerations of failing to do that,) there are yet other issues to consider. The 98+ Mustang's fuel pump sits down in a resevoir that holds the fuel around the pickup during cornering. That is not unusual. However, the resevoir for the 98+ Mustang is shorter, vertically, than that of the 96-97 Cobra, so the fuel pump does not fit into that resevoir as well. If you overcome that issue, then there is the fact that the Walbro fuel pump can quickly out-flow the jets that allow fuel to flow into the resevoir. This means that, at a high-fuel useage situation in a heavily modified Mustang, starvation could occur, particularly at lower fuel levels when passive filling (fuel running over the sides of and into the resevoir) is not available. One solution that has been developed to this problem is to drill holes in the resevoir to allow additional fuel to flow into the resevoir. However, this is not an all-positive solution, as this also allows fuel to run out of the resevoir, effectively limiting the fuel baffling purpose for which it was designed.

The right answer? Unfortunately, although Walbro does make turbine-style fuel pumps that work well with PWM-style fuel pressure management (including a OEM-replacement fuel pump for these Mustangs,) they don't make a 255 LPH High Performance Walbro fuel pump that fits properly into this application. So, be sure that your 98+ Mustang is really making enough horsepower to warrant a fuel pump upgrade. The factory Visteon module is actually a very high-quality fuel pump and will work for mildly modified applications. The Walbro OE-replacement TCA903 turbine-style pump provides roughly 180 liters per hour of fuel at the standandard 45 psi / 12 vdc that the unit sees in an unmodified Mustang. 180lph is conservatively capable of fueling 470 naturally-aspirated horsepower--380 if the horsepower is turbo- or supercharger produced. If you're sure that you need more fuel then the OEM unit can provide, then study the tradeoffs of the potential solutions listed above, and consider them only if you can have a race car engineering professional design and implement them for you. As we stated above, we recommend the Fore Precision Fuel Hat, which allows you to install two PWM-style fuel pumps side-by-side in the fuel tank. Alternatively, for such a high-performance requirement, consider having an aftermarket fuel cell installed in the car. This will allow you to use something like the Walbro 255 LPH inline fuel pump that is available from Fuel-Pumps.Net, along with a mechanical fuel pressure regulator.

Walbro Warranty Information

For warranty purposes, Walbro fuel pumps are broken down into two categories: original equipment replacement and high performance. High performance fuel pumps sold by Fuel-Pumps.Net are labled as such, and include any fuel pump kit that includes a GSS341, GSS342, F20000169 and, in some cases, the GSL392. (If in doubt, please ask.)

OE replacement fuel pumps are covered by a 90 day / 4,000 mile warranty. Details of this warranty are below. Returning a fuel pump for warranty takes time--usually 4-6 weeks for shipping, testing, and determination. You will be given the option of returning the fuel pump to us and waiting for the outcome of the test or buying a new fuel pump first and then receiving a credit for the original pump if warranty is given.

Strictly speaking, Walbro offers no warranty on their high performance fuel pumps. However, we're so confident of the quality of Walbro fuel pumps, that if you'll pay for the testing fee ($40), and if it turns out that the fuel pump was defective, we will GIVE you a new fuel pump.

In any case, before you send a fuel pump to us (whether a warrantied OE fuel pump or a non-warrantied HP fuel pump), be absolutely sure it has failed, and that your tank is not the cause of the failure. When the fuel pump is sent to Walbro, they will put it on their test bench to test for flow and pressure. A surprising number of the fuel pumps sent back to us as "dead" meet all manufacturers specifications--there is nothing wrong with them. When the pump fails this test, Walbro cuts the pump in half. If it has debris in it, then it is not eligible for warranty. Usually, on the very rare occasion that we receive a fuel pump that has actually "died", it has foreign matter inside the pump. The Walbro pumps are built to such exact tolerances that failure to properly filter the pump will put debris in the gerotor, and the pump will fail.

Walbro Warranty Statement

TI Automotive will accept Walbro OE Replacement fuel pumps for a defective credit consideration against defects in material and workmanship for a period of ninety (90) days or four thousand miles (whichever comes first) to the first user of the product. TI Automotive's obligation is limited to products that, to the Company's reasonable satisfaction, are deemed defective in material and/or workmanship and will replace defective products at their discretion. This defective credit acceptance does not cover a product which has been damaged by accident, misuse, or neglect, and it does not cover a product which has been repaired, altered, or mutiliated outside of TI Automotive's factory in a matter which, in the judgement of TI Automotive, impairs its ability to function properly. In addition, nothing will be allowed for labor charge incurred in the removal, disassembly, ro reinstallation of the product. The warranty described in this paragraph shall be IN LIEU OF any other warranty, express or implied, including but not limited to any implied warranty of Merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Fuel-Pumps.Net sells Walbro Electric Fuel Pumps for the following automotive applications: Acura, Alfa Romeo, American Motors, Audi, Bentley, Bertone, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Citroen, Daewoo, Dodge, Eagle, Ferrari, Fiat, Ford, Geo, GMC, Holden, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Isuzu, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Lancia, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Mercury, Merkur, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Oldsmobile, Opel, Peugeot, Pininfarina, Plymouth, Pontiac, Porsche, Range Rover, Renault, Rolls Royce, Rover, Saab, Saturn, Seat, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Triumph, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, and Volvo.