Fuel Pump Push Rod Alternative

[FabianG]

Hello and greetings from bavaria, 
with the help of several very useful threads on here I recently converted my E30 316 from the Pierburg carb to a Weber 32/36, jetted to CD's prescription.
The swap went without any major problems and the little M10 now runs very well.

I discovered that the new style mechanical fuel pump on the E30 delivers too much pressure for the Weber, I measured it at 0.5 bar (7psi). As I did not want to add a regulator after the mechanical pump, I went with the '667'- early-style pump mentioned in the Fuel Pump FAQ.

In order to fit the new pump I had to switch to the longer style pump push rod. Since there are VW Beetle pumps fitting the M10, as well as gaskets, I looked for a fitting VW fuel pump push rod, as the BMW ones are too expensive for my liking. I found the part-nr. #113127307, a 108mm push rod, fitted on the VW beetle, Bus and other models, that looks very similar to the BMW one, except it is available for under 5 bucks. 

 

The pump and rod arrived today. The VW rod did not quite fit initially, as the outer diameter was a tiny bit too large (0.03mm), but nothing a bit of sandpaper and a drill could not handle.
The sanded down rod now fits perfectly and the pump works as expected, delivering around 0.25 bar (3.5psi). 

I have not yet found an alternative for the 88mm-rod, but a that price it would be worth a try to shorten the VW rod. I hope this information helps some people to save a few bucks! 

best regards,
Fabian
 

Edited April 28, 2020 by FabianG