Kenne Bell AFPR vs Accufab

[Steve]

I have a Kenne Bell regulator on my car that is over 20 years old and has worked flawlessly but I am considering replacing it as a preventative measure due to its age. My car has a Red's double pumper in the tank except I replaced the primary pump with a TT340 so there is increased fuel qaunity at idle. I have a stock return line and have had no problem with higher fuel pressure and I want to make sure the accufab regulator is capable of flowing the extra fuel also without issue. Thanks

 

[psycho6cyl]

I believe there was a problem with the accufabs. Few members were having trouble so alot of people ditched them and went to the kirbanperformance.com one. 20 years is a long time. I'm sure it's still good but why take the chance on something so important as the fuel system. Maybe you can rebuild the kb one?

 

[Steve]

If I could find a rebuild kit for my KB I would be all for rebuilding so that I could keep just for nostalgia! I will look into the Kirban unit, I just want to make sure which ever regulator I go with flows at least much returned fuel as the KB.

 

[cruzn57]

my KB still works perfect. its close to the age of yours

 

[Royal-T-Ltd]

AccuFab might be the actual manufacturer of the KenneBell units - they were the manufacturer of their Upper Plenums/Throttle Bodies as well.

aaron

 

[Steve]

AccuFab might be the actual manufacturer of the KenneBell units - they were the manufacturer of their Upper Plenums/Throttle Bodies as well.

aaron

I thought that was the case also but when I called Accufab to see about buying a rebuild kit the guy at Accufab claimed they did not make them for KB.

 

[Pronto]

My experience with Accufab regulators is they suck. Do a search on them. I'm not the only one that thinks they are garbage.

 

[PaulRV6]

I aslo have a KB regulator and like it. Any one find a source for a rebuild kit? If so I will buy one for mine.

paul

 

[coach]

There is not much that goes wrong with a regulator. Tear it apart and look at the rubber diaphragm...if it's still good, then your ok. If you are gonna swap it out...get the Kirban's unit. It's cheaper then the Accufab also.

 

[87geeinn]

Don't fuck with it. Let sleeping dogs lie. Trust me.

 

[earlbrown]

I have a Kenne Bell regulator on my car that is over 20 years old and has worked flawlessly but I am considering replacing it as a preventative measure due to its age.

I'll take a proven part over a new part any day of the week.

 

[Ttype6]

I have a Kenne Bell regulator on my car that is over 20 years old and has worked flawlessly but I am considering replacing it as a preventative measure due to its age. My car has a Red's double pumper in the tank except I replaced the primary pump with a TT340 so there is increased fuel qaunity at idle. I have a stock return line and have had no problem with higher fuel pressure and I want to make sure the accufab regulator is capable of flowing the extra fuel also without issue. Thanks

These cars keep us busy enough with all of the problems that pop up. Why look for problems? I've had my Kenne-Bell regulator for twenty years also.

 

[Steve]

The reason I want to either rebuild or replace the regulator is because nothing last forever and the car runs low 10's and when the diaphragm fails(and it will at some point) it will require a broom and dust pan to get my new stroker motor home. I am not a fan of running parts until failure and then fixing them and the other parts that got damaged in the process. The regulator has served me well but being 30psi low on fuel pressure on a WOT pass is not something I want to try. I replaced a shortblock for a local guy a couple years ago because his billet top regulator had developed leak where the vacuum fitting screwed in. I would love to find a rebuild kit for the unit I have but I think I may just go the route I went on my 67 Firebird/LC2 hybrid. I cut the fuel rail right after the last injector and added a 6an fitting and ran a small Fuelab regulator inline.

 

[87geeinn]

Could it start leaking at some point? Yes. Will it completely self-destruct and result in you driving over the crank? Probably not. If you posted looking for opinions, I think you can see what the general consensus is. BTW, I have two Accufab regulators that I will sell dirt cheap. Do a search of my posts and you'll see plenty of pics of them.

 

[Pronto]

If you log your pressure readings, it's easy to keep track of the readings. Any issues with the pump or regulator will show up over time. I don't see a sudden catastrophic failure of the regulator being the norm. I would expect a slow drop in the ability to control the pressure.

 

[Steve]

Could it start leaking at some point? Yes. Will it completely self-destruct and result in you driving over the crank? Probably not. If you posted looking for opinions, I think you can see what the general consensus is. BTW, I have two Accufab regulators that I will sell dirt cheap. Do a search of my posts and you'll see plenty of pics of them.

My post wasn't really asking if I should roll the dice on my 20+ year old regulator it was looking for opinions on what action I should take to make sure this isn't a problem for me in the future. If there are issues with the Accufabs I will go a different route. A torn diaphragm in a regulator is the same as running the regulator with no boost reference which can be a very big problem and could easily result in a hurt motor.

 

[Ttype6]

My post wasn't really asking if I should roll the dice on my 20+ year old regulator it was looking for opinions on what action I should take to make sure this isn't a problem for me in the future. If there are issues with the Accufabs I will go a different route. A torn diaphragm in a regulator is the same as running the regulator with no boost reference which can be a very big problem and could easily result in a hurt motor.

Again, the odds of this happening are almost non existent. The far more likely thing to happen is the pump to fail or a voltage supply problem. The more power we make,the more odds we are beating. It will always be something you don't see coming. Putting a new part on isn't a guaranty of anything.

 

[Steve]

The way I see it nothing lasts forever and there are plenty of things that can sneak up on you so why put faith in a 20+ year old part with a rubber diaphragm that will fail at some point? I think I still have an old Modern Muscle billet topped regulator with a torn diaphragm in my shop that came from a buddy's car years age-it had no boost or vacuum reference. I also replaced both of the pumps on Red's double pumper last year because they were 20 years old also! I am going to switch to a Fuelab inline regulator. It's a superior design and replacement parts are readily available.

 

[salvageV6]

The original kenne bell diaphragm isn't rubber it's more like phenolic and orange.

The new accufabs are black rubber I believe but should fit in MHO.

I'd look at a Kenne Bell unit, but wouldn't touch it until it leaked.

Simple measurements such as hole number, spacing, and diaphragm diameter, would be easy to confirm vs. accufabs. replacement with a tech., NOT a salesperson.

Just my .02.

 

[Ttype6]

The way I see it nothing lasts forever and there are plenty of things that can sneak up on you so why put faith in a 20+ year old part with a rubber diaphragm that will fail at some point? I think I still have an old Modern Muscle billet topped regulator with a torn diaphragm in my shop that came from a buddy's car years age-it had no boost or vacuum reference. I also replaced both of the pumps on Red's double pumper last year because they were 20 years old also! I am going to switch to a Fuelab inline regulator. It's a superior design and replacement parts are readily available.

I would be glad to accept the two old pumps and regulator any time you would be willing to part with them.