05/11/2026
Saving $40 on an aftermarket outboard fuel pump cost one owner a $1,200 engine computer.
The OEM fuel pump was $76. The aftermarket one was $36. On a lot of outboards, the ECM powers the fuel pump directly, and the aftermarket pump drew basically double the amps of the OEM one. The ECM couldn’t handle the load and fried. Look it up and you’ll find it’s a very common problem.
I get why people do it. These pumps aren’t cheap. On one 25 horse, the dealer wanted $700 for a fuel pump on an engine worth about $2,000. Spending a third of the engine’s value on one pump hurts.
The fix was a relay. Now the ECM only switches the relay, and the relay carries the actual power to the pump, on its own fused circuit with the right size wire. No trouble since.
If you go aftermarket on a fuel pump, don’t let the engine computer carry the load. Put a relay in, or just pay the $40 and buy the OEM pump.