I've bought a "new" fuel pump off a fellow scooby owner. It's never been fitted but has been sitting an unknown length of time. Theres a foam sleeve over it and it looks like its dried out.
should I just remove it rather than put crap in the tank ?

 

I have fitted them without before and had no issues, I believe its sound deadening, like you say its not at its best and you dont want bits of foam floating around in your fuel.

 

yeah it's to stop vibrations and keep it cool apparently?
I think I'd rather put up with whatever happens without it rather than with it !

 

If you dont know how old it is you may want to check the serial number with Scoobyworx to ensure it wasn't one of the faulty batch in the early days.

 

 

I've never installed the foam in 13 years of fitting upgraded pumps to Subaru's and never had a single issue.