I agree with you. Why the "maybe so, but ..."?

Reading your post (in part):

Just has to be something wrong with a $27 pump, right? I'm thinking supply is excessive, demand is down, and someone is just cleaning house.

I thought you were saying that the deal smelled bad and something had to be amiss.

Since my last post I have in fact run kerosene through it. Actually a very large volume in a very short time!! Good to go. On the shelf and waiting until called into service.

I also got a call from the supplier in Atlanta (where it is still raining...) to tell me that he would be unable to supply the second pump I ordered (after seeing that the first one was in fact a new Bosch in that Beck Arnley box). If one was a deal at $27 two were going to be twice as good (grin). He also confirmed the ball bearing sound as normal ("sort of like a paint can rattle....")

Randy