Fuel pump

[bigh]

looking to put a electric fuel pump on my 351 W is this a big deal ? hook up the + & - ?

[Wbulk]

Sorry if this is not right on point. If you have a carbureted engine, and are switching from mechanical, one down side is if the floats stick you can flood one or more cylinders and then if you go to start it you can have a hydroloc situation, and you can break pistons, rods and many other valuable parts. This happened to a friends Shelby aluminum 427 engine I helped him build last year. Big $ loss.

[bobcowan]

The first question is why? What are your goals?

An electric pump is different than mechanical in a lot of ways. It's not a huge project, but there are some issues that you need to pay close attention to:

Wiring:
- Obviously, you need the power and ground wires.
- With EFI, the computer controls the pump. When you turn the key, it runs for a few seconds to prime the lines. If it doesn't see any RPM's, the pumps shuts off.
- Same thing when the engine quits. No rpm's = no fuel pump. Helps prevent the kind of damage mentioned above. Also prevents the tank from emptying in case of a crash.

Hard parts:
- need a place to mount it. Needs to be near the tank, and as low as possible.
- Most pumps require a return line.
- You need two filters, 100 micron before the filter, and 10 micron after.

Other considerations:
- Electric pumps can be noisy.
- They're not as reliable as mechanical pumps. I'm on my third A1000.

[lippy]

You should run a dedicated fused power supply to a relay, and use a switched ignition source to turn the relay on. I insulated the dedicated line with abrasion resistant sheathing from McMaster Carr. I also added a Ford style inertia switch (from Summit) in case of a rollover. It interrupts the ignition line to the relay. As stated before, you also want a return line, proper regulators, and good filters. I used a Weldon pump on mine. You can't hear it with the engine running, but you probably wouldn't hear a jet engine either.

[bigh]

Thank's guys i will take your advice & replace the mechanical one !!

[bigh]

O do i need a fuel regulator & if so set at what pounds ?

[bobcowan]

I always think a pressure regulator is a good idea. Most carbs do well at 6psi.

[fasterthebetter]

Originally Posted by bigh

looking to put a electric fuel pump on my 351 W is this a big deal ? hook up the + & - ?

Are you currently running a mechanical pump? Or just going to a different electric pump?