Jump to content

Fuel Pump & Regulator


Recommended Posts

Hello all, after a long running saga with actually getting my car to run smoothly, which was a combination of issues including a worn out carb and a leaking inlet valve on No 3, my fuel pump decided to let go, leak all over the garage floor, stink the house out and get me in more trouble 🙄. Looking at new pumps and I have come across this Flutra one from McGill Motorsport http://www.mcgillmotorsport.com/flutra-competition-fuel-pump-2-4-4-psi-50-litres-hour-282/. Has anyone used one? Would you fit a pressure regulator with a pump of this pressure rating for a DGV carb on a pinto? Would you use a higher rated pump with a pressure regulator to ensure 3psi?

Any recommendations gladly received.

Many Thanks

Nige

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I fitted one of these last winter:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Facet-Posi-Flow-12v-Electronic-1-8-quot-Inch-Fuel-Pump-1-5-4-0-Psi-Low/361015158958?epid=1525018526&hash=item540e2e28ae:g:EI0AAOSwAL9UeXYH

I was fed up of cranking the engine after the car had been sat for a few days to get fuel to the carb before it would start, the fuel was evaporating from the carb over time.

The pump is 1.5 to 4.0 psi, I also have a DGV on a pinto and have not fitted a regulator.  

I now turn on the ignition and wait a few seconds for the pump to get fuel to the carb and the engine now starts instantly.  I have had no problems at all with not using a regulator.

The only downside to the pump is that it is quite noisy.

Nigel.

Edited by niduncan
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Nigel,

I am very interested in your use of the Facet Pump without the pressure regulator, have you had any issues with excessive fuel consumption? 

I bought a Robin Hood with a 1983 Sierra 1.6 engine earlier in the year and it appears that the original bypass type pressure regulator has failed - replaced the pump and still can't get consistent fuel flow to the carb (a Weber DGV 32/36).  I have read the original Haynes manual for the donor car, which indicates that the pressure regulator is there to balance the output from the mechanical pump with the requirements of the carb.  In other posts (on the Marlin owner's site I think) other people have said that they have bypassed the pressure regulator and connected the mechanical pump outlet directly to the carb inlet without any issues but I am a bit nervous of this as a solution, as I understand it can cause leaking through the top-hat seals in the carb.

Any thoughts/advice would be much appreciated...!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest MrToad

I feel that fuel pressure regulators only work properly with twin fuel lines(feed and return) allowing the  pressure(feed) side to vary the amount of fuel flow but keep the pressure high enough for adequate supply, also this is an injector requirement rather than carbs.

With a single fuel line the regulator must be before the carb and therefore can't be doing anything other than what a correct pressure pump would do.

A well sorted carb will take the pressure advised by the manufacturer which I would have thought will be in the 1 to 2 bar range, my engine has a regulator set at 3.5 bar but it is injected and turbo.

I have also found to my cost that cheap fuel pumps are a nightmare failing on a regular basis, I am now back to a high pressure Bosch unit which has been reliable and from people in the know the electric pump of choice for the road.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mr Toad,

The pressure regulator was the return type - original equipment on the early Sierras from which my kit was built.  I have (for now at least) re-plumbed the fuel system so that the output from the pump goes directly to the carb inlet and I can confirm that I am now getting fuel to the right places.

Unfortunately it now seems as though I'm not getting a spark, so will replace the coil pack and see whether this brings the old girl back to life.  My other concern is that given the location of the distributor on this engine (directly above the fuel pump) and the age of the wiring I may have accidentally damaged one of the wires going into the body of the distributor.  I can't immediately see/feel any damage but that doesn't mean it hasn't happend inside the insulation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

I went for the Flutra pump, as a replacement for my leaking one but haven’t fit a regulator as yet. I still haven’t worked how fuel regulators  actually work when they don’t seem to have a return line, so interesting to see the comments about feed and return lines.

My engine seems to be running well without a regulator, but I do have a new carb and haven’t actually driven it as yet as it needs an MOT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My twin 45s run on about 2.5 psi. Any more than that and they leak like sieves, they are only put together with paper type gaskets. Flow is more important than pressure. You would be asking for trouble if you used a pump that was delivering 1 or 2 bar on a carb. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just an advisory for the future - when you start getting supply problems and restricted flow, remove that bullet filter from the pump and chuck it in the bin.

Or, my advice, don't fit it at all (use a separate transparent filter). Trust me ;)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Where did you fit the fuel pump gents? Near tank or engine bay? I'd like to fit elec pump in engine bay but not sure if pump will suck that far.

I have mech pump to a filterking (?) regulator, one line in, one out, pressure set with gauge and it works a treat (3.5 psi to dgav).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...