Inline electric pump with mechanical pump question

Hi there boys and girl........Have a question, have any of you flathead guys ever place a electric fuel pump between the gas tank and the mechanical fuel pump still on the same gas line. Its a 40 flattie and I still want to keep the mechanical pump look going, and will this work with the mech. pump hooked up........Thanks for any come back.

 

Doesnt answer your question but could i ask a stupid question? whats the reasoning for not use the mechanical pump? to me it would make more sense to use the mechanical pump but have an electric pump inline and wired up in the event the mechanical failed...

 

I wondered the same thing yesterday when my electric pump failed on the way home from Billetproof NW! I thought of going back to mechanical pump with electric as back-up in case of failure on the road again. Its hard to know how many spare parts to carry with on road trips!

 

I have an electric inline, but I run off of the mechanical pump. I've got a starter button, so I wired up my ignition switch start feature to run the electric pump. If it sets for a while, just roll the key over to kick the electric pump for a while and then hit the starter button. It'll fire right up. It's nice not having to have the motor crank to fill the bowls after it's set for a while.

And it pulls right through the electric pump just fine.

 

Thanks for the come back.....vapor lock problems

 

Been running one like this in the line for many years. It is used only on start up after long sitting periods or if vapor-lock presents a problem.
Unless you are running 12 volts it is useless to you. You would have to find a 6 volt unit that allows fuel pass thru.

 

Thanks bud for the info.....would it work if you had electric pump on full time ????

 

It should. My old big block Chevelle had an electric fuel pump that ran whenever the ignition was on and a mechanical pump on the engine. It worked fine that way.

 

Yes, mine does.

 

My '34 had been set up the same (I think it was a 6V Bosch pump - I assume from a VW - which was a bit dumb as the car had been rewired to 12V). Anyway, I didn't like the electric pump stuck up on the firewall, so I junked it: then found that if I hadn't used the car for a couple of weeks I had to disconnect the pipe at the carb and suck some fuel through to get it going.

I asked this same question on another forum, and one of the suggestions was to fit a self-priming mechanical pump. So that's what I did - I hadn't heard of these, but was offered one through an English supplier. It looks just like the normal pumps, but has a lever on the bottom to operate the pump without the motor running. I fitted it and pumped away for a few minutes, and soon had the glass bowl filled up and fuel up to the carb.

The invoice gives the part number as E62A-9350, and they may have been used on Ford Pilots - don't know if it was used on anything over your side of the Pond?

 

Thanks for the come back, my flattie is 12 volt......any problem running elect. inline with mechanical full time

 

Thanks

 

I'd think the answer is to tee off the line on both sides of the electric pump and connect these with a check valve so the electric pump can't pump backwards and the mechanical will suck through the bypass if the electric quits or you don't need it and want to shut off the noise. You don't need all this but easier to do now than on the road when the electric pump dies.

 

Hey REM, can you get any more of that part #? My local parts house claims that there should be another set of numbers following 9350! I want one of those pumps!

 

As long as its a flow through style pump, you won't have a problem. The Packard guys do this all the time.

 

I've tried to contact the guy who sold me it, and am waiting for him to get back to me. I'm not sure what your parts house means by another set of numbers after the 9350? The E62A I think was a 60hp pre-war car, but I got the impression that these were used on Ford Pilots, which were late-'40s jobs. The only thing I would expect to see after 9350 would maybe be a -A or -B?

I've no idea what the postage would be across the Atlantic, but if he has more NOS pumps they'd probably be in the $90 - $100 price range, plus shipping. I'll let you know when I get more info.

 

One problem that nobody has mentioned is a broken diaphragm in the "in series" mechanical pump. If the electric pump is running all the time the engine is running and the new gas eats up your mechanical pump diaphragm...you will pump the crankcase full of gasoline with no external signs to alert you of the problem. A few flatheads have been destroyed by diluting the oil this way.

If the electric is a back up for faster starts, it won't run with a broken mechanical diaphragm once the electric is switched off so you can find and fix the problem.

 

Shop on Ebay for a 12 volt pump like in the picture in post #6. They come in several different psi ranges. I use a low pressure (1 to 3 PSI) to prime the merc flathead after it has been sitting awile. The low pressure insures I don't overpressurize the needle and set. It then sits in the off position unless needed to overcome vapor lock or use somtime as back up should the main mechanical pump quit.
Just watch the PSI rating on the new electric you purchase or you'll need to put a regulator on it.

 

I have the same facet pump from napa on my car. It's hooked to a seperate switch, I just use it when the car has sat for a while and a new mechanical pump is working fine with it on there.

 

another good spot to look for electric fuel pumps is at the local VW places.

I was having a real hard time finding them at autozone. They stopped selling them because there is not really much of a demand for low pressure elec fule pumps.
The VW ones are under $30 and they are 1-4 psi which is perfect for a flattie.

 

Thanks all you guys for all the info. much appreached

 

OLLIN......Thanks for the info.

 

OK guys, I have now got more details from Pete about the self-priming fuel pump #E62A-9350. In his words:

"The pumps were only fitted to British built vehicles. So it was basically the Pilot and the V8 powered Thames trucks.

I can supply them to the USA for £52.50 including postage.

You can put the web address on if you wish.

www.nordianservices.com "

So there you go - mine has been great, and if you're worried about it breaking down: it's OLD Ford, so it shouldn't!

 

Where did you find that Facet pump? I need a quality one for my diesel truck. I put one on but due to the lack of use it froze up and clogged up my fuel line. I only needed it for filter changes etc. to prime the motor. Facet makes a lot of stuff for airplanes.

 

Hey Rem,
I know this thread is really old, but was wondering if those self priming fuel pumps are still available somewhere.
Thank you very much.

 

I think J C Whitney carries facet fuel pumps.

 

I have a 12v little pump from speedway on my straight 8, along with mechanical fuel/ vacuum pump. works fine. but I still have vapor lock issues if I travel more than a couple hundred miles in a day.

 

Adding an electric pump to run all of the time through the stock mechanical pump was what we did back in the old days to eliminate vapor lock problems

 

Yep, ^^^^ just use the electric for a jockey pump to prime it then shut it off once you get the carbs full.

Another thing that you may think about is rerouting your fuel lines so that they are not laying on an exhaust manifold so they you don't turn the fuel in the line to vapor while it is parked.

 

Hey, sorry, just saw your question. The guy I got mine from has sort of disappeared from the scene, and I'm not sure what the state of supply is right now - I'll ask elsewhere if anyone has a lead on him or the pumps, and get back to you.