Any thoughts/ advice on a small electric diesel pump?

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NealB

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Further to my thread this morning, I'm thinking of bypassing the mechanical lift pump and fitting an electric fuel pump, on a Beta 10hp diesel.

A quick google comes up with (to this numpty) a bewildering array of choices, from about £6 up to lots of serious money.

Any advice/ product recommendations very gratefully received.
 
The type of pump which is often recommended is a FACET 'Cube' solid-sate pump http://www.facet-purolator.com/cube-fuel-pumps.php

They come in a bewilderingly large range of output pressures and lift heights, but the one most used for a small diesel is probably a 40104 (low op pressure, only 12" lift).

ASAP stock the FACET pumps and can recommend a model for you over the phone. I agree that they are rather pricey 'tho: £50 odd.

Not sure you need to bypass as opposed to put in series (Beta recommended series to me iirc).
 
Facet pumps have 4 options/features and you need to select the correct configuration from their matrix to arrive at the correct part no.
- pressure range
- flow capacity
- non-return valve
- positive shut-off

For my (larger 4 cyl. engine) I selected the 60300 which gives 1.5-4psi, 25gph and has a non-return valve but no positive shut-off. It's been just fine and would doubtless do the job for smaller engines too.
 
One from a car breakers would do the job fine provided it doesn't have any fancy electronics. I've considered fitting one as I have twin filters in parallel, but they're upstream of the pump. An electric pump downstream would allow me to change and bleed a filter with the engine running.
 
Stemar said:
One from a car breakers would do the job fine provided it doesn't have any fancy electronics. I've considered fitting one as I have twin filters in parallel, but they're upstream of the pump. An electric pump downstream would allow me to change and bleed a filter with the engine running.
Click to expand...

But if you ever needed to do that, you'd find the pump was clogged?
 
Mechanical lift pumps very rarely block, if that really has happened your fuel system is inadequate. Replace the separator with a Cav style filter with glass bowl.

They also fail very rarely, so wouldn't mess around fitting an electric pump, just sort the existing one.
 
Stemar said:
One from a car breakers would do the job fine provided it doesn't have any fancy electronics. I've considered fitting one as I have twin filters in parallel, but they're upstream of the pump. An electric pump downstream would allow me to change and bleed a filter with the engine running.
Click to expand...

I assume only one filter is "online" at a time ?

To change one with the engine running, isolate the filter by shutting valves either side of the filter. Change the filter. Open the inlet valve and bleed screw on the filter head. Once bled, open the outlet valve and after a few seconds, close the valves on the other filter.

If no bleed screw on the filter head fit a tee with a bleed screw between the filter head and outlet valve. In fact, you could fit a tee between the filter head and outlet valve, with a valve after the branch, connected to the fuel return line. So after changing the filter you open the inlet valve, then open the valve at the tee, which allows the fuel/air to go down the fuel return so no mess. Once bled, close the bleed valve and open the outlet valve.
 
PaulRainbow said:
Mechanical lift pumps very rarely block, if that really has happened your fuel system is inadequate. Replace the separator with a Cav style filter with glass bowl.

They also fail very rarely, so wouldn't mess around fitting an electric pump, just sort the existing one.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's good advice.
 
NealB said:
Further to my thread this morning, I'm thinking of bypassing the mechanical lift pump and fitting an electric fuel pump, on a Beta 10hp diesel.

A quick google comes up with (to this numpty) a bewildering array of choices, from about £6 up to lots of serious money.

Any advice/ product recommendations very gratefully received.
Click to expand...

I fitted one to my Beta 20 about 2 years ago. I bought from Beta as I could not match the pump but they can be bought much cheaper. I think that you also need a solenoid. Also if you have two batteries and change from cranking to domestic after starting, you will need to wire them both otherwise you will cut off the power to the pump!

The pump can be put inline close to the tank and before the mechanical pump which does not have to be removed.

I will search out the information and check the pump size if you want to pm me with your email address?
 
donm said:
I think that you also need a solenoid. Also if you have two batteries and change from cranking to domestic after starting, you will need to wire them both otherwise you will cut off the power to the pump.

The pump can be put inline close to the tank and before the mechanical pump which does not have to be removed.
Click to expand...

That's a strange setup. Just wire the pump from the ignition switch so when the ignition is on it's running regardless of battery switching.

Facet cylindrical pumps have a small filter in the base which clogs fairly easily unless fuel is filtered beforehand via CAV or similar..
 
PaulRainbow said:
That is not the case here, the OP says the pump is blocked and he is unable to get any fuel to pass through the manual pump.
Click to expand...

That'll teach me to use my glasses!

Sorry, but fixing the mechanical pump is far better than introducing an electric pump. In my case, the tank is way down in the bilge and the mechanical pump seemed not to be coping with the lift as I was getting fuel starvation.

If the lift height is o.k. (about 250 mm according to Beta I think) then fix the problem with the mechanical pump and keep the system simple.
 
donm said:
Sorry, but fixing the mechanical pump is far better than introducing an electric pump. In my case, the tank is way down in the bilge and the mechanical pump seemed not to be coping with the lift as I was getting fuel starvation.

If the lift height is o.k. (about 250 mm according to Beta I think) then fix the problem with the mechanical pump and keep the system simple.
Click to expand...

250mm isn't much. My old HR had a keel tank with a max lift of around 1000mm, and the standard Volvo Penta lift pump coped easily. Perhaps Beta should specify a better lift pump.
 
Latest update.....

I've been earning an an honest crust the last few days, including today.

The mechanical pump is off, and most definitely blocked.

No idea why, yet.

Next job, tomorrow, is to take the top off to peek inside to see why it's blocked.

Apparently, there's no repair kit, and a replacement mechanical pump is almost exactly 100 quid.

An electric pump still looks attractive.

Incidentally, the system has a cav separator/filter, then the filter on the engine block.

Thanks again for your comments.
 
pvb said:
250mm isn't much. My old HR had a keel tank with a max lift of around 1000mm, and the standard Volvo Penta lift pump coped easily. Perhaps Beta should specify a better lift pump.
Click to expand...

The lift pump on my Beta43 is a tiny wee thing and won't lift the fuel from my keel tank. The lift pumps seem to have been carried over unchanged from the Kubota base whereas they really should be fitting something that does the job in a typical boat installation rather than requiring an electric pump to be fitted in series. It would be interesting to know what the other Kubota marinisers have done in this respect.
 
Steve_N said:
The lift pump on my Beta43 is a tiny wee thing and won't lift the fuel from my keel tank. The lift pumps seem to have been carried over unchanged from the Kubota base whereas they really should be fitting something that does the job in a typical boat installation rather than requiring an electric pump to be fitted in series. It would be interesting to know what the other Kubota marinisers have done in this respect.
Click to expand...

I'd have thought a professional engine mariniser would be aware of keel tanks and would have specified a suitable lift pump - or at least offered one as an option.
 
NealB said:
The mechanical pump is off, and most definitely blocked.

Incidentally, the system has a cav separator/filter, then the filter on the engine block.
Click to expand...

Those two statements don't exactly go hand in hand Neil. I'd be curious to know what could have got through the CAV filter that would block the pump.

I wonder if it's somehow failed internally, giving the appearance of being blocked.

But if it is genuinely blocked, take it apart carefully and you may be able to clean and salvage it.

I await your update :)
 
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