triumphs
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Fuel Pump

To: spitlist@gte.net
Subject: Re: Fuel Pump
From: "Robert M. Lang" <lang@isis.mit.edu>
Date: Mon, 01 Jun 1998 20:43:52 -0400
Cc: triumphs@Autox.Team.Net
You Wrote:

> One other note on electric fuel pumps.  Most universal ones these days
> are designed to work with Fuel injection systems and as such put out on
> the order of 15 psi.  This is much too high for most British carbs.  You
> will need to also get a fuel pressure regulator and put it in line agter
> the pump. 

This is not completely true.

I agree that 15 PSI is too much pressure. In fact a TR6 with stock SZ 175's
is likely to run just fine with 1.5 to 3 PSI of fuel pressure.

A great many of the newer cars use high pressure fuel pumps... in fact 15
PSI is low for some of them, over 30 PSI is likely, but (thankfully) not too
many are really high pressure (like the PI TR6 used to be). Very high
pressure systems have their own drawbacks... not part of this duscussion.

Now, there are a bunch of low pressure pumps available. Facet (marketed as
Purolator, at NAPA and through other OEM arrangements) makes a pump that
looks like an electronic transformer device... this is a "solid state" pump,
and it is available in 2 different models. A 1.5 - 4 PSI unit (the cheapest
one) and another that produces 4 - 6 PSI. The cheapo one is more than
adequate for your Triumph - I use one with my Triple DCOE setup, and I don't
currently use a regulator. I intend to put in a regulator - I just have not
got around to it.

If you go electric, you should put a fuel pressure gauge in the pressurized
part of the line so that when you blow a fuse or some other electric
catastrophy occurs, you can look at the gauge and see if you have fuel
pressure. I can say with 100% certainty that your car will run like $#!^ w/o
any fuel pressure. I know - this has happened to me. Oh, don't run the fuel
line into the passenger compartment in order see the gauge - an underhood
in-line pressure gauge is more than adequate unless you are a Racer(tm) in
which case you need to buy the fancy remote sensor fuel pressure gauge that
costs huge money... I just tried finding a real number to put here, but for
some reason I can't find a reference in the Racer Wholesale or the Pegasus
racing catalogs...

For reference, the Facet low pressure pump is listed at $30 - $35. I bought
mine at Auto Palace (now defunct, thank God) but I only paid $25 or so. Lots
of places like AutoZone or Pep Boys probably carry the Facet fuel pump. Mine
had the Purolator brand name...

> Regards,
> Joe Curry

Good luck.

rml
TR6's (with noisey cheap fuel pumps!)


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>