O/B electric fuel pump

[roscoe]

Has any manufacturer ever built an o/b with an electric fuel pump?<br />OR....<br /><br />Since we can't start the bigger ones without power anyway, why not? It seems they rarely fail on cars or other equipment. While there seems to be quite a few failures on outboards.

 

[OBJ]

Re: O/B electric fuel pump

Hi roscoe.<br /><br />I know of electric primer pumps that are used to prime the fuel system. Saves a guy the headache of walking all the way to the back of the boat and hand pumping the primer bulb.<br /><br />I think the reason you don't see any electric fuel pumps is cause the pumps that are operated from the crankshaft housing press/vac are so cheap to operate. And you have the added liability that if for some reason the electric pump would not shut down in case of an onboard fire, well, ya' got a gasoline pump settin' there feeding the fire. I do know of a guy that tried one once. Had so much pressure he blew gas out the front of the carbs. He took it back off.

 

[Hooty]

Re: O/B electric fuel pump

I don't think any are oem but Holley and Carter both make electric fuel pumps for outboards. A lot of the go-fast guys run 'um.<br /><br />c/6<br /><br />Hooty

 

[OBJ]

Re: O/B electric fuel pump

Hey hooty, these guys that use them, are they racing type go-fast guys or just guys that go fast for sh*ts and giggles. Didn't know Holey or Carter built things like this.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: O/B electric fuel pump

The one I liked best in the race boat (constant on) was a low pressure pump from either Ford or GM. OMC used it on one of their fuel injected Cobra motors and was a constant 5 lbs. Its a nice looking small in line pump that we screwed into the outlet side of the OMC fuel filter / water seperator.<br /><br />I use a Stewart Warner type pump on the Hydrostream as a primer pump. Since trying to pull fuel through it would be a restriction when the pump is off I have it hosed in a seperate circuit going to the filter. You simply turn the pump on to pressure the system, start the motor and shut off the pump. If I do make a top end blast I turn it on to make sure of fuel delivery.<br /><br />Insurance companies are real nervous about electric fuel pumps in a boat. Thats why on inboard type motors most are tied into the oil pressure by a cut off switch. If the oil pressure drops the pump shuts off. The primer pump that was supplied with the V8 outboards came with a momentary switch only.<br /><br />Good luck!

 

[roscoe]

Re: O/B electric fuel pump

Thanks guys, I was just curious, with all the posts related to fuel starvation , etc.

 

[graddy]

Re: O/B electric fuel pump

All Mercury EFI, Optimax and 40hp 4-stroke and higher have electric fuel pumps.

 

[bret walters]

Re: O/B electric fuel pump

dts,<br />the mercury engines still use a engine pulse pump to draw fuel from the tank. <br />the big problem with electric fuel pumps on boats is with the coast guard and the insurance companies. in a car if a fuel line or fitting breaks the fuel leak is most likly on the ground and behind you, in boat if the leak is not large enough to stall the engine, the leak will fill the bilge. one stray spark and well someone else will be looking for a lawyer, those on the boat will be looking for st.peter.<br />electric fuel pumps are used by racers, most try to moount them as close to the engine as possible to eliminate long runs of pressurized fuel in the boat.