Fuel Pump Fix

[wheeler]

I am sure I am opening up a can of worms, but here goes.....

What kind of ideas could we come up with that would remove the fuel pump module and install an in-line fuel pump closer to the engine. It is obvious that the original design is flawed, the pump gets hot when the fuel level is too low etc.

You could leave the "module" with the filter at the bottom. just replace the pump with a spacer of some sort, install a high volume pump like what is on the LT-1 motors....

Thoughts?

[munkymush]

i read somewhere that you cant convert returnless systems to a returned system because it upsets the ecu or the way it regulates the fuel injection?

[wheeler]

i thought that as many motor nuts we had on here that someone would be able to figure out a way around it.......conspiracy:(

[Thrall]

Not sure it would mess with the ecm if it was seeing the same pressure. I thought the vent-less fuel systems was more of a EPA thing.
Either way, good idea wheeler and I'm sure you could wire up an external pump without many issues other than neeading to make/get some special fittings, but for $100 replacement it's not worth it to me to re-invent the wheel.

[vision]

The fuel pump system certainly needs fixing. But, I think the reason that a simple return to the old external fuel pump did not occur long ago was due to safety reasons.

I would settle for a simple redesigned fuel tank that was angled so if you only 2 gallons of gas in the tank, the fuel pump would still be submerged.

[timvan]

it would be easy enough to make a pickup tube with a external pump. Ive asked this same question before.

An external pump with heat sinks would surely last a lot longer than the in tank setup

[93Prostar190]

Well ... I am not sure it is just a pump and pump module issue. The shape of the tank and the sloshing of fuel, plus the difference of a vented system for marine safety are all factors.

Early Bosch CIS systems found in Euro cars had a fuel pump in the gas tank and the similarity of the challenges faced by us as MC owners and early Audi/BMW owners are kinda funny.

You used to be able to prime the pump and hear it when yo u turned the key ... noisy pumps meant a failure was coming in the future (although some noisy pumps lasted a long time)

In those auto applications, sometimes debris was the biggest problem since the fuel was being pulled from the bottom of the tank.

I am not an expert, but in my heart it feels like the solution is really simple:

1 - Better fuel tank shape across models
2 - Better filtration on the older models
3 - Using the excess gas (pressure relief from the regulator at the top of the module) to cool the pump

Or we could go a 2 stage system (more costly) like many racing applications ... where we suck the fuel from the tank with a pickup .... filter it and stage it through a high pressure pump before the fuel rail. (that just sounds more complex to write )

so thanks for letting me "vent" (pardon the pun) .... I better get back to work.

I just wish maybe it would be better if the pump had a warning light that would warn you of an upcoming failure ;)

[Barritia]

What I would like to know is why my in tank fuel pump on my truck has none of the problems my MC does! It even has a lifetime filter on the pump which is something MC could also do.

[oldairboater]

I can't prove it but I believe vehicles with fuel injection have more pump problems from people who run them below a quarter of a tank. I think they have the same problem of heat plus the trash that accumulates in a tank. People in boats try to stay on the water all day and use up most of their fuel before refuelling. There probably is a fix to this fuel pump problem but the fix would be expensive and you would have to experiment. If it was me I would get out a catalog and start comparing pumps, pressures, and applications. I have carburetors on my boats ---so this isn't my problem yet and I hardly ever run my vehicles or boats below a quarter of a tank in gas.