Electric fuel pumps.

[Lynn]

Yesterday, I had my third fuel pump failure and the second at an event. Is there any support for using electric fuel pumps?

[SR Racing]

It's sort of a no brainer. <g> We have been using them on FST cars for 5 years. I don't know of any failures. They provide for immediate starts, real simple fuel checks when required, very easy to drain the cell of old fuel and they cost about 5 ot 10 more than a VW mechanical pump. They proper models provide a solid 3+ lbs of pressure and would work fine with a 28PCI carb. There is a VERY marginal improvement in HP only due to the slight mechanical drag of a mechanical pump.

The current draw is very little and is of no issue with a 1 hour race. However that would move FV towards the 20th century so I am sure there will be a lot of push back. <g> It would also cause a complete redesign of the heads to optimize HP so everyone would have to upgrade their engines,

Jim
SR

[77fmod]

Hmmmm... If they are legal in FST, I would suppose that they would be legal in SOLO as they rewrote the rules to allow them to compete. However, I do not remember how that was done with that change. Anybody got an answer to this?

Johnny B.

[Lynn]

I am going to write a letter to Doug and Brian and ask if electric fuel pumps are allowed for Solo Vee since they are allowed for FST's running in FM.

[Lynn]

Brian Harmer has already responded to my email. Electric fuel pumps are not legal for Solo Vees. I will be writing to the SEB for a change to allow them.

[cendiv37]

It's sort of a no brainer. <g> We have been using them on FST cars for 5 years. I don't know of any failures. They provide for immediate starts, real simple fuel checks when required, very easy to drain the cell of old fuel and they cost about 5 ot 10 more than a VW mechanical pump. They proper models provide a solid 3+ lbs of pressure and would work fine with a 28PCI carb. There is a VERY marginal improvement in HP only due to the slight mechanical drag of a mechanical pump.

The current draw is very little and is of no issue with a 1 hour race. However that would move FV towards the 20th century so I am sure there will be a lot of push back. <g> It would also cause a complete redesign of the heads to optimize HP so everyone would have to upgrade their engines,

Jim
SR

Jim, from which side are we approaching the 20th century? Certainly we don't want to go backwards, or do we?

What with 1915 engines, disc brakes, FST's in FM, I hope a change to allow electric fuel pumps in Solo Vees would indeed be a no-brainer. I assume Solo Vees do not use a 28PCI either.

Electric fuel pumps in FV itself? Now that would be a hard sell to the old school guys

[Lynn]

We use Weber IDF carbs, mostly. 1915's use one, 1600's are allowed two.

I'd really like to use fuel injection, but that will probably never happen.

[Bill_Bonow]

I think this has become more of an issue since the newer mechanical fuel pump arms have changed to plastic. Most fuel pumps in FV or solo vee last a very, very long time. If you have an old one, take very good care of it! Early on in FST, we found that the new fuel plastic arm actuated mechanical fuel pumps last about 1 weekend at best. If you had an old steel armed pump, no problem. For FST, electric pumps are great, easy, cheap and very reliable....... That is why FV will most likely never allow them

[FV80]

I think this has become more of an issue since the newer mechanical fuel pump arms have changed to plastic. ...

The older steel arm can be swapped out for the plastic one. So, if you have a need to replace your pump, keep the old one till you grab that arm - swap it in to the new fuel pump and you're good to go I did that to one a couple of years ago and have had no problems (knock on head).
Steve

[Bill_Bonow]

The older steel arm can be swapped out for the plastic one.

Steve,

This is 100% true if you have the same brand/version of mechanical pump. The trouble was that we (read Butch Deer of DRE and Jim Schings of SRacing) couldn't get the same model pump that we had steel arms from (lady luck was on your side that day). We found it much smarter/easier to make fuel pumps free rather than chasing down like brand/model mechanical pumps. It more likely became a larger issue for us with new competitors, cars, engines and fuel pumps. My bet is that the latter is why it's not much of an issue in FV

[SR Racing]

The older steel arm can be swapped out for the plastic one. So, if you have a need to replace your pump, keep the old one till you grab that arm - swap it in to the new fuel pump and you're good to go I did that to one a couple of years ago and have had no problems (knock on head).
Steve

No knock on you Steve, since that was the best/only way to go, but it really focuses on one of the concerns I have with FV, the SCCA and rules changing methods. We have to take a new $25 fuel pump and replace it's op arm with a junkyard pump arm. Vee isn't a "Vintage" class. Wouldn't an modern (20 year old) solution electric fuel pump that costs about the same be much easier? I suspect suggesting this as a rule would cause tons of push back and screams that the guys who couldn't afford $25 to upgrade would be uncompetitive and would stop all racing.

Some of these things are such an obvious move that the Advisory, and CRB should just dictate and do it !

Jim

[G.B.]

The British Vees rev to 7500rpm, an electric fuel pump was essential as the mechanical pump starts to experience their equivalent of ‘valve bounce’ at those revs.

Of course, there is a safety issue with electric pumps in that in the event of an accident the pump will not stop with the engine. Should a fuel hose get ruptured, fuel could be pumped until someone can get to the kill switch and the consequences are unthinkable.

Also I think there are two lengths of push rods for the mechanical pumps. Fitting the long rod, where a short one is required will destroy the pump in double quick time.