Is There a Fuel Lift Pump Which Can Beat My Fuel Tank Airlock ?

[Shanaly]

hi i have just got the air out of my diesel lines, but i need to pull diesel up the line from my fuel tank . how do i prime it, as it is full of air and my lift pump with manual lever doesn't seem up to the job! (asking a lot of a pump, as altho the engine is below the level of the fuel in th tank, i need to lift the fuel 18in tot the valve in the top of the tank before the line begins its effortless journey down to the engine!

[Nemo55]

One method is to backfill the system from the uppermost point in the system with fuel, then reseal and try the pump again,

[atoll]

try a vacume oil change pump to pull it through,great for doing oil changes as well.
http://www.duncanyacht.co.uk/showpar...utm_medium=cpc

[boden36]

Your lift pump should be easily able to do that. Your pump is driven by a cam inside the engine.Make sure that the pump mechanism is not sitting on its cam in the up position, as if it is , your manual operation will not move the diaphragm, as it is already in the up position. Just try rocking the flywheel over a bit and see if that makes any difference to the operation of the pump. You should feel a little more resistance in the manual lever when it is actually working the diaphragm.
Not a very clear description but hopefully you can get what I mean.
Regards,
Richard.

[Dhillen]

Another thing that we found works well in this situation is to install one of those squeeze ball in line pumps found on outboard engine fuel lines. We put one in line after the fuel pickup line comes out of the tank (make sure you don't put it on the fuel return line)! When we ran dry (every now and then, I'll admit) a couple of squeezes on the ball would push fuel right up to the lift pump and it was easy to bleed the injectors then. Before we did that we (meaning me) would be bent over the engine (usually hot) and flipping that little metal lever up and down about 500 times (rich, choice language followed with increasing volume) until fuel finally arrived. We had a Perkins 4-326 at the time.

Good luck.

DHillen

[Blue Crab]

Would it matter if the bulb were down at the other end of the line near the lift pump?

[Noname]

I did what Dhillen said... an outboard motor type primer bulb that I connected into the fuel line between the Dahl (or Racor) filter and the engine lift pump. Also opened the bleed screw on the high pressure pump to let air bubbles out. After starting and running the engine a few minutes, quickly remove the primer bulb and reattach the line back onto the filter outlet barb.

[four winds]

A squeeze bulb is permanently installed in the fuel feed to the Racor on my boat by the previous owner.

Worked fine after rebuilding the Racor last year.

Still haven't used the lever on the lift pump or had air in the lines to need to use it.

[Samantha ann]

I installed a little 12 v fuel pump from Napa just outside the tank, controlled by the key switch. Just a 2gm20, but I have had to bleed my line once or twice ( bang head ) works great.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Samantha ann

I installed a little 12 v fuel pump from Napa just outside the tank, controlled by the key switch. Just a 2gm20, but I have had to bleed my line once or twice ( bang head ) works great.

I've done this before and it is an invaluable resource to prime the system after changing out fuel filters etc. Also will double as a lift pump if yours fails. I just installed it a couple feet from, and above the tank. Put a switch right next to it.
I have used a squeeze bulb before,however, I found it went rather mushy after a year or so...and the hoses also.... maybe the diesel degrades it?

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I've done this before and it is an invaluable resource to prime the system after changing out fuel filters etc. Also will double as a lift pump if yours fails. I just installed it a couple feet from, and above the tank. Put a switch right next to it.
I have used a squeeze bulb before,however, I found it went rather mushy after a year or so...and the hoses also.... maybe the diesel degrades it?

+3

[bobconnie]

+4 for the 12 volt pump before the Racor ! Bob and Connie

[eyschulman]

The OB bulb pumps are often used on fair sized diesel motors either in direct line or closed loop with 3 way stopcocks. Main use is for quick priming after filter change. Look at seaboard marine site for write up and details of the system very simple cheap very well feild tested and little to go wrong.

[Doug Brown]

Use the $45 Napa fuel pump. If you want to get fancy, install it with a couple of valves so you can just use the engine pump directly or the 12v pump for priming or in case of engine pump failure.

The pump should be mounted downstream of the Racor, and before the engine pump.

You can bleed an engine in less than 60-seconds with a 12v fuel pump in the system - it is an incredible safety component in my opinion. I have had a 12v pump on my Volvo 2003 engine for over 25 years and it makes changing fuel filters (Racor & factory filter) a very simple job.

Shut off fuel, change filters, open fuel valve, open bleed valve, turn on electric pump, close bleed valve when fuel escapes, keep pump on and start engine. When engine starts, you can turn the 12v pump off. Much easier than working the little handle and being all twisted trying to reach it!

If you just use the engine pump, make sure the lever fully moves - about 3/4" - and that you have the air bleed screw cracked open so when you pump the air has somewhere to escape. When fuel escapes instead of air, close the bleed screw and keep pumping for another couple of minutes to be sure that the filter/piping is full of fuel.

Doug Brown

[Shanaly]

thnx all - 2 tiny queries
1 some say extra pump upstream of Racor, some downstream. what is the reasoning?
2 Doug Brown mentions bleed screws, are we talking on the extra pump/ on the filter / on the fuel lift pump / at the injectors?
3 i have 4 injectors, firing order 4-1-3-2, in principal do i crack all of these or just some as i turn the engine over?
THANKS again to all. (the fuel bulb works well, but yes diesel does slowly dissolve them. one day i'll put in an 'extra loop' to facilitate addition/removal of the bulb with out creating extra airlocks - also for the 12v extra fuel pump)