Stewart Warner fuel lift pump 82055

[starfish62]

hey guys! Elie on SV Rover is now in Aitutaki in the Cooks. He has had lots of little boat problems and got stuck in French Polynesia spending exorbent amounts of money for stuff that is quite cheap here. The worst was being stuck waiting for a new auto pilot to be shipped from Vancouver to New Zealand to Tahiti to Raitea. Now he needs the Stewart Warner 82055 fuel lift pump. He says it should only be about $30 bucks but the only special order place I can find here wants $250. Am I being scammed? Communication is quite limited with Elie and I don't know much about the mechanical stuff. Any help would be appreciated. We leave June 3 and it looks like he is going to have to fly to Fiji for the festivities and us fly back to the boat. Good news is I won't have to miss the Kingdom of Tonga!
Linda

[starfish62]

Ok. No responses. I am going to spend the seemingly exorbent amount as no one can give advice otherwise and Elie seems to need it.

Thought someone here might have an idea. We have spent over $5000 in expenses. Most of which we did not predict. Second jobs are my passion so...I

[never monday]

Does it have to be the Stewart-Warner. There are plenty of aftermarket pumps out there. What engine is in the boat?

[Alan Wheeler]

You might have to be a little more patient on this board. Not all of us are on here all the time.

Stewart Warner? or Stewart Turner?? I am not faimiliar with Warner, but if it's a Turner, you may have problem getting parts for it.
I presume you are talking the fuel lift pump? and I presume it is mechanical??
I suggest you look at fitting an electric pump. Look for a pump by the name of Facet. Still won't be cheap, but no where near $250. I presume you are talking US$. Based on what we pay in NZ, I expect you would buy a Facet fuel pump for about US$50-100. You may need two hose fittings to suit as well, to go along with the pump.

[starfish62]

Yeah, I know that you guys aren't on all the time. Sorry, didn't mean to sound short. I am the part time mate and not the mechanic so I can't answer the questions they are asking at the boat places and have very limited communication with Elie and even less time till I leave to meet him. I know he absolutely needs this fuel lift pump but I don't know what else he can use other than the Stewart Warner 82055 fuel lift pump because I think the engine is a Volvo but don't know specifics. I don't mind paying the $ but because of the huge difference in price worry I am ordering the wrong part. Several of you emailed with Elie before he left and I was hoping you might know since you all are so much more knowledgable than me in the mechanics. I have to make a decision on what to order today for it to get here in time and can't contact Elie. He might email tonight or even call.

[Alan Wheeler]

Arrr right, Stewart Warner will be the part manufacturer if it is a Volvo engine.
Starfish, is there anyway Elie can get to an internet connection?? If he Emails direct to Pat "never monday" above, Pat maybe able to get him the correct part sent direct, or sent to you or what have you and he can certainly confirm the price that you should be paying.

[never monday]

Thanks Wheels,
We've been PMing and on the phone I think I have her set up with a Walbro and all the posible fittings necessary to install it.

[starfish62]

Thanks guys! Sorry I was freaking out but I have very little communication at the moment and needed to fix things quick. Never Monday was a tremendous help. Thanks again!
Linda

[Alan Wheeler]

Glad it's all under controll. Now if you need someone to fit it

[starfish62]

Alan, New Zealand isn't that far from the boat. Come on over. The boat is in Aitutki (sp?) in the Cooks under a tropical depression that is supposed to dissipate by Friday. Then he leaves for Tonga. Looks like with all the weather and other problems he won't make it to Fiji in time and will have to fly over from Tonga. Thanks again for all the help.

[hellosailor]

Wheels-
"I expect you would buy a Facet fuel pump for about US$50-100. " Can you buy diesel lift pumps that inexpensively? I'd been looking for a 12v auxiliary diesel pump of any kind, and found nothing under $100US on our market here. Petrol pumps, maybe, but diesel lift pumps seem to be way more expensive here.

[Alan Wheeler]

Those little Facet pumps will move diesel no problems. Just depends how big the engine is, or in otherwords, it's fuel consumption.
Here's a we pointer. A diesel fuel system is often described with a return line. This part is correct. But the return is often thought of as HAVING to go back tot he tank. Actually, that isn't correct. Having a return line return to the tank does several things. As often found, it heats the tank fuel and can allow a cooling tank to condensate moisture out of it. The other point is, an electric pump is working overtime pumping fuel around an "open circuit". Here's a tip. The return line can actually be terminated back in to the supply line at the filter. This creates a "closed circuit" system. The return line can be at the lift pump line pressure with no issues. The pump only supplies what the system requires and You don't return hot fuel to the tank. The main result is a reduced amount of flow in the supply line. This can be a great help when in a situation of very low fuel reserve. Instead of the lift pump gaining a mouth full of air, the pump has a greater chance of gaining the last few drops from the tank.

[hellosailor]

Wheels, I don't remember why, but definitely recall that when I asked them about diesel pumps, they said "NO". They seem convinced their pumps are not designed for long-term use with diesel fuel. As does everyone else I contacted, who makes gasoline pumps.

Any idea why that is?

[Alan Wheeler]

Hmmm, not sure why. Unless they are thinking for high pressure or flow or I dunno. Solvents shouldn't be an issue as there are more nasties in gasoline than Diesel. I have used the Facet on Diesel and had no problem, but I didn't have the vehicle I used it on for more than about 2yrs after I fitted it. Surely that would have shown a problem if it was going to.
But at the end of the day, the manufacturer knows best and it is them that stands by the warranty.

[S/V Elusive]

Well - diesel fuel pumps - external ... ::sigh:: I've been fighting this battle for a while - You CAN find inexpensive pumps for diesel that operate on 12 VDC. HOWEVER - They are either very limited in capacity or have a HUGE capacity AND AND AND ... They are NOT for continuous running - suggested time was 15 minutes out of an hour. For fuel (transfer) pumps, that will pump about 3gpm (12 lpm) on a continuous basis, and IMPORTANT - have fittings (1/4" npt to 3/8" npt) that will allow it to be used in the typical smaller boats (less than 80 hp) you will have to pay between $150 and $250US RETAIL.

If you just need a quicky pump to help get the system primed, then almost anything will do and can be purchased for less than $50 US.