Atomic 4 fuel pump

[mike-atoakville]

My C&C 27 mark 1 with Atomic 4 engine, had an Airtex E1039 electric fuel pump which has worked well up to now for the 2 years I have had the boat. It failed and I cannot find that number but tried replacing with an Airtex E8251 "low pressure marine pump". This does not seem to have enough oomph to keep the glass site on my gas filter full. Engine starts and stops. There is another I have found E8337 "for carbureted marine applications" which seems to have a pressure rating double the first one I bought.
Can anyone advise if they are successfully using an inline electric pump straight to the carburetor and any names and part numbers.
I am missing great summer weather stuck at my dock!

[The Garbone]

Moyer Marine has the proper pumps. Great resource for your A4.. That said I bought a carter pump and have no problems and saved enough to keep a second in the box as a spare.

Link: https://amzn.com/B000BZX92K

[Bill Seal]

If the filter bowl isn't filling up, then there's probably an air leak in the line between the tank and pump.
I'd be careful about a higher pressure pump, unless you like a bilge full of gas.

[Colin A]

Originally Posted by mike-atoakville

My C&C 27 mark 1 with Atomic 4 engine, had an Airtex E1039 electric fuel pump which has worked well up to now for the 2 years I have had the boat. It failed and I cannot find that number but tried replacing with an Airtex E8251 "low pressure marine pump". This does not seem to have enough oomph to keep the glass site on my gas filter full. Engine starts and stops. There is another I have found E8337 "for carbureted marine applications" which seems to have a pressure rating double the first one I bought.
Can anyone advise if they are successfully using an inline electric pump straight to the carburetor and any names and part numbers.
I am missing great summer weather stuck at my dock!

I believe my fathers boat currently has the airtex E8251 but I would have to check, It works well but the fuel tank on the E30 is above the engine so the pump isn't doing much work. On other boats I have also used the Facet cube pumps I forget the part # but I believe westerbeke used to sell them as A4 pumps. If you look around I'm sure you could find one. I believe moyers sells the Facet round pumps.
On larger carbed marine engines we used to use holley red electric fuel pumps but the pressure may be too much for the A4.

[jeepbluetj]

It's a pretty low pressure pump - 2-3 psi or so. You likely have another problem like a leak that's allowing air in the suction side.

[mike-atoakville]

Thanks. I am well aware of Moyer and have their manuals and they already have lots of my money. Also I am Canadian so everything from there costs me double. Great place for exact replacement parts or upgrades but seemed like any old fuel pump would work without spending the bank account (except the one I bought of course).
Only tried an Airtex since that is what was there but maybe check some other brands that claim they are for carborated applications on small engines.

[Scott Berg]

I used a small Facet pump on my A4 years ago; worked just fine...

[um saudade]

The issue may be one of insufficient lift. The pump must pull fuel from the bottom of tank up and out on the suction side. If you have a fairly tall tank the cheap pump won’t cut it. Most small electric pumps are rated in lift as well as pressure and many are listed as gravity feed pumps meaning they won’t suck at all. There are some low pressure pumps that will give you adequate suction if that’s what you require but they won’t be the super cheap pumps.

If it rattles and clangs and then settles into a purr when it establishes suction you are fine. If it won’t quiet down after a few seconds it won’t do the lift.

[Bill Seal]

Learn to read!
He said it worked for 2 years, then failed.
The Facet pumps come in 3 pressures, be sure to get the right one.

[um saudade]

Not sure who has a problem reading. The original poster stated that the old pump had worked for the two years he owned the boat and the new pump did not seem to work at all.

On most marine applications , once you get fuel to the pump it’s a downhill run to the carb but getting the lift to get the fuel to the pump is key. A low suction pump may work fine when the tank is full but one night you are motoring back in a storm and the tank gets low and the engine dies for lack of fuel.

Find the spec sheets for the pumps, it’s all online and find a pump with sufficient lift and under 4 lbs discharge pressure. They use the high lift pumps on ultralight aircraft so they are out there.

Moyer is fine if you want to pay double but why bother for commonly available parts.

Electric pumps need to be kept very clean and there should be an in-line filter between the tank pickup and the pump. You can continue to use additional filters downstream from the electric fuel pump. The ABYC says the electric pump must be located at the engine too. No long pressurized fuel lines allowed.

[whatknot]

If it hasent been mentioned already you might want to make sure there is no restriction from the tank to the pump. Good to check and could be the reason the original pump failed.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by whatknot

If it hasent been mentioned already you might want to make sure there is no restriction from the tank to the pump. Good to check and could be the reason the original pump failed.

The symptoms of a partially occluded (by spider webs or dead insects) tank vent line are 5-20 minutes of run time, after which the ambient pressure inside the tank exceeds the 2-3 PSI of the fuel pump. The motor dies and the tank gradually equalizes until you start it again and the process repeats. This is so common, particularly with small vent lines going to skin fittings where the tiny screens have gone walkies, that I always check the vent line first as part of the spring commissioning.

[mike-atoakville]

Thanks to all for your prompt and helpful input. Looks like Bill Seal and jeepbluetj hit it on the head. This morning I found a couple gas drops under the intake connection to the new pump. Removed all hoses and threaded fittings, applied Teflon tape reinstalled tightened and used a nut driver to tighten stainless clamps on hoses. Then almost first try gas flowed and the engine came to life. It is a very low pressure pump so I guess it takes very little air leakage to stop the lift and the filter glass from filling. Will do a hard sea trial to make sure flow is sufficient to run under stress then order another spare pump! Very scary on our harbor to try a landing by sail alone!

[Lepke]

I use these pumps inline and in addition to the normal lift pump. I use them to fill the secondary filter when changing and to "bleed" my Detroit mains. They pump up to 35 gallons an hour and sell for about $16 on ebay with shipping.

[TommmD]

Probably a more secure solution then the rubber squeeze bulb I used in line. I found the Facet required priming from some external source, whatever that might be. On the C&Cs the tank is typically above the carb but needs lift out of the tank as previously mentioned. The A4 I found reliable as long as you paid attention to the fuel. And it was most always a fuel problem when something came up.