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Old 29-11-2007, 15:55   #1
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Perkins Prima Lift pump Poorly Designed

I have replaced two lift pumps on a Perkins Prima.....It seems when you attempt to bleed the fuel system, the cheesy plunger wire to the lift pump arm puts a sideways stress on the arm and it pops off after about 30-40 cycles.

I have returned both of them......but all Ihave now is another new pump with the same, poorly engineered plunger.

I am just venting, but I would like to know if anyone else has had this problem....Pat?????
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Old 29-11-2007, 17:38   #2
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Chief,
Ya got a picture?
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Old 29-11-2007, 17:48   #3
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I'll try to get one over the weekend....or I might be able to find one on the WWW
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Old 30-11-2007, 06:13   #4
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Perkins “Prima” Fuel Lift Pump shown with white arrow.
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Old 30-11-2007, 06:19   #5
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oh, that pump...I only have one of those to deal with. Luckily it's still intact.
I'd pull the knob and extension off and put a bolt thru the lever arm so I could get to it and pump.
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Old 30-11-2007, 07:13   #6
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I think I'd put an electric pump or squeeze bulb upstream of the lift pump and never use the new pump for bleeding.
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Old 01-12-2007, 08:54   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by donradcliffe View Post
I think I'd put an electric pump or squeeze bulb upstream of the lift pump and never use the new pump for bleeding.
I have 4.236 and another guy here at the anchorage has one, he has a system just like that, he has y valve, with a bulb in front of it, he basically flips the valve, power bleeds it with the electric pump then flips it back over. A heck of lot easier then manually doing it. There is a cheasy little lever on mine but it's never broke. I have bled the low pressure side using the starter, but its not ideal.
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Old 01-12-2007, 20:01   #8
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It is the same priming pump as on the Volvo Penta 22 series engines which are essentially the same engine as the Prima 50.

I have not had a problem with our VP version but have to concede that the priming pump has only ever been "played with" as the engine has always self primed even when both the primary and secondary fuel filters have been replaced (and as I recall, also when a leakoff banjo fitting failed at the injector and it was replaced).

Our fuel tank is in the fin keel so there is quite a lift to the engine. Maybe your engine would self prime too?
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Old 11-01-2008, 07:13   #9
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I own the same type of engine in Volvo colors. I agree with you: this pump hand lever is not the best thing ever done by Perkins. My solution: I've installed a Carter electric fuel pump on line with this mechanical pump. So when I replace filters, I simply start the electric pump and in seconds, the filter are purged. However I have a new problem with this pump: I can't find a replacement gasket for the fuel hose inlet. Any idea where to get that little gasket?. The other thing I'm looking into is way to eliminate this pump altogether and replace it by an electric unit. I presume that some sort of pressure switch would be required. I wonder if a car electric fuel pump would do(pressure swich equiped?). Best regards.
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Old 11-01-2008, 12:25   #10
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Do you guys (and girls?) find that you need the priming pump? As I said our engine (the Volvo version of the same and with the same priming pump) always self primes even if I change both the primary and secondary fuel filters and it has to suck up from the tank in the fin keel. I don't even prime the filters beforehand, just screw them on empty.

I have had others with the Volvo engine tell me it is the same for them too. Perhaps the Volvo version has a more efficient fuel pump?

The only time I got caught was when I replaced both filters and ran the engine WITHOUT reopening the tank valve so I sucked the whole system dry. But even then it just took a very few pumps on the priming pump until I felt some pressure and a few seconds grind on the starter and away it went with a few coughs along the way. I suspect it would still have self primed if I had just cranked the fuel through but was wary of overflowing the water lift muffler.

I don't know if people are aware but the priming pump should not be forced, there should just be some soft feeling resistance as the stem slowly goes down into the body of the pump with a lightish push. If it is hard to push or won't move at all then you need to rotate the engine to get the pump onto a more favourable part of the camshaft cam. I would be quite certain it would be fairly easy to break something if one thought that the priming pump operated in all positions of the engine rotation and tried forcing it.
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Old 03-12-2023, 04:19   #11
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Re: Perkins Prima Lift pump Poorly Designed

What happens if the diaphragm needs replacing, can you still use the electrical pump?
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Old 11-12-2023, 21:06   #12
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Re: Perkins Prima Lift pump Poorly Designed

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What happens if the diaphragm needs replacing, can you still use the electrical pump?
Consider replacing with a Facet electric pump of correct pressure and deleting the mechanical pump.
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Old 11-12-2023, 22:18   #13
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Re: Perkins Prima Lift pump Poorly Designed

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What happens if the diaphragm needs replacing, can you still use the electrical pump?
I am sure an electric pump would work, but for $30, I would replace the mechanical pump. Maybe use an electric temp simply because they are available in remote places if you get stuck.

https://www.parts4engines.com/perkin...lift-pump-kit/
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Old 11-12-2023, 23:12   #14
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Re: Perkins Prima Lift pump Poorly Designed

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Originally Posted by wholybee View Post
I am sure an electric pump would work, but for $30, I would replace the mechanical pump. Maybe use an electric temp simply because they are available in remote places if you get stuck.

https://www.parts4engines.com/perkin...lift-pump-kit/
This pump is not suitable for a Perkins Prima 50 marine engine as the heat exchanger interfers with the plunger, I ordered one of these and had to send it back.
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Old 12-12-2023, 12:38   #15
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Re: Perkins Prima Lift pump Poorly Designed

My experience with both the MD22 and Perkins Prima lift pumps has been quite different to the OP’s and I’ve never had or seen the lever problem he describes. If the engine is rotated till the pump lever is on the back of the cam so you get a full stroke on the priming lever it usually works perfectly ....... unless you have keel tanks. The unique position of the Prima lift pump on the very top of the engine (as opposed to just about every other engine where the camshaft is low on the block) makes it difficult to lift fuel from a less than full keel tank. The MD 22’ s in some of the Halberg Rassy’s had a lift problem if the priming pump was a bit crook because of the keel tank, I’m a slow learner and it took a couple of replacements before I realized I was fixing a symptom, not the root cause.
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