Opinion needed on fuel pumps

[Vanspeed]

Have a clients car in the shop that has had a history of hard starting. It is a ‘40 ford, still 6V. The owner lives out of state half the year and she always drained the battery trying to start it.

A previous shop has installed an electric fuel pump and bypassed the stock mechanical. There is no regulator. The pump looks like a Carter and from what I can tell they pump out 6psi, maybe more. I understand why the electronic pump was installed but without a regulator I don’t trust it.

I know a lot of guys that run the Airtex pump in conjunction with the stock pump (using the Airtex as a primer) and upon starting the electronic pump is turned off. I like this idea but I want to hear to yes’s and no’s of going this route. She only drives it occasionally when she is here. Could sit for weeks without being started.

[51504bat]

On my 8ba I'm running an Airtex electric pump mounted in the rear by the gas tank. Use it in conjunction with the stock pump to prime the carb after it sits for a while. Use a toggle switch to turn the pump on to prime and then switch it off after starting. Works great. I do use a pressure regulator before the carb set at 2 1/2 PSI.

[ScubaChief60]

After a few bouts of vapor lock, I installed a 6v electric pump on the fuel line just before the mechanical pump ( between the tank and the mechanical fuel pump). It is a 'flow thru' design electric pump so that the mechanical pump can pull fuel right thru it. I have it on a toggle switch under the dash so I can use it when needed. Its only a backup pump for when the mechanical need priming. Has worked great on several occasions.

[ford38v8]

Agree with the above, with the use of a normally open toggle for safety concerns. A toggle of this sort completes a circuit only while being held in the on position, and is used only to prime the manual pump and to overcome a temporary vapor lock. While a pressure regulator would not be essential for this particular installation, a regulator adds a smart layer of protection.

[GB SISSON]

Resounding yes to all the above. I use a push button switch. I wouldn't be without the electric backup.

[flathead48]

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I have a toggle under dash, use the electric just for priming , 6 volt 48 stock & has been 9 years . So far so good.

[corvette8n]

Originally Posted by flathead48

I have a toggle under dash, use the electric just for priming , 6 volt 48 stock & has been 9 years . So far so good.

I’m with Rick, I have a spring loaded toggle switch under the dash and I hold it on until I hear the pump noise change. Previous owner installed the electric setup.

[dean333]

Electric pumps are bandaids in my opinion. Send your stock pump to Charlie Schwendler and get it updated to perform as intended. I have never had a problem in 40 plus years with hard starting or vapor lock on my early V8’s.

[Vanspeed]

Lots of good responses, thank you. Dean333, how long do you let your car sit between driving? Could you let the car sit for six months and start it without the need for starting fluid or draining the battery attempting to start?

[Lawrie]

Another thing to do is fit a pump with a priming lever,they are around,mostly on UK and NZ cars,
Lawrie

[Merc Cruzer]

Make sure you get a "flow through" pump, most of them are not. If it isn't a flow through, when you turn the electric pump off, it will shut off the gas.

The easiest way to test the pump is to blow through it, in the direction of the gas flow. If you can, then your are good to go, if not, you need to buy another pump, unless you are going to run the pump at all times.

Airtex pumps, are no longer available, they were bought out and the pumps are no longer made.

[dean333]

Vanspeed, yes it will sit six months without a battery tender. Maybe one squirt of starting fluid if it sits six months. I hardly ever let it sit that long, three maybe then it cranks about 30 seconds total., 15 seconds at a time.

[Kube]

My '36 roadster sits for up to eight weeks without starting during the winter months. The car is 100% stock.
I pull the choke, hit the starter, pump the gas pedal maybe two or three times, hit the starter again and it starts each and every time.
I take a lot of time setting all of my cars up correctly and have never even considered an electric pump.
Vapor lock? Yeah, I have heard of such things.
Perhaps I'm biased but in 50+ years of flatheads, I have had amazingly good experiences.
I don't recall ever having too little battery or not enough fuel where it needs to be.
Just set the car up correct and forget about the "band aids".

[dean333]

Amen Kube.

[3twinridges]

I think we get used to our modern cars/trucks. We don’t even have keys anymore, just get in and hit a button and go, computers do all the tuning.

Lots of things probably suspect on your hard start. Our truck is bone stock and it’s pretty close to today’s cars, but all the systems are meticulously tuned and the engine is fresh with high compression. You probably have a problem component in your ignition, a problem with your fuel delivery in the carb, or low compression due to a tired engine.

Even after sitting for a month, you shouldn’t have to turn over for more than a few seconds to refill the fuel bowl and get it down into the intake.

JB

[Ol' Ron]

After 75 years of fuel pump problems with the Ford flatheads. Both mechanical and electric, I have switched to the internal electric pump and an external regulator. The united states has over 200 million cars and trucks on the road and very little pum failures.
Gramps
PS and junk yards are full of them.

[GB SISSON]

The reason I like my little 12v momentary switched pump is for the joy of the instant start after it sits for months. I have the utmost respect for bone stock original vehicles and their keepers too. But this thing about modern cars not needing keys??? Swear to God, never heard of that. Our modern cars, wife's '96 outback and my '99 suburban would never work without a key, but all four of my early ford contraptions just have a toggle switch on the dash for ignition and the start button, no key needed.

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by Vanspeed

Lots of good responses, thank you. Dean333, how long do you let your car sit between driving? Could you let the car sit for six months and start it without the need for starting fluid or draining the battery attempting to start?

i could with my 36 Pickup, i dont run a electric fuel pump

[Vanspeed]

Originally Posted by Kube

My '36 roadster sits for up to eight weeks without starting during the winter months. The car is 100% stock.
I pull the choke, hit the starter, pump the gas pedal maybe two or three times, hit the starter again and it starts each and every time.
I take a lot of time setting all of my cars up correctly and have never even considered an electric pump.
Vapor lock? Yeah, I have heard of such things.
Perhaps I'm biased but in 50+ years of flatheads, I have had amazingly good experiences.
I don't recall ever having too little battery or not enough fuel where it needs to be.
Just set the car up correct and forget about the "band aids".

Great responses again. Thanks Kube. I may have to talk the owner into starting it on a schedule during the winter while she is gone. Might make it a little more happy when she goes to start it for the first time.

[ford38v8]

Originally Posted by Vanspeed

Great responses again. Thanks Kube. I may have to talk the owner into starting it on a schedule during the winter while she is gone. Might make it a little more happy when she goes to start it for the first time.

A schedule of starting an engine, say, once a week, running it at idle till it warms up, doing this during a storage period of a year or more, sounds good so you can sleep well. Truth is, you’re not doing any good at all, and in fact, you’re harming your engine, your exhaust system, your tires, your battery, and your brake system unless you have mechanical brakes. A car needs to be driven, not just start up and idle.

[Planojc]

Electric fuel pumps are a must here in the hot summers of Texas where vapor lock is common.

[drolston]

Originally Posted by Planojc

Electric fuel pumps are a must here in the hot summers of Texas where vapor lock is common.

Ditto, even in Virginia. On hot days in traffic, my '41 will vapor lock while running on 10% ethanol fuel. My pump switch has a momentary position for priming, but on those days it goes to the "ON" position.

[Merc Cruzer]

Just in case you are looking for a flow through pump:

https://www.amazon.com/AUTOKAY-Elect...ive,118&sr=1-5

[dean333]

It gets pretty hot in the Chicago area in the summer. I don’t get the vapor lock problem if your car is functioning properly.

[Vanspeed]

Originally Posted by ford38v8

A schedule of starting an engine, say, once a week, running it at idle till it warms up, doing this during a storage period of a year or more, sounds good so you can sleep well. Truth is, you’re not doing any good at all, and in fact, you’re harming your engine, your exhaust system, your tires, your battery, and your brake system unless you have mechanical brakes. A car needs to be driven, not just start up and idle.

I understand but in northern Michigan that is not an option unless you’re lucky. Salt on the roads, snow, slush, etc. A start up now and then during the winter has never hurt any of my flatheads.

[Vanspeed]

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The owner told me today it ran better without the pump, it was still hard to start however. A carb rebuilt, new mechanical pump and what needs to be done to take it back to factory was given the thumbs up. I will keep you posted.

[Fritz]

Chicago never gets Texas hot. It sometimes gets TN and VA hot.

For what it’s worth, I’ve only used an airtex 6v pump for the last 10 years. It works excellently. Maybe it was a bandaid when I installed it, but after chasing out all the gas and electrical bugs, it works great.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Lawrie

Another thing to do is fit a pump with a priming lever,they are around,mostly on UK and NZ cars,
Lawrie

[kiwi nz]

Thanks Pete, yes I have one of those somewhere, I didn't realise that it was a mostly UK, NZ. All our NZ assembled cars came from Canada, maybe it is a Canadian made pump.

Geoff Kiwi

[John Gibson]

If either the 33 or the 36 sits for more than a few days the carburetor will be dry out here in SE Georgia. I use a spray bottle filled with 50 to 1 small engine fuel from either Lowes or Home Depot. Usually takes three squirts before pump fills the carburetor. Quicker if I have someone else to help me out. Stock pumps at 2 1/2 lbs pressure work just like Henry intended them to do.
John

[Vanspeed]

The car is all buttoned up and back together using a mechanical pump from 3rd gen automotive. The pushrod was missing so I had to procure one of them as well. Thanks for all the replies.