Hot Rod Forum banner

Need a NASA level fuel pump.

7K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  Hogg 
#1 ·
I'm too old to screw around. Driving along.... a few times the NAPA off the shelf fuel pump made a little too much noise and the engine felt like it was running out of gas. Actually stopped running a few times on the shoulder of the road. I sat w/ignition on for a minute or so and restarted and ran just fine for the next few miles.

Nearly full tank, new lines, 2 filters - before the pump and after.

The first time this happened was 450 miles ago, one event also plenty of fuel. Yesterday it happened 7 times in 100 miles.

Again, with 130 miles on the car it happened once. Clear sailing for 450 miles, then 7 times yesterday.

The lines are clear and free-flowing, vent is free. New carb, new engine. Pump's making noise.

So.... I'd like to avoid buying a cheap-assed fuel pump again. Any suggestions?
 
#2 ·
Do you have a fuel pressure regulator? Shooting from the hip, Aeromotive is highly regarded.
One of the race teams we work with was using a holley red or blue (I forget which) for years, and had similar findings to yours; it was suggested to them to go with a Black one by tech support.
But, I don't know how "much" pump you need either. Basic 350 street rod type application?
 
#3 · (Edited)
I edited this post after seeing that you said new carb and engine.

May not be the fuel pump. It could also be the fuel bowl level is too low.
If that is not the issue..
I recently needed to change mine due to the fact that mine was a very cheap inline type and it hammered so loud, you could hear it over the engine and feel it on your feet. Mine is attached to the frame with a 3/8" rubber pad.
I settled on a Holley 12-427 - Holley Mighty Mite Electric Fuel Pumps from Summit Racing for about $46.
After it primes, it is very quiet compared to the other one. I didn't have a check valve in the tank like the in tank model have at first, and it would make a louder noise while it was priming and then quiet down. I have since installed an inline check valve near the tip of my pickup and now it holds the prime and no loud noise when I first start the truck.
There are two versions of this pump..one is a 4 psi and the other is a 7 psi. 25 gph on the 4 psi and 32 gph on the 7 psi pump. I bought the 7 psi model since I already had a fuel pressure regulator installed at the engine. As it turns out, I am glad I did, since the check valve dropped the psi to around 4 psi now at max flow.
I have not had a chance to test this on the road and at full throttle yet, but I am sure the pressure is fine for my 600 cfm Edelbrock carburetor.
YMMV
Bob
Home
 
#5 ·
The more I think about this, the more I think it might be something other than the pump itself. They are all pretty reliable, even the cheap ones. My old $19 one pumped fine, it was just loud as crap.
You could be losing the prime..many reasons why.
Placement is important on inline pumps and the relation to the tank level is a factor. My new one will only lift 12".
I would check the psi on the pump you have first to see if it is working correctly. If so, go from there.
Just thinking logically...
Bob
Home
 
#8 ·
I am a huge Weldon fan (I have a complete Weldon system on my Car (Pump/Regulator/Filters)-I figure if Weldon Products are good enough for Aircraft, they're built with enough attention to detail/craftsmanship for me (and, Jim Craig, owner of Weldon, will absolutely do everything reasonable to help/satisfy a Customer)-

If you want a top quality Pump, consider Weldon in your Search (and, they are reasonably quiet)-
 
#10 · (Edited)
When I used to work at the boatyard, we used a lot of carter pumps. These were the Rotary Vane type and about $70. Anyone ever use something similar from them in a street car?
I installed one in a Jaguar XJS I had a while back. I was familiar with them since I was involved in boating pretty heavy. It worked fine for the V12 but they mount in the trunk next to the tank that is behind the rear seat. The whine was always there.
I think they all make noise of some sort and if you have one that is outside of the fuel tank, you will know it is there.
 
#11 ·
I'm too old to screw around. Driving along.... a few times the NAPA off the shelf fuel pump made a little too much noise and the engine felt like it was running out of gas. Actually stopped running a few times on the shoulder of the road. I sat w/ignition on for a minute or so and restarted and ran just fine for the next few miles.
I had this problem until my dad installed a return line from the carb inlet back to the tank. Since then, quieter pump and no more stalls.
 
#12 ·
I tried an external Barry Grant pump on my LS-1/Maverick swap using a sumped factory tank, what a disaster! Even with the pump suction mounted at the 1/3 tank level, it would refuse to prime. I ended up blowing shop air in the filler neck to get it primed, then it would lose suction on turns or stops with less than a half tank. A simple switch to a Holley "black" pump changed all that. Still noisy though, but most external vane pumps are...

Russ
 
#14 ·
FYI NASA fuel pumps for the RS-25 engines(Shuttle and upcomming SLS rocket) move enough fuel to produce about 13 million horsepower per engine. There were 3 engines per Shuttle and will be 4 of them per Space Launch System launch.
The discharge of one single high pressure turbo pump would squirt a column of liquid hydrigen over 36 miles into the air. (be sure to use Teflon tape)

3 of those engines requires a 17 inch diameter fuel line, must bear a bear to flare.

peace
Hog
 
#17 ·
Yes that was unfortunate. That was an Antares rocket that uses 2 of teh Russian built engines from the Soviet Moon project on their N-1 Moon rocket. The Soviet NK-33 renamed as the Aerojet AJ26-58.
Each engine produces 734,000 lbs of force, there are 2 of them on the Antares Rocket.
That rocket carried the Orbital Sciences ORB-3 "Cygnus" spacecraft named Deke Slayton.(named after NASA's Deke Slayton) Slayton was the oldest Astronaut to launchg into space-until 1983 when John Young at the age of 53 launched on shuttle Columbia during STS-9. This was record was broken again in 1998 when Senator/former NASA Astro John Glen launched on STS-95 aboard shuttle Discovery. John Glen was the only Astronaut to fly in the Mercury program AND the STS(Space Transportation Syetem-Space Shuttle program some 36 years after his last Mercury 7 fliaght was back in 1962. Glen is the only surviving Mercury 7 crew member, and is the 1st American to orbit the Earth.

It was to dock with the Internation Space Station and carried supplies and fuels for ISS and her crew.
The NK-33, now renamed AJ26-62 , was to be the engine upgrade on the N-1 Moon rockets original N-1 engines which were named NK-15 and NK-15V by the Russians. Each Soviet N-1 Moon rocket uses 30 of these NK-15 engines, while the US Saturn V Moon rocket used 5 F-1 engines.
The Soviet N-1 Moon rocket was launched 4 times, all attempts failed before the 1st stage seperated and the 2nd stage engines ignited. 13 full scale launches of N-1 were scheduled, 1st one in Feb 1969, and 4th and last launch attempt on Nov 23/1972. That last of 13 scheduled launches, the last 2 were to be "manned".

Here is a video on just how the Americans found more than 60 of these engines, in long term storage after the Kremlin abandoned the N-1 project, order the existing rockets and its engines destroyed. Nikolai Kuznetsov who was the head designer of the project disobayed orders and move these engines together. 60 of these engines would have taken so much efforts and so much resources that he saved the 60+ NK-33's for a rainy day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMbl_ofF3AM

A NK-33/AJ26-62 exploded back in May of 2014.

Orbital Sciences with eth Antares rocket and Cygnus space craft and Space Exploration (aka Space-X)'s Falcon rocket engine and Dragon spacecraft.

Both Orbital Sciences and Space Exploration are contracted by NASA to resupply the ISS.

peace
Hog
 
#19 ·
Unfortunatley no. Mom told me a story that during Apollo 11, the campground she was at had a TV in their common area that everyone gathered around to watch. That was 7 years before I was around. Must have been an amazing time to be alive.


You can send your name into space aboard the new Orion craft test launch aboard a Delta 4 Heavy rocket on Dec 4 2014.

Send Your Name to Mars - Mars Exploration Program

peace
Hog
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top