I'm looking for suggestions on a mechanical to electric fuel pump swap. Main reason is convenience. If my car sits for a week or so, the fuel evaporates and it cranks awhile before starting. If I use a squeeze bottle to prime the carb it fires right up. I'd like to turn the key to ON and let an electric pump prime the system so it fires right up.
1983 Mustang GT with rebuilt 5 liter and Edelbrock AVS2 carb.
Stock mechanical fuel pump with fuel tank return line.
Original fuel tank.
The electrical pump most likely needs to be able to pull fuel up from the tank (not just a pusher) for a short run. Tips/tricks appreciated.
Eric
An electric pump isn’t your answer.
Your 60, so I doubt you need this, since your old enough to have grown up with a carburetor,....but ya never know...
Firstly, you need to understand your carb. A carburetor has a reserve float bowl that has gas in it. There is no need to “ prime” a carburetor. Additionally, a carburetor has an accelerator pump that squirts gas into the intake when you press down on the throttle. The process to start the engine usually requires a couple of pumps of the gas pedal before starting the engine to feed the engine enough gas to start w/o excessive cranking. That float bowl holds a significant amount of fuel, and after sitting a week, will not lose that reserve to evaporation.
If you’re doing that now, and the carburetor is losing the gas that is in the float bowl, you need to figure out why your carb is losing its fuel from there ( leaking inside or outside of the intake...NOT from evaporation) and fix that, instead of looking to put an electric pump on instead.
Secondly, an electric pump is a “ pusher”. It will not suck the gas. Consequently, it’ll need to be mounted by the tank.
And lastly, even if you ignore everything and still put one on, an electric pump will most likely need a regulator, unless you buy one specifically intended for a carb ( like a Holley Red, or Carter brand for a carb that has lower pressure between 5-7 psi)
