plan for lift pump for bleeding diesel engine

[jewt]

All good info, installed good one on my 43 Beta with a selector valve to select between engine and a dual Racor fuel polisher. Never had to bleed the engine (even after forgetting to switch over to the engine side and ran it out of fuel. Just had to select the engine and crank it till it started, maybe 30 seconds.

Jewt
S/V Bifrost
New Bern NC

[cansley99]

I installed a fuel filter off a 1980’s Nissan diesel pickup. It has a hand pump that works very well, not electric but easy to use and reliable, and an extra fillter as well. About $20 from a junkyard.

[Lepke]

You can install a 12v fuel pump anywhere before the existing lift pump (or in place of the existing pump). You don't need a bypass path, just inline with the other pump. Pumps have valves that only allow the fuel to travel in one direction. So whichever pump is running, the fuel goes thru to the injector pump. Or both pumps can be running. A pump like the one shown is under $20 on ebay and pumps up to 30+ gallons an hour. I have one on each of my engines. They just sit there until I need them. They make bleeding or changing filters easy and will work as a primary lift pump.

[olaf hart]

Originally Posted by rbk

Excellent fuel bulb example, 7th one down:

https://marinehowto.com/hall-of-fail/

If you use these make sure they cannot siphon off the tank.

I am not comfortable leaving a fuel bulb in the main fuel line, so use it as an add on system when needed from a separate diesel supply.

The CAV filter head has a second set of inlet and outlet ports, so a small tap on the second inlet port works well.

Racor doesn’t have this extra port option, so probably needs a T and a tap somewhere in the fuel line.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by olaf hart

I am not comfortable leaving a fuel bulb in the main fuel line, so use it as an add on system when needed from a separate diesel supply.

The CAV filter head has a second set of inlet and outlet ports, so a small tap on the second inlet port works well.

Racor doesn’t have this extra port option, so probably needs a T and a tap somewhere in the fuel line.

Ya i just use mine for bleeding and potentially in emergency use if the lift pump fails. Fewer connections fewer chances for an air leak.

[Scout 30]

I've used a cheap Napa fuel pump for 20+ years & it's been reliable. I installed it right after the Y valve designating the tank I'm pulling from. I have it wired on a switch & only use it when I need it to refill whichever Racor filter I just changed & charge the fuel line making bleeding unnecessary. I will also just let it run at the dock just to circulate & filter the fuel always making sure to return to the same tank that I'm drawing from. I have it installed before the dual Racors so that I can fill them without sucking a lot of air through the line & so that the line is pressurized making it easy to find leaks.

[wolfesmy]

I have my electric inline pump installed in the main fuel line right after the Raycor and before the manual lift pump. It is on a seperate switch and can be activated as required. When not in use the fuel just passes through without interfering with normal operation.
Purchase a diesel fuel pump at Auto Zone or other parts supply store. They cost around $20 and the whole installation should only be about $30.
BTW I also carry a spare.
In a crisis like a lift pump failure you can bypass the lift pump all together and run effectively on just the electric. It's happened to me.

[LeeV]

I may be wrong (memory going!), but aren’t the electric fuel pumps rated by pressure or does that not matter? I think when I put a 6L Vortec engine in my 1988 Jeep Wrangler I needed a certain amount of pressure. No?

To be transparent, my trimarans have always had gasoline outboards, and I’ve never had a diesel and know nothing, so I’m trying to absorb and learn all I can before we find a cat with two of them. So be nice!

Best regards,

[wolfesmy]

Pressure is not an issue in this regard as that is taken care of by the high pressure pump. The lift pump or electric just needs to get fuel to the HP pump. Volume is what's needed, any excess volume returns via the return line, already in the system, to the tank.

[LeeV]

Originally Posted by wolfesmy

Pressure is not an issue in this regard as that is taken care of by the high pressure pump. The lift pump or electric just needs to get fuel to the HP pump. Volume is what's needed, any excess volume returns via the return line, already in the system, to the tank.

Got it; thx for the explanation!