Fuel Pump
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In a message dated 9/30/2011 9:56:59 P.M., Grant writes:
Mark,
I'm going over my new (1981 Century Resorter) boat, and have a question.
I don't have a service manual for my boat, and the one I
do have (for a '73 model) makes no mention of this situation. (See photo and text later.)
It seems to me it is a safety issue -- if the diaphragm in the fuel pump
develops a leak, gasoline is captured in the glass sight bowl, warning of
pump failure, needing pump replacement.
(The label says "REPLACE FUEL PUMP IF GAS APPEARS IN THIS BOWL." See photo later.)
On a friend's '73 Resorter, the glass bowl is dry, but on my '81 boat, there is what appears to be oil in the bowl. (Later found it to be old gas and other crud.)
Can you think of any reason for the oil?
(I have seen the same setup on another boat -- without
the oil -- and thought the sight glass was from an old, abandoned
fuel filtering system, but now realize it is a safety feature; to warn of a leaking diaphragm.)
Here's the glass in the 1973 boat:
-=Grant=-
On Sep 30, 2011, at 10:04 PM, Mark wrote:
Did you clean it out & recheck, did it reappear? or is it old? My guess is it's either old nasty gas, or engine oil that is migrating through the pump ... on old mechanical pumps, sometimes when they fail they would leak oil, or gas ... is the pump rebuildable?
I would clean & recheck first.
Mark
Grant replied: OK, Thanks.
I'll clean it out, then when I run it to warm the oil
for its winterization oil change, will check it again.
(I have to figure out how to feed cooling water to
the boat in my driveway, anyway. i.e., via pickup pictured below.)
I saw one of the (similar?) pumps, with glass bowl, for about
$150 on ebay. I don't know if they are rebuildable, but the dealer I bought the boat from might know.
I'll ask them later. I also have a number for a guy in St. Charles, MO who works on only these types of marine engines. I can ask him, too. (And, another guy in northern Illinois Ted Carter, 847-395-8902.)
Thanks very much. I'll let you know what I find.
-=Grant=-
10/1/11: The stuff in the sight glass was cruddy gasoline. No doubt about it.
I did not remove the pump, but it looks like it is
rebuildable. Tough to get a good photo of it, though.
Notice -- the "AC" brand. I'll remove pump
later this week. Also note its name, "dual diaphragm."
On Oct 2, 2011, at 7:13 AM, Mark wrote:
I'm sure you can rebuild that one if you can get a kit, although if you can find a new one at the auto parts store, they are usually pretty reasonable. The leak looks minor, but if its old, you may want to do it as a precaution. There are 2 rubber flat diaphragms like a sandwich (one on top, one on the bottom) with a plate between them ... It's usually a very easy procedure.
You can take the pump to my friends at S&S auto parts (you went there for bearings) and ask to see Bill ... he will probably know what you need. (I did, no luck.) The only thing that looks different to me (from standard automotive design) is the glass bowl thing, my guess is its a marine requirement to catch any fuel leaks and limit the risk of fire.
Can you tell me what engine it has in it & about what year it was made?
Mark
10/2/11 -- Mark,
It's an '81 Chevy, I think. (That's what I was told, but have not confirmed. I'll look for a number.)
I'll get the pump removed Tuesday or Wednesday.
Located the manual on a similar boat (1973 Resorter with Ford V-8) that says
the pump can't be rebuilt. Here's a .pdf:
-=Grant=-
