Actually I have a hole in the body cut over the fuel pump, and then a panel riveted on so I dont have to drop the tank.

So I was gonna make a pick-up for it like THeGreatJ recomended anyway, I was just curious cuase I wasnt sure I understood what you were sayin.

 

Pulling fuel through a dead pump is possible but it makes one hell of a restriction. You'd be losing half your flow capacity if not more, along with putting a constant strain on the new pump. If you're in that much of a time crunch it'd make a good short-term fix though.

Darth....fuel doesn't lubricate the pump, it cools it. If you run one dry for more than a couple minutes it will overheat and burn the windings up. Here's a method from priming the lines that I've heard of but never tried. Put the gas cap on and leave the feed line and return line unhooked (at the pump/regulator.) Apply compressed air to the return line. This will pressurize the tank and force fuel through the pickup, filter, and feed line to the pump connection. When fuel starts to run out of the feed line, hook the pump up.

 

Ok I may try that. SO how have you ussualy done it, just hook it up and hope the fuel makes it to the pump before it overheats ?

 

Does anyone actually know why you have to install a bypass spring/spacer into the inline pump when you install the regulator? I'm going to drop the gas tank (which is a PITA from what I hear) and do it just because it's not worth problems down the road and doing it anyway...but I just want to know what it does.

 

I don't know for sure, but if I had to guess I'd say it bleeds off any excessive fuel volume to keep the pump from overpowering the regulator (much like a return line.)

Darth....the only time I've ever put an inline pump in the engine bay I was replacing a mechanical pump that had gone out, so there was already fuel in the lines and it wasn't an issue. I would think you'd be fine, as it will only take a few seconds to get fuel to the pump, but I can't say for sure. The pump may not pull enough vacuum to get the fuel out of the tank (remember it has to go straight up about 16" to even get into the lines, and fuel is a fairly heavy liquid.) I'd say try it, and if you don't get any fuel flow in 15 or 20 seconds of the pump running then you'll need to prime the lines.

 

Thats what doesn't make sense, I got the 3 port reg, the one with a fuel return line....so the fact that I need to put a bypass spring in seems wierd...