10, Fuel pump & Lines

So its time to start to think about the fuel system - as the tank is in I can start to populate the fuel system.

There is no guidance on this in the manual but here is what I have found out...

Pump required is a Bosch 044 pump and a Sytek filter with metal filter element due to the high pressure of the fuel.

The filter is to be placed after the pump and not before - apparently the Bosch pump does not like 'sucking' through a filter so no pre-filter is required.  The pump has a built in filter anyway so will be fine.

I read one post on the forum about the layout of the fuel system and they T'eed off the feed into the engine and then back form the regulator into the same line.  This seemed odd to me so I asked around whether this was a good idea.  Basically - no it isn't.  This will prevent the regulator from regulating as it only has a pressurised line to try to feed into - it needs a depressurised line back to the tank to allow it to disperse any unwanted fuel.

Apparently by T'eeing into the feed line you can cause over-fueling so I will be avoiding this.

I also contacted AK they also said to run a full and separate return line so this is what I will be doing.

SEE LAST BIT AS I HAD TO CHANGE THE LOCATION OF THE PUMP AND FILTER FROM THE BELOW!!!

 So the original plan was to carry the feed up the LHS and the Return down the RHS - but as I was struggling to fit the brake pipes and fuel line together I decided to do them both down the same side - Should be ok - I hope!

Pipes mounted with 16mm Rubber P clips which are tapped into the chassis with m5 bolts and spring washers.

I bought a bracket for the pump - only to find that it is far too wide for the chassis rail - so I used the bottom hole and then drilled a centre hole in circular part of the bracket and counter sunk it so as to not interfere with the pump.  Seems to work well.  I left the top part of the bracket on just in case I need another mounting point for something or other.

I saw that some people had mounted the pump over the diff at the back but this would seem to be difficult to service (although I hope I won't need to)...but here seems good and lines up with the feed into
the engine....so we will see....

So despite me knowing that the pub MUST go AFTER the fuel pump - I even wrote this above in this blog...guess where I put it....Oh yes -  at the back - i.e. BEFORE the pump - why? fk knows but I did.  So here it is in all its glory.....
.....at the back of the car.....
....the wrong place......
...what a knob.....

So...what to do  now the engine is in it is very difficult to remove the pipe to add in a new length - and I really DONT fancy taking the engine and box out again.....so ....hmmm....I will remove the filter element and leave the filter case in line......that way no restriction and if I want to add a course filter in it i always can.....thats actually what I put it there for....it was a deliberate act......WHAT.....?....It was!

I will add another new filter at the front AFTER! the pump when the body is on....or when I need to start it....we will see!

(In the end AK had to move this as the pump and filter came too close to the exhaust when fitted - so the pump is now just to the side of the diff an the filter is on one of the 45deg tubulars coming into the engine...)

Now all I need to sort is the rear where the pipes come under the diff - the bottom of the tank is very low and thus need to protect it....I know AK do a bracket but I don't think that protects the bottom of the tank so will call and enquire how to do this bit.....

 There are four fixings to make use of - I think they are an imperial thread as my M12 bolts only go in about 1mm and then stop - so will find out what they are as i will need to use these to mount whatever type of protection I get.

I have bought the sender (I hope its the correct one!!!)  you have to cut it to length for the size of the tank - I followed the instructions and cut it down - the AK tank is not very deep so this was quite a large reduction.  Then solder together - this proved quite hard as I have either a plumbing torch or a Iron suitable for IC's not large items like this - eventually I got some on there then used rocking wire to wind it all together to make sure it didn't come loose later in life.

When the car went to AK they said that the pump was too close to the exhausts now that they are in place so they moved them for me.

So my pump is now right down the back of the car so it is away from the exhausts....

Filter is up the top of the engine on one of the 45deg cylindrical chassis members.