running without electric fuel pump ?

[marcin_palacz]

Hi,

My V1958 Vega "Lotta" has a diesel tank in the keel,
an electric fuel pump, and a mechanical
feed pump at the MD6A engine.
I guess such a fuel delivery configuration is the original one ?

Last year the electric pump failed, and I replaced it with a new one,
see http://tiny.pl/h5x5q.

Now the electric pump failed again,
a week after I left my home harbour in Gdańsk, Poland,
going for a one and a half month long trip.
I aimed at the Western part of the Polish Baltic coast,
and then the Western Swedish coast,

I dismounted the pump, and send it back to the seller,
for a guarantee repair. Unfortunately, it will likely
take some time (weeks) before I get it back. In the meantime,
I reconnected the fuel lines without the electric pump.
Before I was able to motor without the electric pump
(or rather with the broken/stopped one)
providing that the tank was (almost) full,
especially on calm waters, and now I expected the same.

Indeed, yesterday I could motor for more than 10 hours,
with no problem at all. Then the engine started to
loose revs and power periodically - an all familiar
symptom to me of no electric pump.
So I topped the fuel tank (adding about 10 litters of diesel)
but it did not really help!
The engine revs were going up and down all the time,
on completely calm water.

This I don't understand!
Why it worked with the full tank before, but not this time?

Is there perhaps any other problem there in addition to the
(missing) electric pump ?

Do I perhaps do any harm to the mechanical feed pump,
or the injection pump, or to anything else,
when running without the electric pump ?

Could there be a special reason for which the new
electric pump failed so soon after the installation ?
It lasted 10 months, including winter on shore,
and maybe total 50 hours of running.

The fuel filters were cleaned/replaced a month ago.

Thanks in advance for any hints.

Marcin
V1958 "Lotta"

 

[stevebirch2002]

Hi Marcin

I have used Vegas without electric pumps many times. To check if this is teh problem use a day tank that is at a hiogher level. Pump fuel from the keel tank into the day tank by hand.

Check filters again because if teh tank is dirty they can glog very quickly, you may have a dirty fuel tank.

Cheers

Steve B

 

[marcin_palacz]

Hi Steve,

 

[Vega1447]

I have fuel tank in cockpit locker as many do (moved there from bilge by a previous owner).

No electric fuel pump needed just gravity feed.

One less thing to go wrong - a good idea IMO.

Of course removing the bilge tank, installing tank in cockpit and rerouting the feed pipes is a messy job.

Glad it was already done by previous owner.

John V1447 Breakaway

John Kinsella
Mathematics and Statistics Dept
University of Limerick

Phone 0035361202148
Web jkcray.maths.ul.ie

 

[marcin_palacz]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies to my post.
Finally, I figured out that I can not fix the problem
now and here (Szczecin area)
and I decided to continue north to Sweden
without the electric pump.
I will just make less motor sailing, I hope.

In the meantime it also turned out that I am getting
money back for the broken pump.
Any ideas where I can get a good new one ?
It could last for more than a year, preferably.
Perhaps I can find one somewhere on the Southern/Western
Swedish coast, or with the delivery to one of the
harbours there ?

I understand the advantages of moving the tank up,
but it is of course a complicated job,
and I think a reliable new pump would be a good
solution too.

Cheers,

Marcin
V1958 "Lotta"

 

[vegasailor2001]

Hi Marcin!

If you coming up through the westcoast of Sweden, you can most likely get help in Göteborg (Gothenburg). If you have an Albin engin you can get help at Fors Marin. They also have some parts for the Volvo. Otherwize there is a lot of Volvo Penta dealers that can help you. There is also a company selling used Volvo Penta parts if they no longer are avaliable in stock.

Yours,

Björn