Engine Driven Fuel Pump

[sedelange]

I am marinizing a 16hp Kubota to install in my Catalina 27 and it has this nice little engine driven fuel pump.  Does anyone know why Universal doesn't use an engine driven pump?  I am considering installing one on the M25 while I have it out of my 34.  Any reason I shouldn't? 

[Stu Jackson]

Steve, why bother?  On the C34 the fuel tank is above the engine and will siphon (reportedly) until half full anyway.  The electric fuel pumps cost all of less than $40.  Do a search on Napa and read the post on pictures of the newer electronic fuel pumps.  You'd have to ask Universal why they built their engines that way.

[sedelange]

The other half is that half I would like to be able to use.  In aircraft, we have a mechanical and an electric pump as a backup.  I was just considering the same thing.  It seems like a simple, yet dependable option.

[Ron Hill]

Steve : When you say "nice little engine fuel pump" are you talking about a lift or injector pump?

Each has it's own function - the lift pump takes fuel from the tank(which sometimes is below the engine level) and delivers it to the injector pump. The injector pump takes that fuel, pressurizes it while sending it to the injector and being cammed to the engine (timing) has the injector squirt the fuel into the proper cylinder at just the right time. 

All fuel injected engines have an injector pump and most a "lift" pump" (sometimes in the fuel tank like your auto). 
The old carburated gasoline engines had a mechanical fuel pump that sucked fuel from the tank and sent it to the carburetor.   
A few thoughts.      

[sedelange]

This one was a low pressure pump mounted on the accessory drive pad (4 bolt) aft of the injector pump.  It is driven by the fuel camshaft (opposite end powers the raw water pump).  Outlet of low pressure pump goes to a fuel filter.

[sedelange]

Correction:   The raw water pump is not driven by the front of the fuel camshaft.

[Ron Hill]

Steve : To answer your question about WHY? 
I'll guess that there wasn't another place on the D950 Kubota block that had a power take-off or space for an engine driven pump or it was simpler to just use an electric pump.   

[sedelange]

On page 25 the D950 manual (http://www.c34.org/manuals/KubotaParts-D950.pdf) shows a coverplate as item 1.  Thst is where the pump is mounted.  I am assuming it was just cheaper for Catalina to use an electric pump.  On my M25 (D850), Catalina mounted a support for the canister fuel filter covering this area.  I may pick a pump at the Kubota dealer next week just to try. 

[Ron Hill]

Steve : FYI, the electric fuel pump comes as part of the ENGINE package.  The electric fuel pump was NOT Catalina's idea it was supplied by Universal with the engine!!  Look in your engine parts book and you'll find the electric fuel pump.  The new electronic fuel pumps are much more reliable than the older ones.  Sure is handy when you want to bleed the fuel system - much hander to do with an engine driven pump!!
A thought.  OUT!  

[sedelange]

I keep forgetting about Universal.  It looks and smells just like my tractor engine so think of it as a Kubota.

[Footloose]

Steve,

Ron is correct about bleeding the system.  I was talking with a friend who has a C30 with the 11 horse diesel and an engine driven pump.  He changed his filters and ground his batteries way down before getting it to start.  Not good for the started motor either.

[sedelange]

Bleeding the fuel system is one reason I install Racors with the built in hand pumps to fill the filters.  These are the ones I put in my C27.

http://www.delanges.com/Catalina_27/images/Fuel%20Panel.jpg