Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hello,
I have decided to install a low pressure electric fuel pump https://bestarny.com/electric-fuel-pumps-for-carb/ on my Type3, for a number of reasons (vapor lock, the ability to prime my carbs after sitting for a long period, a cleaner look of the engine bay, the fact that you cannot find locally mechanical pumps, only electric ones and so on.).

Does anybody have pictures of an aftermarket electric pump installation? I am looking for ideeas of how to mount it below the fuel tank in a way that is both safe and does not require drilling any part of the car's body.

Thanks in advance.

fwiw, here is some photos on the setup recently installed on my street S4 : the pump is at the center next to the tank, it was first tried temporarilly with the stock nylon fuel hose (photo), then I installed a black braided teflon line for the pressurised section, direcly from the top of the pump (sorry no photo of the final result at hand).



I'm planning at a later point to build a shield, possibly a quarter of a cylinder, between the tank and the back of the diff. The pump is held by a bracket (iirc 1 hole in the trunk vertical wall) and a bit isolated from vibrations.

Here is what I did on my S4. The red switch on the left is a inertia activated fuel pump shut-off switch,

Hi,
I mounted a facet pump for similar reasons and fitted mine in the small space between the outermost side of the fuel tank and rear wing/bumper. In normal use you can't see anything because the boot carpet covers it.

I didn't want to drill the car body so I made a small wooden "L" to fit alongside the tank and mounted the pump on that. It means I can lift out the whole assembly if I want to and when in place it's covered over by another plywood panel & carpet, level with the top of the tank.



Although it's a low pressure pump and supposedly designed for carburettors I also fitted a pressure regulator. That's currently at 2.5psi on the dial and it seems to work ok.

Brian

All modern electric pumps will lift fuel out of an Elan tank so mounting it above the tank in the recess over the diff between the wheel arches works also.

cheers
Rohan

UAB807F wrote:Hi,
Although it's a low pressure pump and supposedly designed for carburettors I also fitted a pressure regulator. That's currently at 2.5psi on the dial and it seems to work ok.
Brian

The pumps themselves, as the pictures show, are quite small. The other two pieces of hardware (inertia shutoff and regulator) will probably take up more space. People who don't fit a regulator see mixed results with Webers, which are overrun at about 3.5 psi input. Flooding results if your unit's output is above this number, and the available pumps seem to vary above and below it.

A single unit with regulated output and inertia shutoff would be just dandy.

My pump is outboard of the tank similar to Brian's although I drilled holes through the wheel wells and mounted it on rubber dampers. I used an inline filter between the pump and tank, an inertia cut-off switch, and a pressure regulator.

UAB807F wrote:Hi,
I mounted a facet pump for similar reasons and fitted mine in the small space between the outermost side of the fuel tank and rear wing/bumper. In normal use you can't see anything because the boot carpet covers it.

I didn't want to drill the car body so I made a small wooden "L" to fit alongside the tank and mounted the pump on that. It means I can lift out the whole assembly if I want to and when in place it's covered over by another plywood panel & carpet, level with the top of the tank.

Although it's a low pressure pump and supposedly designed for carburettors I also fitted a pressure regulator. That's currently at 2.5psi on the dial and it seems to work ok.

Brian

My pump installation is virtually identical but my mounting method is much cruder! I just used a couple of lumps of upholstery type foam rubber and stuffed the whole lot down the side of the tank. Same pump although badged Bendix (fitted in 1969) and same regulator and setting.

I only recently put the foam 'mount' and I now miss hearing it when the ignition is switched on which was always reassuring as the sound changes when the float chambers are full (after not using the car for a month).

Ian

Howdy.

I used a Facet Gold-Flo 40002 (E) pump. It's a new version of the bigger round pump that ticks. Has pressure relief & anti-siphon valve, 1/8 NPT Female in & out. I mounted it on the RHS inner fender well, above the tank, with stiff rubber isolators. The bottom has a gasketed cap over the cleanable/replaceable filter. Here is a list of their pumps. I got the pump and spares from pegasus and aircraft spruce.

http://www.facet-purolator.com/tech-information/

It's worked very well, and was handy when I was draining the tank because the sender flange was leaking (which I cleaned up and put back with a thicker, viton gasket from Dave Bean, Hylomar Blue, and [longer] stainless button head cap screws).

FWIW Facet Goldflow, previously known as Bendix Elmira pumps were used in Lamborghini 350/400 GT, Espada, Miura, etc without external regulators, all but the Miura having 40 DCOE carbs. The Miura used two pumps in parallel.

I just fitted a Autobest F4027 (Private label Airtex E8016S) in my Elan with a glass Fuel filter on the intake:



I turn the ignition on for a couple of seconds & cranking times (both Hot & Cold) are dramatically reduced - instant so far...

I bought the pump from Amazon ($23) & the relay & inertia switch off eBay.

No need for a pressure regulator (yet); the spec of the pump is 2.5-4 psi.

OK, so we seem to have covered the installation in the boot (trunk), but what about the engine end?

I have Webers and when I rebuilt the car I used some braid covered tubing, but of course it has the connector for the fuel pump. The fuel line from the tank also has the connector for the fuel pump.

What solutions have people used to join the fuel line to the carbs?

Just leave the pump in place and let the electric pump just push the fuel through it?
Not sure I like this as it doesn't sound very elegant!

Make up a piece of aluminium with tapped holes that take the connectors for the fuel pump, then blank off the fuel pump and mount it off the blanking plate?
Quite like this as it is reversible.

Extend my braided hose from the T piece and just join it on to the existing fuel line.
Not very elegant and I feel I would need to add some support.

So what have others done?
Thanks
Bruce

Bruce Crowthorne wrote:OK, so we seem to have covered the installation in the boot (trunk), but what about the engine end?

Bruce, I wondered about this & could not find a lot of information posted here.

I fitted a fuel pump blanking plate (without Oil deflector yet) & had a piece of copper pipe made up with the correct fittings to go between the supply line & the Carb fuel hose:

That is nice and simple! Well done, I must admit I was doing the usual and making it more complicated by thinking of getting a special "widget" turned specially
Thanks
Bruce

pharriso wrote:

Bruce Crowthorne wrote:OK, so we seem to have covered the installation in the boot (trunk), but what about the engine end?

Bruce, I wondered about this & could not find a lot of information posted here.

I fitted a fuel pump blanking plate (without Oil deflector yet) & had a piece of copper pipe made up with the correct fittings to go between the supply line & the Carb fuel hose:

IMG_0931.JPG

Do you remember what fittings you used? from memory i think it has compression fittings but not sure what size?

I haven't got round to removing the mechanical pump yet but it's leaking oil onto the starter so needs looking at, might be the time to do away with it completely.