1994 echelon electric fuel pump ?

[bigeasybu]

hey guys ive a 1994 echelon with a 350. i replaced the motor 2 years ago with a long block aftermarket. towards the end of last summer she began to be a hard start. i have it narrowed down to a fuel issue. ive had the carb rebuilt drained the tank and replaced all the rubber fuel lines. id like to replace the 19 year old fuel pump with an electronic fuel pump. any suggestions or advice ?

[FastFreddy]

I'd also replace the fuel filter(s). Open up the tank and see if there is a screen on the pickup as well. Water may have gotten in your tank. Cleaning it out might also be a good idea.

[Steve B.]

A mechanical should work fine. It lasted this long. Personally, I'd just go with an original type. But, if you need an electric, summitracing.com has all kinds of them.

Steve B.

[Woodski]

Here are some things to think about: mechanical pumps only deliver fuel based on the demand, ie: engine rpm drives the fuel delivery. An electric pump runs continuously when powered up so if the system springs a leak (could be many possibilities such a a fuel line, bad needle/seat, leaky filter, etc) fuel will continue to fill the bilge which is a very bad thing. I still run the original fuel pump to a warmed over small block that is about 400 hp so there is plenty of fuel delivery capability for the standard marine fuel pump (notice the use of marine as the fuel pump venting is done back to the carb so no vapors or fuel will spill to the bilge).

If you don't have a WOT running issue, the hard start is most likely not the fuel pump, probably the carb. I assume a Weber (actually very similar to a Carter AFB) carb and a Mercruiser as the marinizer? I would do a carb rebuild before you chase the fuel pump. Pretty easy to do and these carbs are sensitive to dirt and ethenol blended fuels. Also, hard starting is very much related to the choke, the bi metallic spring is not that well calibrated so in cold weather the starting is different than in warm weather. I adjust my choke about twice a year to keep it in the correct range, also very easy to do by simply rotating the black housing. In my experience if adjusted "neutral" the choke is too much in cold weather and not enough in warm weather, but yours may be different as I have added a lot of aluminum to my enigne and that changes the thermal characteristics a fair amount.

There are a few filter screens in the system: one in the carb inlet and one in the fuel tank (at the end of the suction tube which will be at the bottom of the tank but accessed from the top) and the water separator.

So, my advice would be to not go electric due to the risks involved as there is no real performance advantage in this application. Three throttle squirts should prime the carb for good starting. Most FI engines with electric pumps do have a return circuit so any unused fuel is pumped back to the tank.

[martinarcher]

That's another downside to an electric set-up with a return. Fuel that is not used by the engine is returned to the tank. As this process continues, the fuel temperature is increased by the fuel being continually pressurized, then returned to the tank. Warmer fuel is bad news for performance.

[malibuparadise]

One other thing to consider, IF you go electric fuel pump.

On my other boat with 305 carbed engine with a low-pressure/high volume elec. fuel pump (Marine Holly now), there is an oil low pressure safety switch that ties into the fuel pump/ignition switch, i.e., if the engine shuts down the switch ensures the pump stops (a good thing!!). Also, when the key is turned the fuel pump won't start until the low pressure clears. Good advice from others on maybe not to do this now as a means to solve the current issue.