TheSamba.com :: View topic

Thu Oct 15, 2009 11:16 am

hi yall. well as stated above, do i need a fuel pump in a rail buggy? the gas tank is mounted higher then the carb (stock 34pict). i'm in the process of rebuilding the motor, and was just wondering is having the carb just gravity fed would be fine? its just going to be a street rail, and will prolly never see any off-roading. and the tank is an aluminum round tank (if it makes a difference). thanks
-Mike

Thu Oct 15, 2009 12:29 pm

Yes definitely... I would only use that as a last resort if your pump took a crap and that's your only option. The mechanical ones are very reliable however. Why don't you want to? There's an option of electrical inline ones as well.

Thu Oct 15, 2009 1:24 pm

with the tank mounted higher than the carb, be sure to install an inline cutoff valve.

Thu Oct 15, 2009 1:54 pm

well, i'm trying to make my 952 berrin as reliable as possible for a DD, and just wanted to see if i could take the fuel pump totally out of the equation, but i guess not. not a fan of electrical pumps at all.

the inline cutoff is definately going on (prolly two of them). one at the carb, and one at the tank.

Thu Oct 15, 2009 1:56 pm

use a stock pump

Thu Oct 15, 2009 2:01 pm

definately, its either a stock brosol pump, or no pump, lol. so i guess i'll use a brosol. its the only pump i've found to be worth it. all the others just break before 6 months, lol.

Thu Oct 15, 2009 2:40 pm

BugMan114 wrote: definately, its either a stock brosol pump, or no pump, lol. so i guess i'll use a brosol. its the only pump i've found to be worth it. all the others just break before 6 months, lol.

The word you're looking for is Pierburg... :wink:

Thu Oct 15, 2009 3:01 pm

? never heard of that brand. is it supposed to be better then brosol? if so where can you buy them at?

Thu Oct 15, 2009 3:12 pm

BugMan114 wrote: ? never heard of that brand. is it supposed to be better then brosol? if so where can you buy them at?

Pierburg=German factory parts
Brosol=Brazilian replacement parts

Pierburgs have better valves and rocker shafts. I know a guy that sells 'em... :wink:

Thu Oct 15, 2009 3:30 pm

Ahh, gotcha. i always hear that brazilian stuff sucks, but i've never had a problem with them. but i'd much rather prefer german stuff, no doubt.

Thu Oct 15, 2009 4:24 pm

BugMan114 wrote: Ahh, gotcha. i always hear that brazilian stuff sucks, but i've never had a problem with them. but i'd much rather prefer german stuff, no doubt.

The rebuildable-style Brazilians aren't too bad. The rocker shafts can be upgraded to the German design. It's the pressed-together style pumps that are iffy at best...

Thu Oct 15, 2009 4:36 pm

gotcha.

Oh, since you seem to be DA MAN when it comes to fuel pumps, what about 36hp pumps? i'm working on a 36hp motor, and the pump is a german pump, and looks like its in really good shape, and wanted to rebuild it if possible. the car (baja bug) was parked in the mid 80's, and the lady whom i bought it from, said that she had replaced the motor in the late 70's (junkyard motor), and parked it in the 80's.

Thu Oct 15, 2009 5:57 pm

BugMan114 wrote: what about 36hp pumps? i'm working on a 36hp motor, and the pump is a german pump, and looks like its in really good shape, and wanted to rebuild it if possible.

They're completely rebuildable.

Thu Oct 15, 2009 7:42 pm

sweet. any idea what i can get a GOOD kit at? i tried looking on cip1, cbperformance, and mid america, but no luck. is there anywhere online that sells alot of 36hp stuff, so i can get it all (or most) at one place?

Thu Oct 15, 2009 8:26 pm

my tank is also mounted higher than my carbs (weber ict 34's). durring a recent run my car started running poorly. limped car home it was driveable but power was really flat. after some research found fuel pump fuse blown (mabe a relay would be better). Facet pump flowed even when shut off (enough to get home anyway). just wondering does a stock fuel pump allow fuel to pass under light pressure like 0.5 psi? if it does you should be able to get home even after a failure.

Thu Oct 15, 2009 9:27 pm

i know a stock pump will flow gas after shutting off. not sure if its enough to run or not, but i do know it does flow. I've removed the line off the carb, and i emptied about a gallon into a gas can, once (i needed gas for my gokart, lol).

Fri Oct 16, 2009 5:57 am

BugMan114 wrote: sweet. any idea what i can get a GOOD kit at? i tried looking on cip1, cbperformance, and mid america, but no luck. is there anywhere online that sells alot of 36hp stuff, so i can get it all (or most) at one place?

NOS VW and German Effbe kits can be had on the classifieds here from time to time. You'd have to beat me to 'em... :wink:

The kits Wolfsburg West sells are Brazilian and are generally good quality. However, I've had some issues with the diaphragm pull rods being too short in their later-model kits. On average, one in ten kits I get from them goes back for replacement.

FWIW, in a pinch, you can gravity-feed your carb without a fuel pump at all. I've done it. It sucks, but it beats walking. Hell, a lot of motorcycles don't have fuel pumps at all. The gas tank sits directly above the carbs. Same drill with lawnmowers, etc.

My .02

Fri Oct 16, 2009 10:15 am

lol, thats where i got the idea, lawnmowers. actually gokarts, but same thing, lol. i used to build small engines, mostly 5hp briggs racing motors. i turbo charged one with a leaf blower once. it ran great, untill it blew up :lol:

Would a NOS kit last, even tho its german? i would think that the diaphrams would go stiff or bad after all that time. guess not?

Fri Oct 16, 2009 12:37 pm

BugMan114 wrote: lol, thats where i got the idea, lawnmowers. actually gokarts, but same thing, lol. i used to build small engines, mostly 5hp briggs racing motors. i turbo charged one with a leaf blower once. it ran great, untill it blew up :lol:

Would a NOS kit last, even tho its german? i would think that the diaphrams would go stiff or bad after all that time. guess not?

Depends on how it was stored. Stored in the box should be fine. You'll be able to tell when you open it up. The big killer for diaphragms is sitting for a long stretch after being exposed to gasoline. Hardens 'em right up.

Fri Oct 16, 2009 3:40 pm

I use a facet elect pump on my buggy been happy with it.My tank is higher than the carbs and it will gravity feed too.Never tried it but i know it drops fuel if i disconnect the fuel hose from the carbs without turning off valve at tank.

Figure if a pump fails it can limp back to camp