Hey guys,

have a problem just brought out the boat for the season and went to fire her up....turns over but nothin..
455 olds(stock) ,2 tanks are half filled, new gas, new edelbrock marine carb, new fuel filter, new hose running to the carb, however I did notice that the throttle is not squirting fuel into the bowls at all and the lines running from filter to the tank are dry??? Im thinkin fuel pump anyone have a better idea?

Also what is involved in switching from mechanical to electrical? and which pump should I get from summit?
Any advice would be great before memorial

I agree.  A mechanical will cost a whopping $30 or so from the "zone" and by the time you get a good electric pump, regulator, and block off plate your looking at a lot more than a mechanical.  Or you could get the summit brand mechanical and I think that will run you somewhere in the $80 range.

You might also have a problem with your accelerator pump. I had this same problem at the begining of this boating season. A needle in my Holly carb was sticking and not allowing my accererator pump to squirt fuel.

Is running both a good idea, I had this set up on my 30' RV elec at the tank and mech at the the motor. At some point the elec created a blockage and was staving the mechanical pump. I removed the elec and the problem went away. I say less electrical the better, easier to trouble shoot and get fixed in a bind.

Running both might be a good idea if you were running a blown/injected alcohol deal. Even then, I'm told twin electrics are the shizzle. One as a transfer from the main tanks to the reservior tank. On a lake boat? Personally, spend the buck and a quarter or so on a Clay Smith mechanical and be done with it.

I'd do it on the Sewer Pickle, but the mechanical eccentric drive was never installed when the engine was built making going back a lil more tedious........

Ray

running electric on my new deal...hope i like it! runs 12 psi @ 160gph 

Nordie, you realize you WILL need a pressure regulator, don't you?

FPR with return...i am going to run the return back into the fuel water seperator....because the fuel/water seperator has 2 inlets and 2 outlets...figured that would be a good place to put it!

I run mine back to the fuel water seperator and have had zero problems with the setup.
If you have dual tanks it is the easiest way to do it.

I'm just thinking out loud, and I get it, your putting filtered fuel back in there in the mix, I'm just not sure I would do it, is all.  Marc has had good luck doing it, so must be ok, I'm just over cautious and over thinking things.

In a way, thinking about it, seems like a constant filtration, but I would be concerned about reintroducing water or contaminents to the tank plumbed that way. Seems to me a whirlpool effect in the separator pumping fuel back in the filtered fuel side. Just me maybe. Should be fine, just not optimal, IMHO.

Ray

your still over thinking it!!!!! fuel will be coming out of seperator, and going to regulator where it will be directed to the front and rear bowl, and the leftover besides running a ton of line back to the tank you just dump it back into the fuel filter because you have a provision there to do it...it has nothing to due with double filtering or anything like that! you will have 2 inlets, and only one outlet!

Yeah, I'm over thinking it. You're right lil bro, BUT, think about this. Both inbound lines will, under pressure, be drawing from the tanks indescriminately. The outbound line going to the carb/FI, is fine, the return line dumping same fuel back in. Where I think we fail to communicate is, WHERE does the return pressure go? Without a return line, it goes BACK into the system, so wheres the excess pressure and fuel go?  This is where the back pressure of the electric causes issues to me.

Ray

I'm actually going to do the oppsite. Electric Pump over to Mech. One thing you have to remember about Eletric pumps, They were made to push fuel better than pull it. Mech on the other hand are much better at sucking. The problem I was having was the pump could not keep up with the motor. It wouldnt suck the fuel fast enough. I watched the fuel pressure drop from 5 1/2 to about 3 at 4K or above.       

i would say around 5 1/2 - 6 psi with a 4 bbl carb

to the OP, you did prime it first right? manually pour some gas into the top of the carb so the engine runs for a bit. it gets the suction of the pump working.