[OMC-Boats] Successful fuel pump closure

Many thanks for all the great replies with ideas and suggestions to resolve
my fuel pump blues. The final outcome was that I drove down to Michigan
Marine Gear in St. Clair Shores, MI, yesterday to see what they had. It was
an AC part # 40393. Judging from the paperwork in the box, it was built
~1985 and from the diaphragm up the pump was identical to my original.
Below the diaphragm the design was changed to delete the bowl/filter,
similar to the Sierra and Carter replacements. Given my anxiousness to
preserve time on the water during my vacation, I went ahead and picked it up
for $205, including 6% MI sales tax. I then used the upper portion of the
new pump (which included the new diaphragm I needed) and the lower portion
of my old pump. This allowed us to get back on the water today to enjoy
some perfect lake conditions. The dealer of course advised against this
route, saying I should install an in-line filter instead, but as he was all
out of in-line filters as was another dealer, this seemed like the best
option. Given more time, that would perhaps be a safer route, but the glass
bowl/filter have functioned just fine for 40 years so I don't see reusing it
as a major risk.

What I am more concerned about is the vent to atmosphere on the top of the
pump. My original had a simple plug tapped into the 3/8" fitting with a
1/16" bore to vent. When the diaphragm failed, naturally it began pumping
fuel into the cavity above the diaphragm and eventually out the vent and
into the bilge. As I said, the new pump was identical from the diaphragm
up, except it did not have the plug. Instead, the instructions said "vent
to a safe location and check it with each use for fuel leakage." Given
my recent experience, this seems like some good advice, although I haven't
figured out exactly how to execute this. Short term I reused the plug and
am checking for any signs of leaks with high frequency. If anyone has come
up with some design solutions for the vent, I'd be very interested in
hearing them. I highly recommend anyone with an open vent like this take
extra precaution and think seriously about making some revisions.

Again, thanks for the many replies and happy boating!

Lee: I'll contact you separately after I return from vacation.

Andy Perakes
1967 Johnson Reveler
Received on Thursday, 2 August 2007