6 volt Electri Fuel Pump and Relay

S

Savvy

Member
Greetings,
I ask this not for my '34 Fordor but for my '65 BMW.

I am installing an electric fuel pump (Carter 6V) in lieu of a mechanical pump.
I was sold a Painless Fuel Pump Relay kit as well. However, the relay has "12v 30amps " printed on it and comes with a 12v 30 amp circuit breaker. Painless does not make a 6v relay.

I'm wondering, if I discard the 12v circuit breaker and instead connect it to an empty fuse port on the fuse block and use a 25amp (Blue) ceramic bullet fuse if that would do the trick.

Any input would be appreciated.
Cheers!!
 
First of all, if you would really like to use the relay you could hook up the primary connections to your 6 volts and see if it will activate. If so, you're set.

If not, and you skip the relay you could still use the 30 amp circuit breaker and skip a fuse.

If you want to skip the circuit breaker as well a 25 amp fuse would protect what appears to be a 30 amp circuit just fine. The only question remaining would be whether the total load of your fuse block would exceed the wire supplying power to it. If so, there may be a fusable link in the wire going to it.

So, there are a few options as I see it.
 
I have an airtex 6 volt on my 34 & it does not require a relay. However thanks to the Barners info you can purchase 6 volt relays at newark.com Pt # 811518718 very reasonably priced. I bought 3 for possible future use.
Gary.
 
31chevy said:
I have an airtex 6 volt on my 34 & it does not require a relay.
Click to expand...

Likewise. I just installed that same 6 volt pump and run it straight off of the ignition switch without any problem. No relay. No circuit breaker. No fuse.

But, I do not run it continuously. It is just there to "prime" the mechanical pump when needed - when I have vapor lock in the summer. I have not been able to find out how many amps it pulls so it may be too much through the ignition switch if I used it continuously. Perhaps the fact that your pump came with a 30 amp circuit breaker may give you some idea of the amperage load it pulls. But, at 6 volts 14 gauge wire will carry 30 amps. The size of wire going to my ignition switch is that size so maybe I'd be OK.
 
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if your going to use an elect pump all the time & not the orignal mech one you should install a oil pressure switch as a safty
 
Hook the relay off the battery with the circuit breaker ahead of it. Then feed the fuel pump from it. Also, make sure the pump doesn't have to much pressure for the carburetor.
Butch
 
I find it hard to believe that BMW was still using 6-volt in 1965 when the Europeans were using 12-volt systems before the USA was. I'm not real knowlegeable about Beamers though. Unless it is an Isetta or a motorcycle or something.
 
The 6 volt pumps that I bought and used, went bad from the ethanol in our gas and it didn't take to long so make sure the pump you buy will not be effected with ethanol.
 
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