Dangerous Situation with Electric Fuel pump

29restorod

29restorod

Senior Member
The other night as I was leaving a car show cruise, I forgot to turn on the fuel valve. I did remember to turn on the fuel pump. As the engine started to sputter, I remembered the fuel shut off, and turned it on. A few miles down the road I smelled gas. I looked down at the firewall area, and I could see that a rubber grommet was wet. I pulled over to investigate the problem. I could not find the source of the gas inside the car. I went outside and opened the hood. What i saw scared the "H" out of me. Gas was pouring out of the top of the fuel bowl, and running down the fire wall. When I took the fuel bowl off I could see the rubber gasket had been sucked into the bowl. The gasket looked ok and fit perfectly when I put it back in. The fuel bowl did not leak after re assembly. It had to be the suction of the pump, and no fuel flow, that caused the problem. After 55 years of driving "A"s I still forget the shut off once in a while.
 
I have the electric fuel shut-off and the fuel pump wired to turn on and off with the ignition switch.
 
What benefit does the electric fuel pump provide in an A? I've never had trouble with gravity feed on my A.
On my brass cars with a low tank location gravity feed will not provide sufficient flow on a steep, long hill. There a an electric pump cures the problem.
 
I want to know how you turn anything on with the ignition switch. All it does is hook the coil up to the points for a ground for the coil. Jack
 
Switch w accy terminal...
 

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I am running a Stromberg 97 on an Anson manifold. In order to climb hills, it needs a pump. As for wiring, I get power right off of my starter relay. The ignition switch is not part of this circuit. I am trying to keep this as simple as I can.
 
AlfinCT said:
What benefit does the electric fuel pump provide in an A? I've never had trouble with gravity feed on my A.
On my brass cars with a low tank location gravity feed will not provide sufficient flow on a steep, long hill. There a an electric pump cures the problem.
Click to expand...

?? My question exactly, why an electric fuel pump on a Model A?? I'm missing something here. That was the beauty of gravity flow. Now on an early V-8 yeah maybe.............
 
jhowes said:
I want to know how you turn anything on with the ignition switch. All it does is hook the coil up to the points for a ground for the coil. Jack
Click to expand...

I take the electric fuel pump power off the plus side of the coil...thus it is on or off with the key. For ALFinCT....Ford dealers offered a down draft intake manifold in 1931....In 1935 the CRAGAR OHV head conversion pretty much required a fuel pump.
 

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Dennis,

Please provide ANY documentation of a Ford manufactured Downdraft intake made for the Model A.

Steve
 
I will give some serious consideration to the electric fuel shut off. I will keep the separate on off switch. I like to turn off the pump, and let the carb run dry, before storage. I also like to turn on the pump before starting the engine to prime the carb, (starts faster).
 
29restorod said:
The other night as I was leaving a car show cruise, I forgot to turn on the fuel valve. I did remember to turn on the fuel pump. As the engine started to sputter, I remembered the fuel shut off, and turned it on. A few miles down the road I smelled gas. I looked down at the firewall area, and I could see that a rubber grommet was wet. I pulled over to investigate the problem. I could not find the source of the gas inside the car. I went outside and opened the hood. What i saw scared the "H" out of me. Gas was pouring out of the top of the fuel bowl, and running down the fire wall. When I took the fuel bowl off I could see the rubber gasket had been sucked into the bowl. The gasket looked ok and fit perfectly when I put it back in. The fuel bowl did not leak after re assembly. It had to be the suction of the pump, and no fuel flow, that caused the problem. After 55 years of driving "A"s I still forget the shut off once in a while.
Click to expand...


Please consider using ONLY a CORK gasket on the firewall fuel strainer.


If you leave the rubber/neoprene one on long enough the Ethanol or some other famous chemical that is in today's gas will turn the rubber to "mush".

What really POed me was the day that I had to remove the gasket on the side of the road and could not re-install it because it had turned to mush and was all deformed!

It simply could not be made to fit no matter what I did!

I know that you were able to put your gasket back in but mine could not be re-installed.


Of course the nearby "Do you want fries with those parts??" parts house did not have a gasket.
 
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then you will risk the same problem again.

In the event of an accident, those with any marque car with a manual electric pump/gas valve shutoff risk a gasoline fire should the driver become disabled or confused, when a simple turn of the ign switch would have killed everything
 
The Ford Escort in mid 80s had a rollover sensor in the trunk near the left tail light that sensed a jolt or rollover condition and killed the current to the fuel pump.

Several times I had to hit the reset button when "a crank and not start condition" happened to the neighbor's Escort..

This was the Throttle Body Injection with one injector above the throttle plate ... do not remember what Ford called the injection system.
 
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