Fuel system challenges (external pump and regulator)
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 173
Likes: 3
From: Lenexa KS
Fuel system challenges (external pump and regulator)
I am having a fuel problem that I could use a sanity check on.
I have a 2003 Z06 that I am installing a fuel system in (A1000 pump, aeromotive compact EFI boost referenced regulator, -8AN feed, -6AN return, filter/check valve, etc.)
I dropped the tank and pulled the stock primary pump to swap the regulator out for a ECS blockoff (similar to the one Lingenfelter makes).
The perceived problem is that with the fuel pump on (relay jumpered in the fuse box, battery only, car isn't assembled to run at this point), I cannot get the fuel pressure up to 58PSI. At some point (low 50s) on the regulator, if I try to adjust beyond that point it just stops.
If I hot wire the A1000, I can get 58PSI on the nose without any challenge, so I don't think it is the regulator. The A1000 pump is external and pulls from the side of the tank near the bottom using ECS' fitting, for what it's worth.
It has a brand new battery in it, which I have charged using a battery tender, so I don't think it is the battery...but perhaps the pump output is lower at battery voltage (12v) than it is at running voltage (14.4v)
If I let the pump(s) run for a while, I don't see or smell fuel, so I don't think its a connection leak plus I can hit 58+ PSI with the A1000.
This leads me down the dark path of maybe needing to drop the tank again because something there got jacked up...possibly replace the pump assembly. I'm not sure what I could have jacked up on installation that would stifle the fuel flow from it.
Alternatively, without the regulator at the pump, perhaps it just doesn't flow 58PSI worth of fuel...which seems highly unlikely since it should be flowing full force all the time now. One note...when I installed the ECS regulator block off plate, the little ground wire connection won't make contact with the block off plate. I don't think this is an issue...my assumption is that the ground was there to prevent static buildup as the stock regulator worked which doesn't matter since the plate has no moving parts.
The umbilical hose between the two tanks was a pain in the *** to get back in with the ECS trans/dif brace in place, so its possible that I f'ed up an O ring in there, but I don't smell fuel and I would assume that would only result in the system not siphoning properly from the secondary tank.
I'll check the voltage at the fuel pump connector (need to pull the fender liner back out to get to it), but I assume the voltage to be good since there was not a pressure problem at all before I tore into it...but assumption being what it is, I'll check
Thanks for taking the time to read through this, if you made it this far. I am open to ideas/suggestions/etc.!
EDIT: One thing that I forgot to mention is that all fuel goes through an inline filter. I wouldn't think that this would be a significant restriction on the output side of both the stock and A1000 pumps, but I wanted to throw out that nugget. Thanks!
I have a 2003 Z06 that I am installing a fuel system in (A1000 pump, aeromotive compact EFI boost referenced regulator, -8AN feed, -6AN return, filter/check valve, etc.)
I dropped the tank and pulled the stock primary pump to swap the regulator out for a ECS blockoff (similar to the one Lingenfelter makes).
The perceived problem is that with the fuel pump on (relay jumpered in the fuse box, battery only, car isn't assembled to run at this point), I cannot get the fuel pressure up to 58PSI. At some point (low 50s) on the regulator, if I try to adjust beyond that point it just stops.
If I hot wire the A1000, I can get 58PSI on the nose without any challenge, so I don't think it is the regulator. The A1000 pump is external and pulls from the side of the tank near the bottom using ECS' fitting, for what it's worth.
It has a brand new battery in it, which I have charged using a battery tender, so I don't think it is the battery...but perhaps the pump output is lower at battery voltage (12v) than it is at running voltage (14.4v)
If I let the pump(s) run for a while, I don't see or smell fuel, so I don't think its a connection leak plus I can hit 58+ PSI with the A1000.
This leads me down the dark path of maybe needing to drop the tank again because something there got jacked up...possibly replace the pump assembly. I'm not sure what I could have jacked up on installation that would stifle the fuel flow from it.
Alternatively, without the regulator at the pump, perhaps it just doesn't flow 58PSI worth of fuel...which seems highly unlikely since it should be flowing full force all the time now. One note...when I installed the ECS regulator block off plate, the little ground wire connection won't make contact with the block off plate. I don't think this is an issue...my assumption is that the ground was there to prevent static buildup as the stock regulator worked which doesn't matter since the plate has no moving parts.
The umbilical hose between the two tanks was a pain in the *** to get back in with the ECS trans/dif brace in place, so its possible that I f'ed up an O ring in there, but I don't smell fuel and I would assume that would only result in the system not siphoning properly from the secondary tank.
I'll check the voltage at the fuel pump connector (need to pull the fender liner back out to get to it), but I assume the voltage to be good since there was not a pressure problem at all before I tore into it...but assumption being what it is, I'll check
Thanks for taking the time to read through this, if you made it this far. I am open to ideas/suggestions/etc.!
EDIT: One thing that I forgot to mention is that all fuel goes through an inline filter. I wouldn't think that this would be a significant restriction on the output side of both the stock and A1000 pumps, but I wanted to throw out that nugget. Thanks!
Last edited by umrjmac; Jun 19, 2014 at 08:24 PM. Reason: remembered something.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 173
Likes: 3
From: Lenexa KS
Fair question. I'll be honest in that when I did my first bit of searching for high HP c5 fuel systems, the aeromotive stealth setup did not come up. I went with ECS as a base and swapped a lot of parts based on reviews/recommendations that I found on the forum. The guys at ECS were patient with my questions, which was helpful.
I found out about the stealth setup after I had all of the parts procured that I was going to use when I called Aeromotive to get some information on the fuel pressure regulator that I am using. After that I immediately went back to do some digging about it. It seems that there is some conventional wisdom/opinion about the reliability of the setup...how much of that is truth and how much is not is up in the air. I do think that you would need a PWM controller for the fuel pump to extend the pump life, reduce noise, and not spend a lot of energy adding heat to fuel, which I don't think the kit comes with out of the box...not having that may be part of the reason that people were not recommending it.
Having said that, I don't want to turn this into a thread about how to pick the best fuel system. That ship has sailed and I have some specific questions/issues that I am looking for help on
so...bump!
I found out about the stealth setup after I had all of the parts procured that I was going to use when I called Aeromotive to get some information on the fuel pressure regulator that I am using. After that I immediately went back to do some digging about it. It seems that there is some conventional wisdom/opinion about the reliability of the setup...how much of that is truth and how much is not is up in the air. I do think that you would need a PWM controller for the fuel pump to extend the pump life, reduce noise, and not spend a lot of energy adding heat to fuel, which I don't think the kit comes with out of the box...not having that may be part of the reason that people were not recommending it.
Having said that, I don't want to turn this into a thread about how to pick the best fuel system. That ship has sailed and I have some specific questions/issues that I am looking for help on
so...bump!
