Looks like my Alky Control meth kit pump is dead. It's a single nozzle kit on my twin turbo forged LS3.

Any thoughts on a different (better) meth setup while I get in there to fix this?

 

Just go dual nozzle.
Do you have Julio's pump condom? If not add that

 

The guys at alcoholinjectionsystems.com told me that their pump is rated for 100% Methanol. It is a bit larger than the other pump I had from a different kit and capable of higher pressures too. I'd give that a try.

I also understand that it is good policy to replace those pumps at semi regular intervals (every 1 or 2 years?) since they DO fail when run with 100% meth. It is very corrosive stuff.

Also I agree with Wilson; you should be running dual nozzles on your setup. But that has nothing to do with why your pump failed.

 

How did you realized the pump took a dive? did you had any damages with the result of the failure? What type of power your twin turbo LS3 are making? Who did your tuning to avoid damages with such failure?
Most tuner use meth as an additive for power while the good tuner use it as a preventive safety measure.

 

I just replaced mine last week (after 4 years)... just because... I probably shouldn't have waited 4 years, but time flies and it wasn't on my mind. I was talking to Taylor, and it just came to mind, so we changed it

 

Testing the system confirms the pump is not working. It's making over 750whp through a stalled auto and RPM built A6. I don't even spray the meth on my low boost tune, which is at about 8 pounds.

I planned to take the car to the track and turn it up and made sure to test the system before I did so and found that it was no longer spraying. So no damage was done.

Dr. Phil tuned the car...and did a fantastic job.

 

Yeah mine is about 2.5 years old now and I know 100% meth is hard on the pumps. It is time to just change it out and go to a dual nozzle setup anyway.

 

What's the pump condom?

 

I'm not sure about the other kits but I know AIS was using Shurflo pumps. I used the 120v Shurflo in an industrial application where they saw over 1 million cycles and were still running strong. This was pumping parting fluid for molding machines.

 

Same as a regular

 

At one time the Shurflo pump was pretty much all there was to use until the Aquatec pump emerged. Two years ago we switched over to the Aquatec pump which is now used by just about every water methanol injection company.

In short its a nicer pump when compared to the Shurflo. They eliminated many of the problems that were associated with the shurflo design. Such as the pressure cut off switch on the head of the pump. Not only did this switch have a tendency to leak. It caused the pump to pulsate. Our new pump has an internal bypass rather then a pressure cut off switch. With the internal bypass the pump runs smoothly and doesn't pulsate. Plus, it eliminated one less thing that could leak.

The internal backbone of the diaphragm is much beefier as well. Allowing the pump to be ran at higher pressure levels then the shurflo was deigned for. To do this did require a larger motor. So the pump is a little longer but hasn't been an issue for us as it still packages the same inside our trunk mount tanks. See pics below.

We've had great success with this pump which is important for us as we offer a lifetime warranty when purchasing a complete system. We've only had to replace less then a handful in the last two years.

Rodney

 

Actually a "good" tuner can use it in either direction without engine failure if there was a pump failure.


I'm sure Phil had the safeties in place in case you didn't notice it prior to running the car hard.


Alky control pumps have changed recently too, not sure of the manufacturer, just that they are all black now and a different then before.

 

doug how often do you recommend changing meth pumps?

on the ecs kit the light will no longer turn green on full boost if meth wasnt flowing right?

 

It is recommended to have Alky controls pumps atleast sent back and checked every 2 years. I've gone over 4 years on alot of them.All the cars we do run 100% meth.

 

correct



I will check on the life expectancy of the newer pumps and post up.

 

You need to see what caused the failure. Without that data making changes doesnt address your situation. Contact the MFG and send them the pump in for inspection.

Example.. If water got into the pump motor, putting another pump in that same location wont fix the problem of water getting into the motor. Unless a change is made.

There are two parts to a pump. A mechanical one and an electrical one. Electrical is brushes, armature, bearings, etc.. that spin the pump. Mechanical is the head which moves the liquid.

Pump covers(condoms) stop water from intruding into the motor.

As far as how long before servicing a pump run on straight methanol.. average is 3-4 years. proactive would be 2 years. Most pumps are repairable/rebuildable. As long as water has not intruded into the motor.

If you run water, pumps should last forever. Mix water/alcohol.. depends on concentration of mix. The higher the concentration.. the shorter its life.

All pumps used in the aftermarket rely on santoprene as the diaphram material. The only other material that exists is geolast. Santoprene has an excellent rating with methanol. The best you can do is use the pump with the thickest material. Shurflo, Aquatec, Flojet are the three main players.

Hope this help.. you need to see what caused the condition and address it. The motors have a rating of 1500 hours, as long as water doesnt get in. So it should last forever. The typical failure is leaking from the head after years of contact. But it still will pump even if it has a leak. Dead pump typically means water intrusion.

Lastly, no pump will survive if gasoline gets mixed into the methanol. It will leak like crazy.

 

How much should it cost to order a new pump and have someone replace it?

 

Easy to replace yourself removing the fender or just getting the fender pulled out far enough to access the pump. It's about $85 to get a rebuilt pump from Julio.