Posted by John on October 14, 2003 at 23:06:42:
In Reply to: Fuel system posted by Dennis on 18:17:02 10/14/03:
Late A-4's and other marine engines with electric pumps normally have an engine mounted pump and the Racor is not part of the engine itself so it is normally upstream. Although automibles often have the pump in the tank and the filter after it, one advantage of having the filter upstream is that it protects the pump from any crud in the tank. My installation has the Racor, then the pump, then a secondary, inline, filter before the carb. Don Moyer sells a kit for the secondary filter, but you can get one from an autoparts store (Just make sure it has a metal body, not plastic. You don't want to upset the Coasties or blow up your boat. The plastic bodied Racors don't meet Coast Guard regulations either.) As for the copper line, I know some people prefer them for diesels, but I would be leery of them for a gas engine. Remember it is a vibrating engine and fairly rigid metal. Fatigue failure is much more likely with copper than with a flexible, CG approved hose. What sort of shutoff was suggested? A fume detector would work, but a pressure switch would only detect a significant line break, not a leak. Best is to run the fan and stick you head in the engine compartment before starting and make sure you don't have any sparking devices in the engine compartment.