T&T: electric lift pump?

[Rich Gano]

Bruce, I have said it before numerous times here, and I'll say it again.  I
would not leave port without my 12-volt "priming" pump, ESPECIALLY if I only
had a single engine.  BTW, you really do need to crack the last uphill bolt
on the side of the injector pump on a FL120 Simms pump to get the air out,
otherwise you are just pumping that silly manual pump against a big air
bubble.  Not sure about a FL135, but I'd guess it is the same.

Your situation made my case as I never could have.  For want of a simple
electric pump, you chased your tail all over the boat when you could have
turned on an electric pump and cracked the last uphill bolt on the injector
pump an watch the resulting flow until the bubbles ceased and then
restarted.  If the engine dies off again, just leave the pump going after
restarting until you return to port where you can more safely troubleshoot
the system.

Put a bypass loop around the electric pump with a normally opened valve,
which you close after starting the pump in order to pressurize the system to
the engine.  I chose to put mine before the Racors so I wouldn't have to
carry a pail of diesel around to prime them when changing filter elements
with low fuel levels in the tanks (my Racors are mounted at about mid-level
on the tanks).

Rich Gano
CALYPSO (GB-42 #295)
Southport, FL