Date:         Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:25:59 -0600
Reply-To:     miguel pacheco <mundopacheco@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         miguel pacheco <mundopacheco@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Loud Fuel Pump/Fuel Pump Mount - Was: Thank you Go Westy
Comments: To: Jeff Lincoln <magikvw@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <c803c1a71003151139k47cef9aakb40478806d057c4f@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Insulating the pump brings up a couple of thoughts. The first is the
obvious heat issue. These pumps are cooled by the fuel they move and
must be, to some extent, by air blowing across the exterior surface.
If you've insulated the pump, will the fuel cool it sufficiently?
Won't this cause it to run hot and result in failure? The second
thought is that if you can hear the pump, there's something wrong.
Usually, this means that it is fuel starved or it's getting ready to
fail. In short, it may be useful to be able to hear the pump, should
it ever start making noise.
If the pump is properly installed and it is making noise, it's
probably fuel starved. At 20+ years old,  you can look to the fuel
tank as the cause.
Miguel

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
  - Thomas A. Edison



On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 12:39 PM, Jeff Lincoln <magikvw@gmail.com> wrote:
> Steve,
>
> I'm not sure if it's common for that mount to be missing or not. Of the 4
> Vanagons I've owned the mount was missing on 2 of them.
>
> My fuel pump itself is new - but like I said there is no mount so it is zip
> tied direct to the frame rail. So as the pump buzzes away and vibrates that
> sound is "amplified" throughout the bus.
>
> If you've never seen the stock mount it is a metal bracket that mounts to
> the frame - attached to that are a couple of rubber shock mount type things
> - and then mounted to the rubber is another bracket that holds the pump
> itself. Having those rubber mounts there isolates that vibration from the
> pump itself.
>
> I also considered when I hook this to the frame putting a small peice of
> FatMat or something similar between the frame and the bracket - might help a
> bit more.
>
> I suppose there is a chance that from pump to pump there could be quite a
> variance in noise level - like I said mine is new but it's the loudest I've
> heard. I suspect installing the stock mount will help a lot but wouldn't be
> surprised if the pump was still sort of loud.
>
>
> --
> Thanks,
>
> Jeff
> '85 GL (Gertie)
> '90 Carat (Grover - the noble parts donor)
> '86 (We call this one Scrap)
> '78 Bus (Melissa) Patty's Bus
>