Al, re the mechanical pump and the fuel strainer. I have seen a few mech-pumps modified by cutting away the bowl portion and tapping the housing, then the bowl and it's leaking are eliminated. And with the filters today inline it is not a necessary part.
Something like this?? I had a mechanical pump left over which I'll never use so I thought I'd see what such a modification took.
Took about 20 minutes + JB Weld curing time. Tapping threads was not practical with the tools I had at hand. There was not enough material in the pump casting for 1/8"-27 NPT threads, same was true for 5/16"-24 machine screw threads. Dropping one size to 1/4"-28 machine screw threads the fuel passage hole was too big. JB weld to the rescue.
I don’t recommend my solution but it works for me on my Tartan 34c. Since I am on a mooring, battery depletion is always a concern so the goal is to minimize battery drain if at all possible. I just completed an exhaust manifold replacement. The engine lay dormant for approx. 14 months. I treat my fuel with MMO so I didn’t use any supplemental fuel, just straight from tank through filter and water separator. My solution is to add an outboard motor gas tank bulb permantly installed between fuel tank and filters. In this case after such prolonged downtime, a few squeeze of the bulb quickly pressurized the system and then engine started quickly on the first half rotation. I love the simplicity of the A4. Of course, just as one should always maintain and inspect for carburetor leaks, likewise for all fuel lines from the tank.
I too, am a fan of pressurizing the fuel system before cranking, but I use the bail on the mechanical pump. Thus avoiding the outboard-style bulb, which, I understand from reading this forum, the CG frowns upon inside the boat.
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