-
Feeling lucky? Check out the AK 24th Anniversary Giveaway thread and join in the fun!
Lawnmower on a pole! (A Mud Motor thread)
- Thread starter Alobar
- Start date
Do you have cell phone access out there?
Its right on the edge. About 10 miles from town coverage just disappears, the tower goes behind a mtn I think..
Justgotohm
Super Member
I have zero experience with glaciers in the summer time, where I am you just see a lot more alligators. What’s interesting is the Mississippi becomes cleaner, and moves much slower from the lack of snow melt in the summer.
I was gonna ask about that pump, I have a nice aluminum cover plate for my 420 but would need a (pulse pump) to run an external fuel tank.
Whatever pump the 22hp came with pulls fuel from the front of a 15ft boat without issue.
I was gonna ask about that pump, I have a nice aluminum cover plate for my 420 but would need a (pulse pump) to run an external fuel tank.
Whatever pump the 22hp came with pulls fuel from the front of a 15ft boat without issue.
Last edited:
Thanks, and I agree, the 23 hp vanguard I had also pumped fuel just fine as well.
I'm hoping that it's just a pinhole leak in the pumps diaphragm that's causing it to be losing its prime. I've kinda noticing some lack of quality control in the past year on some parts being made in China. The carburetor for instance. But these fuel pumps are pretty standard so I'm going to try getting a new one locally today. And that it did work well for about 2 miles and the little gas leak around the top of the pump shouldn't be happening.
I suppose there are electric fuel pump options too if I can't make the pulse pump work, but I don't see why I would need it just yet.
So the new fuel pump came, installed it and for the first 15 or 20 minutes it worked perfectly, then slowly at first it lost its prime just like the first one, and I had to use the primer bulb to keep the engine going on the way back to the ramp.
So this got me thinking about how these pumps work. Its from crankcase pressure changes from the bottom end of the piston moving up and down if I am not mistaken. But since mine is a 1 cylinder, it could be that the pressure differential is different than a 2 cylinder where with a 180 deg crankshaft, while one piston is moving up the other is counteracting the pressure by moving down, thus greatly reduced pulse. The fuel pump they send me says its for the V twin Vanguard so I'm guessing the diaphragm is being subjected to too much pressure swing and being ripped apart. I am going to open this one up and see what happened. But anyway, unless I can find a solution, perhaps a Tee in the vacuum line to relieve some of the pressure, the next fuel pump is going to be a 12 v electric.
So this got me thinking about how these pumps work. Its from crankcase pressure changes from the bottom end of the piston moving up and down if I am not mistaken. But since mine is a 1 cylinder, it could be that the pressure differential is different than a 2 cylinder where with a 180 deg crankshaft, while one piston is moving up the other is counteracting the pressure by moving down, thus greatly reduced pulse. The fuel pump they send me says its for the V twin Vanguard so I'm guessing the diaphragm is being subjected to too much pressure swing and being ripped apart. I am going to open this one up and see what happened. But anyway, unless I can find a solution, perhaps a Tee in the vacuum line to relieve some of the pressure, the next fuel pump is going to be a 12 v electric.
Yeah, I have been thinking about putting a T in the vacuum line with the relief necked down to 1/8".
I just took apart one of the fuel pumps that failed and couldn't find a thing wrong with it, of course little springs and caps fell out all over the table so it ain't going back together again!. So that got me thinking about another possibility, and that being the new Coast Guard regulated vent setup on my new plastic fuel tank, which doesn't seem to be a vent at all. Not clear to me what the goal is, but if it were a lack of ventilation the plastic tank would shrink down, but this one swelled up with pressure so much that I couldn't get it out from under the seat without removing the cap.. Not sure what exactly the point of that is, but there is plenty of pressure on the fuel line as when I release the quick disconnect, a bit of fuel spray squirts out..
I was thinking a much smaller hole, easier to make it bigger than to make it smaller.
usually when I've had trouble from pulse pumps it was stuff that sat and the seals failed, or the "valves" cracked. The valves are often just little fingers of plastic and eventually they get brittle and break off the main sheet.
I think the new vents are the same one-way checks that inboard tanks have. Probably just a simple ball on a light spring deal, it can suck air in but won't let fuel or vapors out. Car gas caps have the same mechanism.
usually when I've had trouble from pulse pumps it was stuff that sat and the seals failed, or the "valves" cracked. The valves are often just little fingers of plastic and eventually they get brittle and break off the main sheet.
I think the new vents are the same one-way checks that inboard tanks have. Probably just a simple ball on a light spring deal, it can suck air in but won't let fuel or vapors out. Car gas caps have the same mechanism.
Thanks, that makes sense on the fuel tank vent. I held up the rubber diaphragms to the light and couldn't see any pinhole or cracks of light, but it could have broke the seal around the edge without showing damage I suppose. At this point I have one of these on the way, maybe as soon as tomorrow so that should bypass the issue.
Well Damned, I'm freaking cursed! The electric fuel pump is not working as advertised. Supposed to go click-click-click---click--------click--------------------stop as the pressure builds to 4psi it stops. This one just keeps clicking fast, and drowns the engine with gas!
Amazon refund forthcoming, but meanwhile the too short summer is slipping away! The on board engine gas tank is now reinstalled. If I can't rely on gravity I might as well hang it up!
Amazon refund forthcoming, but meanwhile the too short summer is slipping away! The on board engine gas tank is now reinstalled. If I can't rely on gravity I might as well hang it up!
Well managed to get back out on the river, and this time everything seems to be running quite well. Gravity fuel seems to be the way I am going to run this motor, unless a better solution comes along. I have the malfunctioning electric fuel pump set up to transfer fuel from the remote tank to the engine tank so all I have to do is switch it on and keep an eye out so as to not overflow the tank..
Feels so GOOD to be out on the river again! River running is in my roots going back as long as I can remember..
Video of today, which isn't great, but gives you an idea of what it was like out there.. My dog seemed to like it too although he did F-up once and jumped out of the boat in a slough with tall weeds he mistook for dry land.. Had to pull him in by the scruff! Oh might turn your sound down unless you like the sound of lawnmower engines!
Feels so GOOD to be out on the river again! River running is in my roots going back as long as I can remember..
Video of today, which isn't great, but gives you an idea of what it was like out there.. My dog seemed to like it too although he did F-up once and jumped out of the boat in a slough with tall weeds he mistook for dry land.. Had to pull him in by the scruff! Oh might turn your sound down unless you like the sound of lawnmower engines!
Last edited:
Pup seems to enjoy the scenery.
Years ago I had a dog that would bail out of the boat as soon as I came to a stop. Didn't matter where we were, even if I was in the middle of a river with no land in reach. She'd jump out, paddle about 10 feet, then turn around and look at me with a confused look before coming back to the boat. Had to haul her 60-odd pounds plus water weight in, and of course get soaked when she shook off.
I often wonder what his interests are. His nose is going constantly, so I suspect he is enjoying it all on an entirely different level. The salmon returns have been very low the past few years so the brown bear population isn't there either, but that will hopefully change soon.
This year is his first taste of river boating, and the inflatable has such low sides, when we got over to an area with tall grass that was flooded, he mistook it for land and he jumped. His boating experience has been out in the salt water on a bigger boat with high freeboard and he never thinks of jumping unless we are docked. After that little incident (I had to grab him and drag him over the side by the scruff he's 68lbs), he seemed content to stay inside after that! When we got back to the truck, I made him sit in the boat for a little and then let him go, so I think if I work with him a little with basic obedience he will be fine in the boat.
The river, and most of its tributaries are all glacier fed so summer time, depending on temps, can really get that silt moving through glacier melt downstream. As weather cools off the river runs clearer, and is perfectly clear in winter months. We have also been getting a lot of rain this year which contributes to the near flood stage its at currently. There are smaller streams that come down from just snowpack melt that are clear, and where they meet the silt water its a prefect line of silt and clear. Probably good fishing in there! There is quite a few different kinds of fish in the river, including all 5 species of salmon, steelhead, dolly's etc. I have no idea how they go about catching those in that silt but I see them out there doing it. The natives are allowed to fish for salmon with river drift nets.
Those fish wheels at the end of the video was back near the launch are run by the State Fish and Game as a way to count by extrapolation salmon returns. What those fish wheels count is called "escapement" how many fish the wheels catch which reflects on how many salmon survived the years out in the ocean. The escapement depends on how much sport and commercial fishing will be allowed for the year.
