Sorry to hear your problems. I'm curious thou, I am thinking for going with a BG220 pump, Did you use a 1/2 supply and 5/8 return as BG suggests?

 

i did it as the instructions said. I have a -8 supply line and a -10 return

 

I just finished my sumped tank and put a bung in the tank on the upper drivers side front, I was going to run the return to the sump also, but everone says its a no no, it will aerate the fuel.

 

well i pulled the tank and drilled a oblong 1/2" hole on the top by the fuel sender so i could snake through a peice of 1/2" aluminum fuel line. I used JB weld all around it on both sides and while the tank was out covered all the welds on the tank from where the sump was welded on to just be safe. Going to put it back in tommorow after the JB weld hardens and hope it works.

 

I used the stock fuel line on the car for a return........ and we run the Magna-fuel 500 pump.

 

Are you sure the air is coming from the tank and not a leak in the pump? Sometimes leaks on the inlet side of a pump can suck air and not leak fluid.

 

Your return line next to your feed is prob your problem. You don't want the fuel pushing out when you need it to feed in the same place. When I install my sump I'm also going to put a return at the top right of the tank with a tube inside pointing to the side of the tank so no bubbles are made. Also was the sump baffled correct per instructions?

 

Mark, help me out here. Mine is setup as you advise against. What will I experience to confirm your diagnosis? The stock fuel outlet is available for a return if needbe.

 

Your return needs to be in one of the top corners, away from your pickup. I took the tank out an welded a #8 in the top corner for the pump return and then use the stock fuel line for the return for the nitrous setup.

 

well the JB weld did not do a good job so i took it all off and need to find another way to connect this 1/2" line to the top of the fuel sender...is there any way it can be soldered?

 

I know it stinks, but the best way would to remove the tank and bring it somewhere to have a bung welded in the top right corner.

 

If the hole is on the sender itself you could take it off, dry it and have it silver soldered.... If its steel to steel... Or Tig welded. You could also put a bulkhead fitting thru the hole with a nut on each side with washers. Problem with this is you will need a hole in the trunk because the fuel line will stick up to high and hit the bottom of the trunk floor.

 

Hey Guys,
Just a little point to remember with those weld on sumps. I always recommend my customers coat the inside of the tank and asump with an epoxy tank sealer. Those sumps are raw steel and end up rusting from water in the fuel and air.
I use the two part kit from www.caswellplating.com. Works better than others on the market.
Just my opinion.

 

Yup what he said! I have a 3 part kit I bought from eastwoods after I do mine. http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=382&itemType=PRODUCT I got the complete kit for $40. The guy who is doing the sump wanted $150 after he welded.

 

I used the Summit kit. And guess what? The coating material is the same glue as for PVC pipes. Get it at Home Depot for 1/4 the price!

 

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

I am at my wits end here. I dont know what to do next! I relocated the return to the top of the fuel tank and plugged the one line off at the sump, took all the fuel lines apart and added thread sealant and made sure everything was tight, and it STILL SUCKS AIR! It doesnt do it as much now, mostly whenever i go WOT it will start sucking air. I don't know what to do!

 

try swapping in a different fuel pump. Like I said earlier, it could have a bad seal letting air leak in on the suction side.

 

How much fuel is in the tank? Where is the sump mounted? Where is the fuel pump mounted? Do you have any pictures? Electric fuel pumps "must" have certain things if you want them to work reliably.

 

What he said!

 

I had the BG 220HR pump on my car for years but I had a fuel cell in the trunk and my pump was mounted under the car on the frame rail. That way the pump always had gas in it from gravity. IE the tank was higher than the fuel pump. I never had a fuel sucking air problem. The only problem I had was the pump started leaking after about 7 years. I sent it to BG for repair because back then they would not sell you a repair kit. They said they had to repair it because if you had the body to tight it would make it draw high amperage. Then it leaked a couple of years later and now it sits in my attic. Just a little info is you can buy the repair kit from a vendor who advertises on racingjunk.com.

Maybe your pump is mounted to high. Fuel pumps do not like to suck. They need to be primed.

 

If you fill the tank and it works fine then I would say you either mounted the sump to high on the tank (it should be mounted at the lowest possible point). I have seen guys mount them all the way to the rear of the tank but, that is not the lowest part in most cases. If your sump is at the lowest possible point then I would not suspect that as the problem. I would then think your fuel pump is not low enough. Electic pumps must have head pressure (be gravity fed). If the pump is not low enough you will get exactly what you decribed, the pump loses it's primed and startes "sucking air". Once again a full tank will mask the problem until the fuel level gets low and then you will see the problem again. It is very hard to mount an electric pump on a 1st or 2nd gen Camaro with a sumped stock tank and have it lower than the sump. You usually will have to build a plate that hangs down to mount the pump on.

 

well here are some pictures of the setup. The oil on the ground is from something else and the tank has no leaks. The only picture i dont have is one of the return and the vent line. The return is on the front of the tank about 3" down with a -10 bulkhead, and the vent is a 1/2" aluminum line coming out from the top of the tank at the fuel sender.

So I called barry grant and they kept telling me it was a problem with the sump and there was nothing wrong with the pump since air is getting into the system and the only way it can get in is through the sump...and its only happening when i brake hard or make a quick turn with a 1/2 tank or less...which i tend to agree with.

I then called competition engineering and explained the problem and the guy told me that he straight up had no answers and was completely stumped.

now that I look at the pictures it seems the rear sump outlet isn't at the lowest point of the tank really, but would that really cause me to suck air at a 1/2 full tank?

oh and eric...i wish i could have put another fuel pump on there to troubleshoot, but i don't have one

 

oh and eric...i wish i could have put another fuel pump on there to troubleshoot, but i don't have one

I have an extra fuel pump here in Grand Rapids. If you get up to MMM on the 2nd I'll try to remember to bring it.

What does the hole(s) look like in the bottom of the tank behind the sump? Is it cut out completely or are there a series of holes? If holes, where are they located, what size are they, and what pattern did you drill them in?

PS. Personally, while not ideal, I don't think the sump location is an issue.

 

Well I can see the problem, this is why I asked for pictures. The sump is mounted in the wrong place, don't feel bad I have seen this same mistake many times. The sump has to be in the lowest possible place in the tank. I know the instructions say rear most and lowest but, lowest is more important that "rear most" in this case. You put it in the rear most area which in this case is not the lowest. This is 100% where your problem is coming from.

On some tanks like 1sr gen Camaros you have to modify (shorten) the sump so it will fit the lower area of the tank. It is to long to fit there. I think that is why people tend to push them back to far.

 

Hmm...what a trip. My sump is mounted in the same place and I have not had any issues with it.

 

well the sump arrived today and I have to say it is a very nice unit....and this thing is HUGE! Its about 12"x12" Its much heavier ga than the CE sump, has nice welds, and i really like the design. I need to go pull my tank for the 100th time, clean it out and start cutting it for the new sump.

 

And Darko, your mission, should you choose to accept it or NOT, is to keep us informed.

 

In order for that system to work as it was designed to the pump will need to be moved. It needs to be closer to the outlet of the tank and at least even with the outlet. Looking at the pictures it is ok when it leaves the tank but then has to pull fuel back up before it can move it forward. The pumps have to be gravity fed and are not intended to pull and push which is what you are asking this one to do in the manner it is installed. Can't really tell the line size by looking at them in the pics but that pump needs to be fed with a -10 an and must have a -10 an return line as well.

 

So, are you saying he should mount his pump horizontally?

 

Looking at the pics of darko's pump it is mounted horizontal but just sitting too high in relation to the outlet of the pump. It should be moved to the rear of the tank where it can be gravity fed as opposed to where it is now . Cars with stock style tanks are always the hardest to come up with a pump mounting location mainly because of the size and shape of the tanks.

 

Even if he moves the fuel pump he is still going to have starvation issues. The oulet of the sump is too high in relation to the bottom of the tank. I agree it will work better but, it still won't be optimum.

For the money you spent on the new sump you could af bought a fuel cell and been done with it. Even if you don't want to cut your trunk you could mount it on a "stand" in the trunk and just route the fuel line to the pump. This would also make mounting the pump a lot easier and you will have a lot more options.

If you are dead set on using a stock tank then just make sure your sump outlet is equal to or lower than the bottom of the tank. With that done you then need to make sure the pump inlet is even lower than the outlet of your sump. It can be a pain but, it is worth it when you don't have to worry about fuel issues.

Hopefully your new sump will be the answer. post a picture of it, if you get a chance. I am hoping it is very deep, if so, this may be the answer.

 

True ,but in reading his posts I was under the assumption he was correcting the sump issue as well which is why we did not address it as some of the other members have covered it.

 

well guys its finally all together and the problem is fixed. I ended up buying a sumped gas tank from these guys for $350

http://www.glennsperformance.com/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=91

it has nice quality tig welds, got it all installed and have no more problems. I had the tank on E and wasnt sucking up any air during turning/braking/etc.

I think its the best bang for the buck you can get. Instead of buying a new tank, sump, and having it installed this option is about the same price or a little more and it shows up at your doorstep with no running around. I like it also because i got to choose -10 fittings, and it has a return with a tube right at the back of the sump also