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Old 12-08-2008, 09:01 PM   #12
DirtyLarry
Windy Corner of a Dirty Street
 
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Pueblo West, Colorado
Posts: 2,926
Re: Tbi swap build thread

This is going to be a nice and informative thread!

With TBI, I think you guys will probably be fine running a frame mounted pump to pull fuel through the dual tank switch valve however you may need to figure out a way to pause the frame mounted pump while you switch tanks otherwise you will stumble the engine momentarily. As far as the pump, just mount the pump as low as you can below the tanks and switch valve and on the engine side of the switch valve.

The problem I had running a frame mounted pump with my 8.1L was twofold. First, 8.1L requires 60 psi fuel pressure but on my marine controlled 8.1L it only requires 43 psi. None the less, the return side ports on the OEM switch valve are little bitty 5/16 ports and restrict the high pressure fuel return flow back to the tank causing the fuel pressure to run around 100 psi at the fuel rail! Once I bypassed the switch valve the fuel pressure ran normal. This would not be an issue for TBI as TBI only runs around 12 psi and what little fuel goes back to the tank is very small compared the later model sequential EFI engines. GM used that exact switch valve on TBI trucks anyway so again, the fuel return through the switch valve won't be a problem.

The second issue I had with the frame mounted pump was mainly off-road where you are crawling along on the trails at 2 MPH for hours on end without any wind blowing over the pump to keep it cool. Once I would stop for a minute to take break or something then try to restart the truck it would only crank as the fuel pump was too hot and cavitated the fuel inside. The pump would scream like crazy when it was warm too! Being my truck sees more off-road than on, I wasn’t going to be able to live with that so I swapped to a ’87 TBI tank, ’87 TBI sending unit with a Corvette fuel pump to feed the 8.1L the pressure it needs.

GM and AC Delco pn for the switch valve 14029228


Here is how I had my frame pump mounted. Protected by the cross-member from road debris and also shielded from the exhaust. This contraption is gone now that I have converted to an in-tank pump and a transfer pump to move fuel from the secondary tank to the primary.

Last edited by augie; 04-19-2011 at 11:43 PM.
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