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chasdrng

K181 fuel pump install

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chasdrng

Can someone explain the correct way to install a fuel pump? I mean can you actually install it wrong? I bought a new one from Amazon and it worked great for about 3 or 4 minutes but when I've tried to start it again I'm not getting any fuel.  Yes it had new fuel lines. 

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ebinmaine

Seems to me if you had fuel it should be in right. 

You can "bench test" a pump to some extent by hand pumping the lever. You really can't do it very fast but should be able to build some pressure at least. 

 

Many of us have gone away from after market fuel pumps and stick to rebuilding the original metal Kohler ones. 

 

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Ed Kennell
7 hours ago, chasdrng said:

Can someone explain the correct way to install a fuel pump? I mean can you actually install it wrong? I bought a new one from Amazon and it worked great for about 3 or 4 minutes but when I've tried to start it again I'm not getting any fuel.  Yes it had new fuel lines. 

 

Yes, it can be installed wrong.   The pump lever must be on the correct side of the cam.       If it only ran for a few minutes, it may have been running on fuel that was all ready in the bowl

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Racinbob

Every K181 I've messed with had the vacuum style pump with no lever but some have the lever. What style was yours originally? In either case I see no reason a lever style can't be used but I'm pretty sure it has to be specifically for a K181 or at least a small block. I believe the lever angle is different on a big block. I'm thinking Ed's thoughts on it running on fuel still in the bowl makes sense and the pump never worked. :)

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ebinmaine
32 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

 

Yes, it can be installed wrong.   The pump lever must be on the correct side of the cam.       If it only ran for a few minutes, it may have been running on fuel that was all ready in the bowl

I like that logic. 

 

 

21 minutes ago, Racinbob said:

vacuum

As long as it has the bump on the cam lever type will work. I don't know if all the early ones did.

 

 

Didn't even occur to me to ask ..... What kind of machine are we working on?

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Racinbob
1 minute ago, ebinmaine said:

 

As long as it has the bump on the cam lever type will work. I don't know if all the early ones did.

 

 

The first time I ran across a vacuum style on a K181 was when I was working on an 854 that belonged to the fellas that gave me the 657 and 500 Indy. I didn't even know they existed before that. I even looked around for the lever that I thought may have fallen off. I was wondering if the cam was different when a lever style was used but I ended up installing a new diaphragm and was good to go. You just answered my question. :) 

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WHX??

What did the old one look like?

Generally a new plastic pump with a strait lever arm will not work on the small bore motors. The pump cam is offset to the right in the mounting hole so the pump must have a lever that is offset. If by some chance the the cam is centered in the mounting hole a strait lever arm pump may be used but the lever must ride on the top of the cam.

I would highly doubt your motor has the cam centered. Small bores the camshaft is shorter hence the need for the offset. 

Most of my small bores use a vacuum style hence no lever as Bob mentioned. This one just happened to have a lever style.

Either way you are best off rebuilding the orginal. Mixed reviews on the plastics from the jungle or fleabay. 

These are on a 161 from a 701  but should be the same if your original is lever style. I was at first baffled by this as it was the first I had run across it. 

20200830_123603.jpg

20200831_181351.jpg

 

I really need to do that instructional on pumps and starter/genny rebuilding one of these days!  :)

Edited by WHX24
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Racinbob

Since it rides on top of the cam can I assume that there is a dedicated lobe for the fuel pump? :confusion-confused:

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WHX??

Yes for sure, Bob.... lobe to the far left here....plain to see why the lobe needs to be offset. Always thought that Kohler said screw it on having that offset lever style of pump and went to vacuums. :confusion-shrug:

20200830_153441.jpg

Edited by WHX24
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sqrlgtr
On 9/23/2020 at 10:13 AM, WHX24 said:

What did the old one look like?

Generally a new plastic pump with a strait lever arm will not work on the small bore motors. The pump cam is offset to the right in the mounting hole so the pump must have a lever that is offset. If by some chance the the cam is centered in the mounting hole a strait lever arm pump may be used but the lever must ride on the top of the cam.

I would highly doubt your motor has the cam centered. Small bores the camshaft is shorter hence the need for the offset. 

Most of my small bores use a vacuum style hence no lever as Bob mentioned. This one just happened to have a lever style.

Either way you are best off rebuilding the orginal. Mixed reviews on the plastics from the jungle or fleabay. 

These are on a 161 from a 701  but should be the same if your original is lever style. I was at first baffled by this as it was the first I had run across it. 

20200830_123603.jpg

20200831_181351.jpg

 

I really need to do that instructional on pumps and starter/genny rebuilding one of these days!  :)

would like to see that also:)

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