Fuel pump on cast Iron Briggs Single?

[GregB 941]

Was paging thru the Briggs repairman's manual for out of production engines. Noticed that they did use fuel pumps on some spec #'s.

Vacuum based and mechanical. Vacuum source from crankcase. Used a vac fitting on dip stick tube, or "hollow bolt" into the crankcase. I guess sort of like a banjo bolt that some brake systems used.

Question is, has anyone tried to retrofit a later model vac pump like from a Vanguard onto an early cast iron Briggs?

[BLT 718]

It's possible. How old of an engine do you have? The newer ones had extra oil fill locations and one of those could work.

[TimJr 206]

This isn't the greatest pic, but shows the 90* elbow I brazed into a hole I drilled into the upper end of my dipstick tube. Some other type numbers, or older engines did not use the steel dipstick tube, they used the pipe nipple down on the sump. Anyway, it is a vacuum pump off some sort of Vanguard that I mounted to the shroud. Works great. Tractor is covered up in storage right now, so I can't readily get another pic. This is a 326437, the type number is 0252.

[Mike_H 92]

Tim, Out of curiosity, why did you add a fuel pump? That looks like some sort of RBT with the standard Fuel tank. Doesn't gravity do the job? Maybe you have a different carb?

[GregB 941]

Thanks Tim, just what I was looking for. I might look closely to see if there are any plugs being unused so I do not have to pull the dipstick tube for modification.

[Brettw 1,130]

Tim, is that a tractor engine or a dinner plate? Looks like you could eat off of that........dOd8D

[Gary 101]

It sure looks like NOS. Nice lookin rig.

[DanD 9]

quote:Originally posted by Mike_H

Tim, Out of curiosity, why did you add a fuel pump? That looks like some sort of RBT with the standard Fuel tank. Doesn't gravity do the job? Maybe you have a different carb?

---

id="quote">

id="quote">I was kind of wondering the same thing. What's the reason for a fuel pump in this application?

[GregB 941]

In my case I have a lot of hills on my 1.5 acre place. So I want to have the best chance of keeping fuel in the bowl in all positions, without having to keep tank at full.

Briggs did offer Fuel pumps on some of their spec numbers.

Both mechanical and vaccuum pumps.

I had a military generator with a model 19 on it that had a mechanical pump. It was cool because you could pump right from a jerry can.

[TimJr 206]

The fuel pump was added for tractor pulling. I needed to make sure it didn't starve for fuel at the higher RPM I was running, plus with the nose being up often, I didn't want to risk running out of fuel due to the carb being up above the tank outlet. It still has the larger diameter gravity fed needle and seat. Pretty sure that the factory fuel pump equipped engines used a carb with a smaller diameter needle and seat opening. I never ran with a lot of fuel in the tank. I didn't really need $5 a gallon race gas evaporating out of the tank.

Thanks for the comments - I tried to keep it clean. After I built it and painted it 15 years ago, it has never been washed - just blew the dust off and used John Deere All Purpose surface cleaner on it occasionally and then waxed it at the end of the season. It stays covered up in storage. I got caught in light rain twice on an open trailer. All rubber parts got wiped down with Ru-Glyde often.