Beta lift pump

[Bee]

There has been a couple of us with Beta lift pump problems recently, engine cutting out etc and other problems so I had a look at the Beta manual and this is what it says...... ' The fuel pump will only lift fuel through 0.25 metres, if this is insufficient then an electric fuel lift pump must be fitted'  That is only about 9" so unless the tank is built into the counter, sits on the swim or something like that then the thing is always going to be struggling. This probably explains why brand new Kubota pumps are on E Bay, someone is fitting them to mowers or small plant and changing the mechanical pumps for electric.

[Tracy D'arth]

Thanks for that info. I always considered that lift pump to be a puny affair, this confirms it.  With only less than 10" of lift its a wonder that it ever copes with a near empty conventional counter fuel tank. Perhaps this is a cause of the occasional post on here about Beta trouble bleeding fuel lines and engines cutting out.

[Phoenix_V]

When we fitted our engine we were advised of all the above, our fuel tank is just below the engine,  the further advice was to fit an electric pump inline with the existing mechanical, (after the water trap) no need to remove the mechanicalal. We did this and it works (so far!) From memory (this was 10 years ago) I think it is a Facet pump which has a quirk of needing nptf threaded connections - we could not find these and Beta advised using the nearest size bsp which we also did with some hermetite and that has not leaked either.

Edited April 5 by Phoenix_V

[mrsmelly]

My udson had a beta with electric lift pump from new. It's been common practice on the engine for years.

[system 4-50]

I remember in my college days travelling in a friend's uprated Morris something or another in the Welsh mountains at a certain amount more than 70 mph when the engine cut out.  My friend shouted "bang on the side of the boot".  We did and it recovered, and the process had to be repeated many times before we got to our destination.  He had relocated an electric fuel pump to a temporary position in the boot and it kept sticking.  

Should this problem occur on a Beta, presumably dancing a hornpipe on the stern of your boat would effect a temporary cure?

[ditchcrawler]

4 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

I remember in my college days travelling in a friend's uprated Morris something or another in the Welsh mountains at a certain amount more than 70 mph when the engine cut out.  My friend shouted "bang on the side of the boot".  We did and it recovered, and the process had to be repeated many times before we got to our destination.  He had relocated an electric fuel pump to a temporary position in the boot and it kept sticking.  

Should this problem occur on a Beta, presumably dancing a hornpipe on the stern of your boat would effect a temporary cure?

SU fuel pump, common problem with the contact points

Edited April 5 by ditchcrawler

[Phoenix_V]

1 hour ago, system 4-50 said:

I remember in my college days travelling in a friend's uprated Morris something or another in the Welsh mountains at a certain amount more than 70 mph when the engine cut out.  My friend shouted "bang on the side of the boot".  We did and it recovered, and the process had to be repeated many times before we got to our destination.  He had relocated an electric fuel pump to a temporary position in the boot and it kept sticking.  

Should this problem occur on a Beta, presumably dancing a hornpipe on the stern of your boat would effect a temporary cure?

Facet are cheaper even from Beta and more reliable than SU. My father had a Morris Minor that went through at least 3 of the latter. I do hope having said all this mine doesnt fail this summer!

[jonathanA]

A lot of people didn't realise there were two versions of the SU. One for pushing from the rear as fitted to Austin 1100/1300s and one for pulling fitted in the engine bay (e.g Morris minor). Get them the wrong way and you get problems with fuel starvation..... as I found out when I "derestricted" an old post office moggy van...

 

And of course what does SU stand for... in my experience s*dding useless....

[dmr]

1 hour ago, jonathanA said:

A lot of people didn't realise there were two versions of the SU. One for pushing from the rear as fitted to Austin 1100/1300s and one for pulling fitted in the engine bay (e.g Morris minor). Get them the wrong way and you get problems with fuel starvation..... as I found out when I "derestricted" an old post office moggy van...

 

And of course what does SU stand for... in my experience s*dding useless....

Skinners Union made some lovely carburetors, but those electric fuel pumps with the funny springy thing at the bottom did have a few problems 😀.