Ford Lehman bleeding/priming fuel system?

Capt.Bill11 said:

That doesn't change the fact that you can have both pumps if you wish.

Besides, failure of the mechanical fuel pump on a Lehman is fairly uncommon. At least that is what I've found in my 30+ years of dealing with them.

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fairly uncommon is a wonderful statistic unless you're the one with the failed pump.

http://trawler-beach-house.blogspot.com/2011/07/ford-lehman-oil-and-filter-change.html

But back to the original task, priming the filters. This guy did it like this and it appears to be a very simple way. (look for the funnel pic)
The Trawler Beach House: Ford Lehman Diesel Oil And Filter Change

what_barnacles said:

fairly uncommon is a wonderful statistic unless you're the one with the failed pump.

http://trawler-beach-house.blogspot.com/2011/07/ford-lehman-oil-and-filter-change.html

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True.

But then I don't bother wearing a helmet when I'm walking under coconut palms either. I just play the odds and look up once in a while.

spin on filters

marin:
Bob seems to be a bit wobbly with his advice. When I took his class the conversion to spin on filters came up and he discounted the whole idea. He said the original filters were easy enough and 1/5 the price of spin on filters.

On my boat the PO installed an electric pump for priming / bleeding. Works perfectly. I would not fill spin on filters to speed up bleeding. You could introduce dirt directly to the injection pump. Nigel Caulder slams this idea pretty hard.

Dan

Dan Cahn said:

I would not fill spin on filters to speed up bleeding. You could introduce dirt directly to the injection pump. Nigel Caulder slams this idea pretty hard.

Dan

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There's ton of armchair theory out there about boating, engines, anchors, you nene it. I pay zero attention to any it, only to things that have been proven to be valid. While Nigel Calder's theory is certainly plausible I know scads of people who prefill fuel filters before installing them and never heard of a problem. We've had ours for about 16 years now and never had a problem. In addition to Bob's suggestion about the spin-on conversion it was also advised by the highly experienced snd reputable diesel shop in our harbor.

If one uses clean fuel from a clean container Calder's theory is no more than that. An astroid could land on our boat and sink it, too. I give equal consideration to both theories.

Reviving this thread...
I have installed new aluminum fuel tanks but have a leaking fitting and want to transfer fuel from stbd to port. I have a 3/8" crossover/supply line to engine that I'd like to install a small transfer pump with a pair of three way valves to isolate. Is there any way to reverse pumps? switch black/red wires? Also could this pump be a stand by if my mechanical pump fails?...I guess it would have to be between the primaries & secondaries though huh? (fuel needs to be sucked through primaries instead of pushed?

BCK said:

Reviving this thread...
I have installed new aluminum fuel tanks but have a leaking fitting and want to transfer fuel from stbd to port. I have a 3/8" crossover/supply line to engine that I'd like to install a small transfer pump with a pair of three way valves to isolate. Is there any way to reverse pumps? switch black/red wires? Also could this pump be a stand by if my mechanical pump fails?...I guess it would have to be between the primaries & secondaries though huh? (fuel needs to be sucked through primaries instead of pushed?

Click to expand...

There are plenty of reversible transfer pumps out there, e.g.
https://www.hodgesmarine.com/jab18680-1000-jabsco-light-duty-reversible-diesel-transfer-pump.html

I don't think most are rated for continuous use, and I'm nitnsure you want to take the through-the-engjne route for moving fuel between tanks, do a bunch of plumbing and valves would be involved.

I'd set up a clean system for transfers and a clean system for priming and back up.

Capt Bill you are taking a huge risk. A friend of my was walking under a coconut palm once when a discarded electric fuel priming pump missed his shoulder by inches after being dislodged by a meteor......yes - it hit him on the head. If old Lucky wasn’t wearing his safety at play helmet that day or had looked up, things may have ended a lot differently for him.

BCK said:

Reviving this thread...
I have installed new aluminum fuel tanks but have a leaking fitting and want to transfer fuel from stbd to port. I have a 3/8" crossover/supply line to engine that I'd like to install a small transfer pump with a pair of three way valves to isolate. Is there any way to reverse pumps? switch black/red wires? Also could this pump be a stand by if my mechanical pump fails?...I guess it would have to be between the primaries & secondaries though huh? (fuel needs to be sucked through primaries instead of pushed?

Click to expand...

I did this on Seaweed. I had a clogged fuel pick up line so, as you said, I swapped the red and black wires and ran Seafoam back into my tank. It did not fix my issue however as the pump is 12v, reversing polarity worked like a champ.

I have my pump before my racors so I can pull the fuel through from the tank, fill the racor, and then make my engine go. Diesel priming is not something I have to do since I installed the $50 (originally $30, now $60) external fuel pump. I bought mine from the auto parts house. Green is diesel, though they also had one designed for gasoline.