My pump keeps loosing prime ???

[kevinj1]

I have gotten my DIY veg system done and working 99%. I have driven the truck 3 times on veg. The problem I keep having is, When I try to switch to veg the pump seems to be loosing its prime and will not pick up the oil right away and 2 times it would not pick up at all. Had to drive on D2 : -(

I only have about 15 gal in my 60 gal tank, My Hot stick pick up is 16.5" long, the pump is under the truck and the fuel line from the hot stick to the pump is only about 2 ft. long. I assume the oil is draining from the pick up. (checked the fuel line for oil at the hot stick and pump there was none) I have done the obvious tests the pump is running and will pull oil from a jug I put the line from the pick up in. If I put a spring check valve on the end of the hot stick so it can not drain, will it open under the suction of the pump?

[erbilabuc]

no need for a check valve. My question is what type of pump are you using for veggie oil?

15 gallons in a 60 gallon tank isnt much so your pickup tube might not be even touching oil since it cools down and "shrinks". On the other hand you could have an air leak somewhere in a fitting between the pickup tube and the pump. Really thats the only two reasons to lose prime. Now this past Monday my friend thought he was losing prime on his brand spanking new V3 but it ended up being faulty wiring harness/relay on the V3 system itself.

[kevinj1]

My pump is WVO Design's new powerstroke pump. I am going to check for air leaks now. the pick up is about 1/2" off the bottom of the tank. when it does pick up oil it works fine.
Before I started my install I talked with Jason @ WVO about pump placement because I wanted to put the pump next to the tank in the bed, I wanted to protect the pump from CNY winter road salt. He told me with the pump that high I might have this problem.

[erbilabuc]

so you are saying the inlet to the pump is higher then the pickup point in the tank? If so then it still shouldnt be a problem as long as you dont have an air leak since his pump is self priming.

[kevinj1]

Sorry for the confusing post , the pump is under the truck,
I have too many things running thru my mind, I keep forgetting to type the end of my last thought before starting the next.

[erbilabuc]

the only thing it could be is an air leak at the fitting connecting fuel line to pickup tube. If there was an air leak at the pump then oil would leak out there

[ridiculously_necessary]

i would check for air leaks, and if your fuel veg is sloshing away from the pick-up tube then the fuel wil start to drain out of it. how long the fuel is sloshed will determin how much fuel drains out. might put more veg in there.

my wvo designs pump is (was) under the hood. no initial prime issues. when my cv failed it backflushed the pump, and at the same time i spring a leak on a fittign that wasnt tight. so it was backflushed with D2 and air. i pulled the pressure port from the pump, put a little oil in there, and turned the pump on, and poured a little more, it girgled a bit, i put the spring and plug back in, it primed just fine. i just had air in the pump. be careful not to lose the spring.

it sounds like its priming fine, just that you have air getting in the line or fuel sloshing away.

[leongriffin]

Hey Kevin,

Give us a call to trouble shoot the pump. 843-972-4211 Air leaks are the first consideration but if the pump is not priming or keeping pressure properly we will get you a new one.

Leon
WVO Designs