Trackday fuel pickup problem

[The Mighty Clam]

Hi all, this problem reared it's head at brands hatch last year, but the car has been put to bed for the winter so I just buried my head in the sand until now!

Problem is, just after hard cornering the car (172 ph1) has cut out as if it's struggling to pick up fuel, as if all the fuel has sloshed over to one side and it's sucking thin air. This has happened at three separate trackdays last year, all at brands hatch and always when the fuel gauge reads just under half. I've then filled the tank up and the problem has never returned, until the fuel dips under half a tank again.

Has anyone with track or race experience had this happen and if so how can it be remedied? Engine is all standard, but thinking about an uprated fuel pump but I don't see that curing the problem.

Any advice or solutions muchly appreciated! Cheers all

 

[BIGASH]

It's causing fuel surge obviously when you are cornering so the fuel is not at the pickup when it needs to be. I don't know why but I've only heard of it being an issue on the ph1. The fuel setup's are quite different with the regulator in the tank on the 182's.

Your solution is to fit a swirl pot, or just keep the car fuel above half. You could try and baffle foam around the pickup which is supposed to help. It's fairly inexpensive so have a look on Demon Tweeks etc

Swirl pot setup will be the most reliable option but won't be cheap to do properly.

 

[The Mighty Clam]

Thanks for the quick reply Ash, that seems like the best solution, not the cheapest but I don't want to have to keep the fuel on full all the time, especially as I'm probably going to be racing it this year (budget depending!). Would you recommend a 1 litre or 1.5l one? Was thinking Walbro pump also

Cheers for the advice bud

 

[JackJack]

Look in the Burpspeed build they have a ph1 with a swirl pot.

 

[BIGASH]

Thanks for the quick reply Ash, that seems like the best solution, not the cheapest but I don't want to have to keep the fuel on full all the time, especially as I'm probably going to be racing it this year (budget depending!). Would you recommend a 1 litre or 1.5l one? Was thinking Walbro pump also

Cheers for the advice bud

From what I was told you need to have a second fuel pressure regulator after the high pressure pump although I don't think the burpspeed guys use this and theirs works perfectly!

1 litre should be fine I was only going to do 1.5 as it was the smallest they did with the AN- connectors.

Don't forget it needs a bulkhead between the fuel setup and the driver for racing

 

[The Mighty Clam]

Thanks Jack ill check that out.

Ash, think ill take it to company that did a lot of the race prep for my car and tell them what i need. Im not too confident when it comes to doing things like that myself and trusting it! Main thing is I know what needs to be done now. You mention it needs a bulkhead for racing, does it need to be fully enclosed?

 

[Tony Hunter]

Thanks Jack ill check that out.

Ash, think ill take it to company that did a lot of the race prep for my car and tell them what i need. Im not too confident when it comes to doing things like that myself and trusting it! Main thing is I know what needs to be done now. You mention it needs a bulkhead for racing, does it need to be fully enclosed?

If it's in the car then yes. Our is in the spare wheel well, then covered over. I'll try and find pics for you, but they are in our build thread.

Last summer we did a few track sessions at a car show held at Mallory Park. The car suffered from really bad fuel starvation around Gerard’s. This was with half a tank of fuel so to stop this happening we have fitted a swirl pot and 2nd fuel pump in the spare wheel well. The standard ‘in-tank’ pump will supply the pot (holds about a litre of fuel) and the 2nd pump will supply the engine. This ensures that if the pump in the main tank fails to pick up fuel under heavy cornering forces, the engine wont stutter. The 2nd pump still has the fuel in the swirl pot to draw from and supply the engine untill the in tank pump picks up again.

Were using stainless steel overbraided fuel hose to run the lines down the pasenger side of the car. Then through the bulkhead and along to the driver side to where we have fitted the fuel filter. The lines all connected to the swirl pot and fuel pump in the boot. The stock in-tank pump had the braided line treatment. The loom fitted through a grommet in the floor and a steel cover made to fit instead of the standard rubber/plastic one.

Temporary connections made to the stock fuel lines on the fuel rail.

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After running the pumps to bleed the system we then checked for leaks. We were ready for the first start up!!!!

 

[Tony Hunter]

Just in case pics didn't work

 

[The Mighty Clam]

Thanks Tony thats extremely helpful. Our problems were happening at Druids at Brands, not the best place to be cutting out when we wanna be accelerating downhill! Think ill have to bite the bullet and have this installed (along with new discs, pads, ball joints, tyres, windscreen as some muppet blew up in front of me and emptied his engine components onto it! Why do we do it to ourselves?!

Muchly appreciate everyone's help, at least I can now be well off the pace in peace now!