Thanks Guys,
Cig,
looks like I'll be upgrading my pump either with the Holley or the Carter w/#8 & #10 fittings.
Sounds like either one will fit my seawater mounted armature housing (lever assy)
Randy and 26Scarab,
thanks for the CV lead! I spoke with them at length and they are trying to work with Merc on this issue. They will sell just the billet bottom assembly unassembled for ~$150 or the billet assembly with a standard Carter housing for $175.
I think they want to design a full billet replacement which is what they're working with Merc on. Beautiful pumps!
For my application (this pump will only be priming my Aeromotive) the stock Comp Series Carter or Holley should do the trick!!
Thanks Again,
Dave

Dave,

Thanks for the update on CV and what they are doing. I had to buy two complete pumps and come up with two merc pumps to make mine work. Their price of $175 for a complete pump, is a lot cheaper than what I paid.

Good luck and keep us posted on what you do and how it works out.

Randy

Randy,
remember that the $175 was for their billet bottom and standard Carter armature housing. They said, if they were to market the full billet marine pump and a full billet armatur housing it would be closer to $350.
Lots of money (and fuel delivery )
Later,
Dave

Dave,
I remember someone saying to check Merc's larger HP engines, like the 800SC. I think they had a higher volume fuel pump that would work. But maybe that was for the block mount style vs sea pump. Maybe something there will line up.

Rick

Glad you guys are having luck , all I know is I purchased the Carter upgrade kit(basically the bottow of the pump with -8 fittings) and it did not work for me.
Oh well , live and learn. In a way it was a good thing because now I have a 540 instead of a 502 !

I guess I just don't get it or something?????? Why do you use a Merc pump to "prime" an Aeromotive pump????

The Aeromotive can build a lot of pressure and flow and it WILL suck fuel "uphill" (out of the tanks) thru a filter to the pump and then thru another filter and still maintain up to 60# of pressure out of an A1000 pump???? So, why the mechanical???
Is there something I am missing here????

I'm not sure of NordicHeat's application, but I'm running the mechanicals on a N/A 540 - 650hp without any other pump.

I had Mallory electrics before and had a 3 fail in a very short period of time. I heard they had a bad batch of pumps 4 or 5 yrs ago when I was trying them.

Hey BlownFormula,

You’re probably right, I may not need the mechanical pump at all; but all it can do is help. I have struggled in the past with rotary vane pumps pulling out of the tanks, which is why they want massive lines on the intake side of the pump. However I would think that small pickups in the tanks altogether nullifies that approach. Obviously you'll only flow as much as the smallest orafice in your entire system regardless of the inlet size.

In my previous setup, I originally got a lot of cavitation from the high pressure pump and the simple addition of the mechanical and a small reservoir allowed me to run appx 550+ hp with a small rated (45 gph at 43.5) EFI pump without any problems at all.
I understand Merc has returned to using the mechanical to feed the vane pump in their new HP applications as well.
They may have experienced some of the same problems.

Probably just cheap insurance, and I would also venture to say longer pump life from the Aeromotive. The mechanical running at very low pressure will always keep the Aero fed with all it can handle and allow it do what it needs to do best; push! I believe Brett (at Aero) told me that most failures to their pumps are caused by restrictive supply to the inlet.

Like I said, maybe it's not needed and indeed the Aeromotive pump can overcome a lot, but I just want to help it out a bit. It's a bridge I've crossed already and don't want to reinvent the wheel I suppose.

Speaking of crossed bridges; due to your regulator problem I have since relocated my regulator from the transom to right between the fuel rails. I’ve done this even before it has seen fuel! Thanks for the heads up.

Dave

Dave... What I was seeing was the potential, and you have to follow this closley......
Aeration, hence heat build up due to restricted (relative to smallest orfice size in system) flow. If the mechanical is pumping more fuel than the Aeromotive is passing thru to the injectors &/or the return line, then the mechanical is trying to "compress" the fuel (impossible !) resulting in boiling/aeration/cavitation of the fuel & pump. It seems the inlet side would still need to be as large as possible....AN-8 or 10 and the return being the same or only one size smaller than the supply.
Using the mechanical that way requires 3 fuel lines to the engine?? supply to mech pump, return to electric pump, fuel to regulator on engine! A lot of extra plumbing and therefore restriction. I understand the theory you are using, it just seems to be "redundant" in a way. hence, more expensive!!
I'm glad you got something out of my fuel troubles earlier this year. I wish I had known then what I know now!.....
Wait a minute...... didn't we say that about women also???

Another good point Blown..
One thing with the mechanical is they basically shut themselve off with bypass valves (if self regulated) at say 6-7 psi. So heat generation is probably minimal at best.
To take that a step further, my mech pump feeds a large Racor filter/seperator (4" x 8") that has the pickup lowered 3" inside of it. The pickup is a 3/4 pipe nipple and from there I can run a full #10 out of the Racor to the Aero. (Entire system is #8 otherwise) The Aero pressurizes the fuel rails and dumps through the regulator. The regulator returns thru a water chiller to the same Racor. My Racor filter is always ice cold so I do know that my fuel is very stable at that point which is where the big pump feeds from. I would think any high pressure vane pump would like that supply
Overkill
Probably...
Reliable
Absolutely

Might even give you a good limp home mode if the Aero ever crapped out (unlikely)
When in doubt, build it stout!!

I wish I had known then what I know now!.....
I think they even wrote a song about that

Later,
Dave