My 76 Barth has an engine driven fuel pump.
Would it also have an electric pump installed in the fuel tank? The manual that I have doesn't say anything about an electric pump. If it does't have an ele pump
would it be a good idea to install one. After it sets a few days it takes a while to start thought maybe it wasn't getting the fuel soon enough.

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Hi, I have a 1977 with a 454 and two 50gal fuel tanks that were installed at the factory. There is no in-tank pumps only the engine drive one. Prior to the 77 I had a 1976 Barth with a 350 and beleive it or not a factor 20 gal tank. The 350 was allways hard to start after it had been sitting for a while, but it always started. I have put about 8000k on the 77 since I bought it in October and had no (starting) fuel problems. If you were worried about fuel draining back to the tank I would consider putting check valves in the lines. They will keep the fuel up at the pump and are a lots less money and hassel. I have used this method sucessfully with very worn diesel fuel injector pumps that would loose their prime when sitting, and be real hard to start.

Check with your locaal Chevrolet or GMC dealer. There was either a bulliten or service news letter dealing with vapor lock. I don't recall the year of the bulletin but basically it delt with the installation of an electric fuel pump at rear of vehicle and modifing the fuel lines. It specified what the output pressure of the electric pump should be etc. I hope this information will be of some interest or use to you.
Roger

Did you find any information at your local dealer? I seem to recall that there was some carb. re-adjustment reqd. due to the higher fuel pressures etc. I do not recall what it was but there was some emphasis placed on it in the dealer info at that time
Roger

My 84 has a Carter rotary vane electric fuel pump installed just above the tank. It can be seen from in front of the tank. It can also be heard when the ignition is turned on. A pusher electric is a good idea on any MH to prevent vapor lock. Vapor lock is when fuel in the line boils. If that fuel is pressurized, it is less likely to boil. Any pump under 7 lbs pressure is OK.

[This message has been edited by bill h (edited February 23, 2002).]

Bill, did you install the pusher fuel pump or was there already one there?

I dont't recall any auxillary rear fuel pumps being original equipment factory installed during that time perion but we did install several at the dealership and there were several bulletins reguarding the problem. The early fix also suggested larger fuel lines 1/2 inch tubing I believe. Unfortunatly I do not have any of those bulletins at my disposal or I would be able to give you more information. I will try to come up with further info but no promises

I installed a fuel pressure gauge in the fuel line near the carb fuel filter. I purchased this gauge for about $20 through Summit Racing and its great to indicate that fuel pressure is adequate. If too much pressure is present, it can blow past your needle valve seat in your carb.

Dave, the pump was on the coach when I bought it. It does, however, look like it was done when the coach was built. It is above the tank, and would have been much easier to do it before the tank was installed. I suspect that if it were installed later, it would have been in a more accessible place.
I'm with Eddie on the fuel pressure gauge. Having one can save a lot of guesswork when there are problems. Be sure to use an isolator to avoid the inconvenience of a dashboard flame thrower.

As for the engine requiring a lot of cranking after sitting, that could be also something else. The Quadrajet carb has a couple of soft plugs on the bottom that can leak. This can be a fire hazard. If the engine is shut off right after driving, the built up heat can evaporate the fuel in the bowl. A minute or two of idling can help cool things down before shut down and avoid the dreaded heat soak damage to plug wires and starters.