Fuel Starvation when cornering

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09-03-2003, 10:24 AM
oanglade

Fuel Starvation when cornering

Has anyone here dealt with fuel starvation during cornering without going to a fuel cell?

I just bought this used '93 Mazda Protege as a daily driver and I plan to use it also for track events sometimes and maybe eventually convert it into an IT car in a year or two. The problem is that it seems that if the tank is below half full, the car suffers from fuel starvation on right hand turns. The pump goes into the tank at an angle, with the pick-up on the right side and the strainer sitting flat on the bottom of the tank, facing the left side. It sits inside a baffled "bucket", but obviously a right hander moves the gas to the left, leaving the pick-up point of the pump out dry.

Can I add fuel cell foam inside the baffle bucket to help with this?

Is it possible to bend the shaft that holds the pump so that it goes down straight(er) instead of leaning to the right?

Should I add a baffle plate to make the "bucket" smaller? Can't seal it all the way to the bottom because the strainer is longer than that.

Does anyone sell a "Y" that I can connect to the pick-up of the pump, where the strainer connects and add two hoses with a little filter at the tip of each one and put a hose on each side of the bucket?

Or should I just leave with it, keep the tank full when I go to the track and drop a cell when I convert it into an IT car? (The NO-FUN solution).

Thanks...

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Ony
09-03-2003, 07:03 PM
Scott Malbon

"I just bought this used '93 Mazda Protege"

Ony, a Protege?

David Blum at Krause and England used to race a Protege in ITA. Don't know if he's still there.

Scott
09-04-2003, 07:42 AM
John Herman

Just keep the tank full. Its the lowest cost and easiest to implement. Once you start racing, if you have some time and money, then do the conversion. For sprint races this will not be a problem. If you decide to branch out into enduros, then you will want to look at other options. The fuel cell idea being one of them.
09-04-2003, 09:16 AM
badal

Ony,
The foam does nothing to control slosh. If it did, there would be no way that NASCAR crews could fill a tank as fast as they do.
The Y pipe will not work, as the pump will pull air in easier than fuel

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"Bad" Al Bell
ITC #3 Datsun 510
DC Region MARRS Series
09-04-2003, 02:51 PM
oanglade

I thought that was the whole purpose of the foam.

Oh well...

I'm going to bend the shaft that supports the pump so that the pump pickup is near the center of the tank instead of towards the right side. I will also look at the baffles and see what I can do to improve on them.
09-04-2003, 03:24 PM
itbgti

The foam does control slosh (prevents weight from being shifted rapidly from one side of the tank to the other)

My thoughts are the same as others, keep the tank full, cheap and easy solution.
09-05-2003, 12:29 AM
JeffYoung

An aside: yes, Dave Blum (great guy, great cage fabricator) is still at K&E, although he no longer races teh Protege. He's got a NX2000 with a cage, and get this -- is building a 197xx Ford Fairmont Station Wagon race car.
09-08-2003, 09:16 PM
Bruce

For what it is worth, I stuffed fuel cell foam in a stock tank and it did make a difference.
09-08-2003, 09:18 PM
Bruce

For what it is worth, I stuffed fuel cell foam in a stock tank and it did make a difference.
09-08-2003, 09:19 PM
lateapex911

Quote:

Originally posted by Bruce:
For what it is worth, I stuffed fuel cell foam in a stock tank and it did make a difference.

Of course you're not talking about doing that in an IT car.....right?? http://Forums.ImprovedTouring.com/it/wink.gif

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]
09-25-2003, 12:17 PM
Roy Dean

Quote:

<font face=\"Verdana, Arial\" size=\"2\">Of course you're not talking about doing that in an IT car.....right??</font>

well, fuel pumps are open, right? Just glue the foam to the fuel pump and say it was "an upgraded fuel pump".

http://Forums.ImprovedTouring.com/it/biggrin.gif

--Roy

No, I wouldn't do that... the whole "spirit of the rule" thing would get ya!
09-26-2003, 08:43 PM
grjones1

Quote:

Originally posted by Roy Dean:
well, fuel pumps are open, right? Just glue the foam to the fuel pump and say it was "an upgraded fuel pump".

http://Forums.ImprovedTouring.com/it/biggrin.gif

--Roy

No, I wouldn't do that... the whole "spirit of the rule" thing would get ya!

Who pray tell is going to inspect the inside of a fuel tank?
09-26-2003, 08:53 PM
lateapex911

Quote:

Originally posted by grjones1:
Who pray tell is going to inspect the inside of a fuel tank?

Methinks thats not the point.

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]
09-26-2003, 10:03 PM
grjones1

Quote:

Originally posted by lateapex911:

Quote:

Originally posted by grjones1:
Who pray tell is going to inspect the inside of a fuel tank?

Methinks thats not the point.

Methinks thou doth protest too much, but I'll
concede to the moral high ground and stand corrected.

[This message has been edited by grjones1 (edited September 26, 2003).]

[This message has been edited by grjones1 (edited September 26, 2003).]
09-29-2003, 02:57 PM
machschnell

Might the foam interfere with the fuel sending 'flotation' device if it's floating around in there?

PJ

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83 Rabbit GTI - future ITB