Fuel Pressure Regulator Location

Jjr and I have bought two Bugpack adjustable fuel pressure regulators to install on our Kadron equipped cars. As you know dual carbs are sensitive to excessive fuel pressure. Obviously they are to be installed after the fuel pump (we have stock VW mechanical ones). Where have you guys located them in the engine compartment?

Ricardo,

You shouldn't need regulators on a stock pump.

In order to function correctly, fuel regulators need to be as close to the carb(s) as possible. Most serious engine guys mount them with threaded hard line right to the float/fuel inlet.

The only really accurate regulator, for the low pressure that Kadrons require, is the Holley blue. There are others, of course, but they cost WAY more than the Holley. And anything less is junk.

Luck,

TC

Just a thought here....depending upon the size of your engine and the size of the jets in your Kadrons, the standard mechanical VW pump may not be supplying enough pressure or flow...and a regulator won't solve that. I have been running an electric pump since I moved from 1600 cc to 2109 cc, no regulator.

I am running dual 48 mm Webers and I have recently discovered I was going lean at high RPM's in 3rd and 4th even with the Facet electric pump. A larger (Carter) electric pump solved that problem, installed it yesterday.

So, my points....suggest you may need to go to an electric fuel pump. That really does depend upon engine size and carb sizes. The second point is the el-cheapo electrics may not be sufficent for larger engines and larger carbs....I almost guarentee it

Your fuel pump just refills you carb bowl. Fuel is "sucked" from the bowl by a low psi
formed in the carb venturi. You don't need more pressure for any carb situation, you need
more flow/volume. A lean out condition can be caused by insufficient "volume" in the bowl.

AJ Sims; the authority on Kadrons says their optimum pressure is 1.5 psi; the stock VW pump can supply upwards of 4 psi. He recommends the regulator.

I understand that pressure for a carb is not required. Infact
less is more in this situation. Like I said above, the fuel pump
is just "refilling" your fuel bowl. This could be done with anything.
My question for anyone(AJ included, because I'm truly baffled);
"what kadron function is 2-3 psi sensitive? When your fuel bowl level
is set correctly, the bowl fills and cuts-off additional fuel via the
inlet needle. So is it being said that the stock psi 3.5 +/- overcomes
that cut-off on the Kadrons but not the stock carb??
Please help me understand?

I don't know beans about Kadrons, I have only ever had a couple of pairs of them, and neither pair for long. I have had however 10-15 or more VW powered cars over the years and the fuel pump is usually the 2nd thing to suspect regarding setting up carbs properly, whatever they may be. It is painful jetting and rejetting only to later find the engine is going lean under acceleration due to fuel pumps that do not deliver enough flow.

Personally, I would not depend upon the OEM mechanical pump to flow adaquate amounts of fuel for any dual carb engine, or on a single carb engine larger than 1600 cc, or a larger than stock carb.

Of course this could be proven or disproven on a dyno with the engine under full throttle by monitoring fuel pressure....that I have not done, so my opinions and observations are antidotal at best. Also, another method would be an exhaust gas analyizer to measure your mixture under full accelleration?

" . . . what kadron function is 2-3 psi sensitive?"

How the F%@K should WE know? We're all just a bunch of internet parrots repeating what we read in posts and over hear in chat rooms.

If you're so smart, you tell us !

If you actually care, go ask AJ !

If not, then hang back and just let us have our dreams . . . I'm having one right now which involves Lindsay Lohan and around 1.5 PSI . . . A h h h h h . . . that's nice . . . .

Kadron Needle/Seats are a crappier quality then the original solex ones, so they need more pressure to close. IOW, they take less fuel pressure before flooding. THAT is why Kadrons should have 1.5-2psi, but webers will take 3.5psi.

BTW, the chrome "regulators" with the dial on them ARE JUNK, throw them away. If you have a stock pump, you do not need a regulator because you lower fuel pressure buy moving the pump away from the block by stacking gaskets until you are at your desired output.

The stock fuel pump is adequate to around 180hp in it's fuel delivery output, single or dual carbs.

John
Aircooled.Net Inc.

John; you mean the Bugpack units we bought?....

He means this style. They're sold under a number of different brand names by a lot of folks, chromed with a numbered twist dial on top, but they're all junk ! ! ! Serious CRAP ! ! !

https://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ACC%2DC10%2D5622

Thats what I was trying to say. A properly functioning design shouldn't need a regulator
for a carb system supplied by a stock pump. I know people like shiny new things and put a lot of trust in "it must be better, it's new" but thats usually not the case. As for 1,2,3 psi
thats exactly the point, your farting around to mask a poor design.
Now TC, I know you didn't gain your "butchery skills" from working on the internet, it came from hands on experience. You know when to cut corners and when things are important. You know these things=great. But others should think why they are doing adjustments/
additions/improvments(?). How long do you think it'll be before someone else suggests
the addition of firmer shocks to "improve" their handling?
I'll take Luck over smarts but experience goes a long way.

P.S.---TC, "What part was 1-2psi sensitive? Tell us" I did tell you. The inlet needle that is
closed by the float. Poor design/cheapmanufacturing needle tip/seat===stock fuel psi leaks past. Now that John C. says so=it's gold. You're right people just like to be told.

Hey Bruce,

Just poking at you. You MUST know/I HOPE you know by now that I'm in agreement on just about all of your posts. I wasn't seriously questioning anything that you brought up.

I've really come to find it disheartening that the quality of EVERYTHING has fallen so low, that no matter what you buy, it's a "given" that it'll need blueprinting. Brand new and still needs a tear-down in order to function as advertised. I know that sometimes it's the factory or workers at fault, but it's even come to design flaws these days.

Like Bruce questioned, what carb on earth is built and sold with an inherent tendency to over-ride the needle and seat in the float bowl. Considering the possibility/probability of fire in a VW engine, that's practically a criminal action.

And THEN, as a solution, a useless regulator is sold (by LOTS of folks) that doesn't help at all.

YIKES ! ! ! ! And a little dangerous as well . . .

IMHO (Which counts for noting at all, I know. But still . . . )

Misleading Marketing is a pet peeve of mine.

1. "Prolong"==drain the oil out of the engine and ran it at speed
around the test track for XX min's with no damage.

2. "theCyclone" air turbulance dohicky- a pinwheel shaped disk placed
in your intact tract to boost power

3."electric turbo charger"-a fan placed in your inlet to "turbocharge" your engine

4.Auto parts (brake pads especially) that require massaging to fit?

These people should be shot. It bothers me that they'll sell you anything in order to "make a buck".

Of course I'm cynical, I grew up/live in NJ.