frozen fuel pump push rod

[7228sedan]

Has anyone ever come across a frozen or seized fuel pump push rod in a 454 Mercruiser? I have & I am having some dificulty breaking it loose. Does the cam have to come out to remove it, or should it drop out the fuel pump mounting hole?

[gonzo]

They usually drop by their own weight. Keeping them in place to install the pump is the tricky part. Seems like it bent.

[7228sedan]

The prior owner had it converted to an electric pump that was incorrectly wired. I am trying to restore the motor to it's original condition. I think I now know why the electric pump was installed.

[gonzo]

If you have an electric pump, make sure is marine and that there is an automatic shutoff switch at the oil pressure line.

[7228sedan]

That's why I removed the electric, it was not marine, it was too week & there was no safety mechanism in place; if the key was on, the pump was pumping! The prior owner was a real brite guy.

[gonzo]

Also, make sure the pump is 5-7PSI. More than that makes the carb overflow at low RPM and waste fuel.

[7228sedan]

I want to get that push rod out & put on the mechanical pump that she was born with.

[7228sedan]

Just an update, I gave up on the mechanical pump & installed a Holly marine pump. That push rod was not getting out of there.

Thanks!

[gonzo]

How is it running?

[7228sedan]

Well, that's another story. I ended up having to disassemble the carb & give it a good cleaning. I rebuilt it using the original metering rods & springs. I replaced the needle, seat, accelerator pump etc. It starts right up & idles great. I launched her yesterday, it runs great up to around 2200-2400 RPMS. As I tried to accelerate her on plane; she started popping pretty bad from the carb. I'm not too familiar with the 454's, I think I set the timing correctly. There's a groove on the balancer (I assume that it's the TDC mark). I set the timing to 8 deg BTC based on that groove and the timing marks on the cover. I took her out again & I got her up on plane to around 3000 RPM's. She started poping again, but not as bad. I went back & checked everything. I did not get a chance to take her out again, but when I rev the motor quickly in neutral; I still get a pop every other time or so. I'm assuming I did something when I re-did the carb. I'm pretty frustrated right now. The transmission swap went very well though. any ideas?

[gonzo]

It will pop like that if the mixture is too lean

[7228sedan]

I'm pretty sure I have the float set incorrectly. I am also not 100% certain that the primary metering rods are correctly seated on the hanger.

[7228sedan]

All's well, I'm getting 12.5 knots at 2800 RPM, 15 knots at 3200. The motor was running a tad on the warm side so I didn't push her. I feel I should get close to 20 knots at wot. Not too bad. A new raw water pump impeller & I should be sailing smoothly!.