SBC 12v drive motor (starter) help needed as it melts the wires!

[MNBen]

This is my set up for a 12volt pump using the sbc pump.
I eventually want to hook it up to my 7 way trailer plug but I am worried about melting wires as I know little about electricity.

I have a 12 volt lawn mower starter that drives the pump. I hook it straight up to a 12 volt battery. After about 3 gallons the coating on the wires gets soft and starts to melt. So then I used heavier guage jumper cables, the smoke then started to roll out of the back of the starter. I filled about two gallons, stopped and started again after 10 minutes or so. This took some time to empty a 30 gallon can enough for me to manage it out of the f250.

The starter has some very good torque to pump the oil and spins like the dickens when it hits air or thinner stuff (i.e. water).

Can someone with electrical knowledge help me out to keep this thing from heating up?

MNBen

[ToddT]

A starter motor is only used for a few seconds at a time. To run it longer, I'd go way way up on the wire size. I'd be surprised if a starter motor would last very long in a continuous duty application like driving a pump.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by ToddT

A starter motor is only used for a few seconds at a time. To run it longer, I'd go way way up on the wire size. I'd be surprised if a starter motor would last very long in a continuous duty application like driving a pump.

That's what I was thinking. You need a continuos duty motor.

[RT]

Yep - I've got mine hooked up to a 2 HP GE electric motor. I can drain a 55 gallon drum in minutes...but boy does is whine.

[tickedoff36]

i agree with chuckster continuod duty and at least 12ga wire for a few feet. if you decide to run wire longer than 10' use 10ga or bigger. since you want to use you 7 way you should run heavier wire on the truck. i would use 10ga and an inline fuse (for the pumps extra draw.

['48Chevy6]

You need short, fat, heavy, stranded, copper conductors.

Some people call them wires, some electricians call them conductors.

What you have is not conducting enough amperage.

Alligator clips - good for test circuits and highschoolers.

Never use an alligator clip to conduct electricity except in emergencies.

Fat lug connectors. To go on your short fat wire/conductors.

The starter motor will eventually go kapot, but give it the juice it needs to do it's job in the meantime.

No trailer light plug is going to transfer the amperage you need.

I like your use of what's on hand. It gives me an idea.

[airfooter]

Originally Posted by RT

Yep - I've got mine hooked up to a 2 HP GE electric motor. I can drain a 55 gallon drum in minutes...but boy does is whine.

Hell yeah!! That's overkill FOR SURE!! I love it.

The OP's starter motor is likely more like 1/8HP or less - AND not rated for continuous duty. Seriously undersized for the task. You may be able to use this motor if you gear it down, but I doubt it will last long then either. Nice fab-work though!!

My friend Kirk hooked his SBC pump under a 3.5HP pushmower and moves A LOT of WVO with that get-up. He has next-to-nothing invested in the get up either!

[airfooter]

I've been using this HF drill motor for over a year now - but I think I finally smoked it the other day...
1/2" Professional Variable Speed Reversible Hammer Drill

Good thing I purchased the 'extended service protection' plan!!

Fwiw, this set-up will move about 5gals of 'cool' WVO/minute (more if its warm) and can push the oil thru a 2mic Fuel Filter into my truck w/no problem.

[simone0414]

Originally Posted by airfooter

I've been using this HF drill motor for over a year now - but I think I finally smoked it the other day...
1/2" Professional Variable Speed Reversible Hammer Drill

Good thing I purchased the 'extended service protection' plan!!

Fwiw, this set-up will move about 5gals of 'cool' WVO/minute (more if its warm) and can push the oil thru a 2mic Fuel Filter into my truck w/no problem.

Jason do you have the drill/SBC pump mounted somehow so it is hands free or do you have to hold the drill when running the pump?

That was my beef when I was using a drill to run it. I wasn't smart enough to come up with bracket of some kind that would hold the drill in place that would last.

The pump is very loud though. Not good for stealthy VO collection.

[MNBen]

I have a high torque corded drill I can use. The whole idea of this was to be w/out electricity. Hence the 12V system. I will work on 10 or 12 guage short wires with large lugs and my marine battery for now. The starter has a lot of torque and pumps awesome, and it is quiet.

I have a older pressure washer that maybe I could convert over in the future.

Maybe and electric drill with a converter plugged into the cigarette lighter.

Thanks for your ideas.

[airfooter]

Originally Posted by simone0414

Jason do you have the drill/SBC pump mounted somehow so it is hands free or do you have to hold the drill when running the pump?

That was my beef when I was using a drill to run it. I wasn't smart enough to come up with bracket of some kind that would hold the drill in place that would last.

The pump is very loud though. Not good for stealthy VO collection.

I let a friend weld a little bracket (just a 1" x 1/4" flat bar with a 90* bend at the pump) on the pump and used a big hose clamp to hold drill in place - we couldn't find duct tape... But the weld failed and I've been holding the drill or putting a weight on it to hold it still. I eventually modified a paddle bit and stuck it in a piece of pipe to engage the pump - since just chucking the pump into the drill doesn't really work well...

Originally Posted by MNBen

I have a high torque corded drill I can use. The whole idea of this was to be w/out electricity. Hence the 12V system. I will work on 10 or 12 guage short wires with large lugs and my marine battery for now. The starter has a lot of torque and pumps awesome, and it is quiet.

I have a older pressure washer that maybe I could convert over in the future.

Maybe and electric drill with a converter plugged into the cigarette lighter.

Thanks for your ideas.

You are missing my point - that motor is not strong enough to run the pump without gear reduction. (remember the smoke at the motor?) Even on the lawnmower, it had probably 4:1 reduction (or more!!) - and then only ran a few seconds at a time.

The cig lighter is good for about 10amps. That might be enough to power a 150watt inverter - not gonna run any kind of motor that will power a SBC pump with that...

You likely need 1200-1500watts to run a drill big enough to drive that pump.

Remember, once you let the smoke out of electronics stuff it won't work and ya can't ever get it back in. I know, I have tried many times...

I have a 6HP Honda pressure washer that had a failed pump. I've been planning to use this for a SBC pump for a loooong time. I'd like to be able to pump adequate volume for collection at LOW rpm's - reducing the noise. I don't care about 'stealth', but I hate listening to my 1HP, 1" Honda water pump scream at high rpm's while collecting oil...

Here is a stealthy-quiet pump that WILL run on cig lighter or off your 7way plug at back of truck. I use mine to transfer clean WVO from storage tanks into my truck(s) on road trips:
Whale Pumps Gulper 320 - Premium Waste Wat WHA-BP2052 - Holding Tanks And Accessories - JMSOnline.net Marine Supply and Boating Store

[kirkh]

It is very easy to hook the SBC pump to a lawnmower. I removed the blade and put a coupling on it, then bolted the pump to the mower with a bracket. I will try to take some pictures today and post. It moves 15 gallons/minute.

[MNBen]

Ah! the whaler 320. nice, but I got sticker shock. I think for now I will look around for some pulleys to do a gear reduction as you mentioned.
Thanks for the link. And the for putting the idea in my head for on the road fuel tranfering.

[MNBen]

Harbor Freight has a Black Friday sale. There is a 6.5 hp horizontal shaft engine for $99. I thought I saw a thread where someone was using that engine with the sbc pump.

[RT]

That's the original design by rsr911 - he's a top notch machinist and he agreed to sell some of us his shaft adapter. He custom made mine to fit the motors I use (the GE 2 HP for collecting and another drill adapter for my fill tank. He's not around much anymore, but you might try PM.