[AT] Electric fuel pumps.

[Cecil Bearden]

Yesterday my Caterpillar Excavator was almost a fire casualty.  I had an 
electrical fire caused by an aftermarket electric fuel pump that a 
previous owner had installed.  It was under the fuel tank and not 
accessible to extinguish.  I also did not have a fire extinguisher.  I 
did get the fire out, with the last 1/2 gallon of water from the second 
5 gallon bucket of water my wife brought. The fire department was called 
but they arrived about 10 minutes after I got the fire out.  If you have 
anything that has one of those little electric fuel pumps that looks 
like a little transformer with 2 wires and 2 barbed fittings, make sure 
it is where you can see it if it catches on fire.  This pump was not 
original, It never had an auxiliary pump so why it was there I have no 
idea.  I remember hearing it make a popping noise in the radio speaker 
even when the radio was off..   It was wired into the fuse panel with a 
wire stuck in the fuse holder.  I also remember not hearing the popping 
the last couple of months,  and it has had a fuel leak that I now think 
was coming from the pump...   I think I only have some work, but not 
real damage to the wiring or hoses..
Cecil