# fuel pump is losing its prime



## mulmex

Buenas tardes,

Quiero decir: The fuel pump is losing it's *prime*, en español, pero no sé como decir prime.

La bomba de gasolina está perdiendo  ?????.  Espero que alguien pueda ayudarme.

Gracias


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## grubble

Hello mulmex. I am English and I don't understand. What is a prime when talking about fuel pumps?  I have heard about priming a pump but not of a thing called "a prime"


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## mulmex

Hi Grubble,

I don't know if prime is the correct word as I can't find it in any English dictionary.  However, if you google "pump losing prime" gives over 7,000,000 results...  so I know the expression is a common one, especially with water pumps.


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## vicdark

Cuando se trata de bombas ... _When it comes to pumps..._

_prime_ = *cebar
*_primer_ = *cebador
*_priming_ = *cebadura*


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## grubble

*Pump loses prime*
_When we speak of the pump not priming, we mean that the pump reservoir doesn't fill up with enough water to feed the pump, so the pump pulls air. When we talk of* the pump losing prime*, we mean that the reservoir level declines enough that the pump pulls air.
This is a dangerous condition, that if left for an extended period (several minute, hours, or maybe a day or two), will wreck your pump and/or pump motor. What happens is this:..._
http://www.troubleshooters.com/pool/index.htm


Okay so that is what it means in English. Can anyone translate it?

My try at the above explanation:

_Cuando se habla de que "la bomba perde 'prime' ", queremos decir que el nivel del embalse disminuye lo suficiente para que la bomba extrae el aire -_   (instead of water I suppose)

Still needs some work!


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## mijoch

"pérdida de cebado"

M.

As a technical term, it's probably better to keep it intact----"Cuando una/la bomba se encuentra/e en situación de pérdida de cebado-------------"


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## mijoch

Google-------loss of prime technical english spanish vocab

M.


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## jasminasul

> Quiero decir: The fuel pump is losing *its* *prime*, en español, pero no sé como decir prime.


Siempre es mejor explicar un poco lo que quieres decir. Además de las traducciones que se han dado, encuentro *perder cebadura*.


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## Cbes

mulmex said:


> Buenas tardes,
> 
> Quiero decir: The fuel pump is losing it's *prime*, en español, pero no sé como decir prime.
> 
> La bomba de gasolina está perdiendo  ?????.  Espero que alguien pueda ayudarme.
> 
> Gracias



Sería bueno saber en que contexto va la frase,  podría ser "la bomba de gasolina está chupando aire", "la bomba de gasolina está perdiendo presión/le falta presión"


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## mijoch

It really is an enormous subject. The vast number of different type of motors, engines, pumps, and their applications in using fuels, or pumping water, oil, combustible, or other liquids is such that the causes and effects of "loss of prime" are many and various. In the case of a car engine, the fuel pump might suffer reduction or "loss of prime" for many reasons-----air getting in/obstructed jets, etc. The effects can range from poor running to a lean mixture and engine damage, or simply failure to start, and other effects.

If mulmex is translating a specific type of pump being used in a specific application, it might useful to know this, as suggested by Cbes. In any case the translation of "loss of prime" is "pérdida de cebado" and from jasmina "lose prime/perder cebadura". One can say----My pump keeps losing prime. But "loss of prime" is not generally a situation where a system gradually loses prime. Something happens and a system enters into "loss of prime".

I now feel that I don't know what mulmex's text means. A system that loses prime normally stops working. It could be that in this case, that it continues working but poorly. Or it could mean that the system is losing prime for some fault and is getting more difficult to start, or it starts and runs for less time, or runs poorly.

Maybe all of this doesn't matter for the translation. There are now options for the text. "Perdiendo cebado" and "perdiendo cebadura", and in more technical language, entra en "pérdida de cebado",

M.


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## mulmex

Gracias a todos.  Gracias a ustedes tengo unas ideas para decir que necesito decir.

Que todos tengan un buen día.


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