test the other side of the pump with the vacuum pump, plug the inlet with your finger
Fuel Pump Issue
- Thread starter shadowreap
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If your sending unit has a rubber hose in it (not sure if the non-efi sending units do) it may have rotted out because of the ethanol. Once the fuel level in the tank gets below the rubber line the pump will only pull air from the tank. If you don't have a rubber hose in the tank I'd check the rest of your lines for holes or blockages.
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No fuel spills out from the inlet hose connecting to the pump. Do you guys think it's worth blowing compressed air inside the hose to clear up anything that might be clogged?
there is a sock to stop garbage from entering the fuel lines, time to drop the tank and check the rubber lines from the tank to the fuel line and to remove the sender/pick up to see what shape that is in.....
I hate assumptions. What is being assumed here is that the culprit, obviously, is the fuel pump. However, it has been noted that the tank is original. You don't mention if the car is your daily driver or if it sits a lot and if you got it new or second/third/fourth/? hand. The fuel system is more than just the pump. Think if it were me, I would be dropping the tank and removing the sending unit and taking a peak at the pick up. Would also be using a flash light to check the tank bottom and a magnet to troll for metallic debris. If you happen to have fed the car a diet of ethanol blend, be aware that that stuff loves water and will literally soak it up. The water/gas mixture that results is caustic/acidic and eats components like gaskets and rubber fuel line and rubber diaphragms that were never made to withstand that type of abuse.
Also, when inspecting the rubber portions of the fuel lines, don't just take a quick peek at the outer skin or carcass of the line and assume that it is okay. The outside can look pristine and the inner tube be completely collapsed. totally dissolved, and otherwise rotten. You have to pull the rubber lines off and then check them in order to determine in what shape they are. Fuel line is cheap by the 25 foot roll and can be had in versions that will resist ethanol damage. Remember to score some hose clamps because you are guaranteed to break at least one during your inspection.
And, before you take a wrench or socket to the tank strap retaining bolts, douse them thoroughly and repeatedly with a good grade of penetrating fluid and let it soak in. Lather-Rinse-Repeat. Work those nuts gently and slowly back and forth to allow the fluid to get into the threads and don't try to force them. If you encounter any resistance, stop and apply more penetrating fluid, wait some more and go back to rocking the nut again. If you can get at them, use a wire brush or wheel to clean the exposed threads of their accumulation of crap and crud so it doesn't jam the nut. Keep an eye on the nut because it might seem to be moving but it can turn out that you are twisting the whole stud and nut as one and doing this often enough will make the stud break; = new mounting studs and nuts. Bear in mind that this is a gas tank that you are dealing with and they become very unhappy when exposed to nasty things like torches and sparks.
Once the tank is ready to drop, be careful. An empty tank is still a handful to juggle and guide as it drops out. Having the car on stands can help because it lifts the vehicle higher, allowing you better access and the tank more room to drop. Adding the gas added to the total weight; think an additional thirty pounds beyond what the tank originally weighed by itself plus whatever it had for contents to begin with.
Being optimistic to a degree, I hope that your problem is the pump and everything else if fine. Being realistic, reality bites.
Nick
Also, when inspecting the rubber portions of the fuel lines, don't just take a quick peek at the outer skin or carcass of the line and assume that it is okay. The outside can look pristine and the inner tube be completely collapsed. totally dissolved, and otherwise rotten. You have to pull the rubber lines off and then check them in order to determine in what shape they are. Fuel line is cheap by the 25 foot roll and can be had in versions that will resist ethanol damage. Remember to score some hose clamps because you are guaranteed to break at least one during your inspection.
And, before you take a wrench or socket to the tank strap retaining bolts, douse them thoroughly and repeatedly with a good grade of penetrating fluid and let it soak in. Lather-Rinse-Repeat. Work those nuts gently and slowly back and forth to allow the fluid to get into the threads and don't try to force them. If you encounter any resistance, stop and apply more penetrating fluid, wait some more and go back to rocking the nut again. If you can get at them, use a wire brush or wheel to clean the exposed threads of their accumulation of crap and crud so it doesn't jam the nut. Keep an eye on the nut because it might seem to be moving but it can turn out that you are twisting the whole stud and nut as one and doing this often enough will make the stud break; = new mounting studs and nuts. Bear in mind that this is a gas tank that you are dealing with and they become very unhappy when exposed to nasty things like torches and sparks.
Once the tank is ready to drop, be careful. An empty tank is still a handful to juggle and guide as it drops out. Having the car on stands can help because it lifts the vehicle higher, allowing you better access and the tank more room to drop. Adding the gas added to the total weight; think an additional thirty pounds beyond what the tank originally weighed by itself plus whatever it had for contents to begin with.
Being optimistic to a degree, I hope that your problem is the pump and everything else if fine. Being realistic, reality bites.
Nick
Car is driven 2-3 times a week and second hand. Owned it for about 8 months no issues, only recently has it been a pain starting. Initially had to use starting fluid last month that kept it going but not it doesn't start at all. Good thing is that it never stalled even when I used starter fluid. Changed the filter with the check valve facing the fuel line, measured the pump with a gauge and it checked out. Thinking of removing the hoses in the back, spraying liquid wrench on the bolts/straps, and changing the sending unit from there.
Sounds like dirty sock syndrome to me.
There is ONE thing you could try. And this is last ditch. Are you getting ANY fuel out the inlet to the pump? If so, take the gas tank cap off, then gently puff some air back toward the tank. You don't want to blow off the sock or rip it off, but sometimes you can gain some info by gently puffing the line back TO the tank with some air. If anyone is with you, have them listen at the tank for gurgling/bubbling. I've seen this trick done by the local Firestone service guys years ago when I was waiting for an oil change on my old truck. They took a tire pump that clipped over the valve end, and carved down the fat end of an old rubber tire valve to just fit inside the end of the fuel hose back to the tank. One guy gently pumped air through the line back to the tank. Another guy was listening by the tank. They got the line clear and then got the car to run. This doesn't mean you're out of the woods, but it can verify a clean path to the pump. I always thought that was a pretty neat trick.
If you do "clear the line" such as you didn't have any flow, and now you have some, you're likely going to need to drain and drop the tank and clean out whatever the heck is in there, clean/change the sock, any crummy hoses, etc. Because the problem WILL come back if you don't.
There is ONE thing you could try. And this is last ditch. Are you getting ANY fuel out the inlet to the pump? If so, take the gas tank cap off, then gently puff some air back toward the tank. You don't want to blow off the sock or rip it off, but sometimes you can gain some info by gently puffing the line back TO the tank with some air. If anyone is with you, have them listen at the tank for gurgling/bubbling. I've seen this trick done by the local Firestone service guys years ago when I was waiting for an oil change on my old truck. They took a tire pump that clipped over the valve end, and carved down the fat end of an old rubber tire valve to just fit inside the end of the fuel hose back to the tank. One guy gently pumped air through the line back to the tank. Another guy was listening by the tank. They got the line clear and then got the car to run. This doesn't mean you're out of the woods, but it can verify a clean path to the pump. I always thought that was a pretty neat trick.
If you do "clear the line" such as you didn't have any flow, and now you have some, you're likely going to need to drain and drop the tank and clean out whatever the heck is in there, clean/change the sock, any crummy hoses, etc. Because the problem WILL come back if you don't.
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