Newbie from the U.P.

[Kapn]

Hey all, just a quick intro. Name is Kirk but Everyone calls me Kap, I just picked up an '86 El Camino from my boss and I'm hoping to pick your brains as I attempt to get it back on the road. It has the front air dam, the tach, and the "super sport" badge on the dash, but it has the 4.3l tbi engine. A tree fell on it and caved in the roof in the early 90s so it has an "assembled vehicle" title and hasn't been registered since '97. I don't t have any huge plans for it, I just want to get it running and drive it. I was able to get it to fire today by dumping gas in the throttle body, but I didn't hear the fuel
pump running. Anyone have any pointers for dropping the tank on these?
Thanks in advance,
Kap

 

[ZZ4CutlaSS]

Welcome to the Site...nice car by the way. Where in the U.P. are you located? I go there snowmobiling every winter.

 

[Texas82GP]

Welcome to the site from Houston. Here's a thread that should provide some tips on dropping your tank.....
http://www.elcaminocentral.com/showthread.php?t=107033

 

[Kapn]

Welcome to the Site...nice car by the way. Where in the U.P. are you located? I go there snowmobiling every winter.

Thanks! I live in Calumet

 

[ZZ4CutlaSS]

Thanks! I live in Calumet

That's a nice area!

 

[ed1948]

This guy in Canada want's to know...where is this U.P. you're talking about?
GM in - tank fuel pumps are failure prone. Take a rubber mallet and bang the bottom of the tank while cranking. That might be enough to start the pump pumping.

 

[1evilregal]

ex-yupper here, from the other side. I used to live in Pickford, about 30 miles south of Sault ste Marie when I was a couple years old.. Was a troll for a good part of my life though, living just outside Detroit.

sitting so long , fuel has probably gelled, so make sure you clean the tank before putting the new pump in, or you'll be back at square one before long.

and welcome to the site!

Darin

 

[64nailhead]

U.P - meaning upper peninsula - that threw me as well - lol. We refer to my area as 'Upstate' as opposed to downstate - New Yorkers know the term, but I'm confident that others from around the country are unaware of the terms.

X2 with getting the fuel tank off and some new gas. A thorough cleaning of the tank should be in order. It can be done with a garden hose and allowed to air dry. I'll bet you'll be amazed at the amount crap/debris found in your dormant tank. And at the same time you can bench test your pump and verify proper power and ground on the chassis wiring. Also don't forget to grab a new fuel filter and fuel pump sock. If you find that the pump works meaning your issue is electrical, I'd still recommend a new pump due to the aggravation required to get at it.

Good luck in the U.P. - Jim !!

 

[Doug213xrj]

Hey Kirk, Welcome from West Michigan.

Doug

 

[MrSony]

Welcome! From Iowa. For fuel injected things, you should almost never have to put gas in the throttle body. If the pump isn;t working, no amount of gas will make it run.