Fuel pump not pumping

[John76]

41 minutes ago, nodoi said:

Just to be sure, this is the vent right?

No, squirt gas into the middle section.

 

[nodoi]

Adding fuel to the bowl didn't get the pump going. I pulled off the inlet hose and stuck it in a small gas container to see if it would pull directly from that. This would point to a leak in the line between the pump and the tank, but it didn't want to pull from that either. So I pulled it off and manually pumped it. It seems to be working, the diaphragm is making air go back and forth. So I was wondering if these have an internal check valve that might be stuck. I pulled the top off and the o-ring that separates the outlet from the body is crusty and cracking. I'm wondering if this could be letting air get into the pump and not allowing it to push the fuel out? I'm also wondering where to find a 40mm o-ring. Maybe that's going to be easy, but whenever I need something this specific, I walk into the local parts shop and they only have an assortment pack of o-rings, and good luck finding the right one.

[nodoi]

On 10/11/2023 at 11:03 PM, John76 said:

No, squirt gas into the middle section.

 

John, the cleanliness of this engine is making me have feelings. So good, and so far away from what I'm dealing with 😅

[Son of Marty]

2 hours ago, nodoi said:

I'm also wondering where to find a 40mm o-ring. 

Go to McMaster-Carr they'll have what you need just make sure it's compatible with gas/ethanol you'll wind up with about 10 of the suckers for under 20 bucks.

[jimk]

https://www.theoringstore.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=368

 

[nodoi]

17 hours ago, jimk said:

https://www.theoringstore.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=368

 

Thanks for sharing! That’s a great resource. I went to Napa and they had a selection of nitrile rings in a box behind the counter.

unfortunately, after buttoning it back up, I’m still unable to get the car started. I’m going to pull it off again and see if I can get it to pump manually off the car, then see if I can pressurize the line between the engine bay and the tank and see what that tells me. 

[nodoi]

This took a turn for the unexpected. Looking under the car this morning I saw a large puddle. I thought I must have dropped some gas out of the line during all the connecting/ disconnecting. Reached in there and it's oil. I know that my distrubuter housing has been dripping, but it seems odd that it would decide to spit oil now? Maybe I'm building excessive pressure while cranking the starter, and it found an easy exit? I have no idea. But now I'm going to need to pull it off and get the special washer seal and gasket that I've been putting off. Looks like my hope for a weekend cruise are going to need to be postponed. 

Also, while investigating the source of the oil, I saw that my exhaust manifold it cracked in two places and the gasket is leaking too. Sweet. This car is a never ending to-do list.

[nodoi]

New gasket and washer seal are on the way. I plugged the line and used a pump with a gauge to pump the line up to about 20psi. It held just fine. Then I took the pump off again did the manual pump test. It pumps! I think the pump was probably just dry when I tried it on the car. So now I'm feeling like I've solved the pump issue and just need to wait for a package to fix the oil leak. When pulling the oil temp sensor off I noticed that there was plumbers tape on the threads. There was one aluminum crush washer and two copper ones in there. I'm going to find some replacements before putting it back together. 

[John76]

1 hour ago, nodoi said:

just need to wait for a package to fix the oil leak.

Looks like you have a mechanical oil pressure gauge in addition to the oil pressure switch.

Was that the source of the oil leak?  Be very careful with the line to the mechanical gauge.

If in doubt, just reinstall the pressure switch without the "T" fitting.

 

BTW...congrats on troubleshooting and fixing the fuel pump!

[nodoi]

John, yes it has an aftermarket oil pressure gauge. The brass t has always been a bit oily, but I’m not sure it is the only leak source. I’m going to change the distributor gasket to check that off the list. Maybe I will just disconnect the gauge for now. 
 

yeah, getting fuel out of the pump was the one high light of the weekend. 

[nodoi]

Ok, got the pump working and had an issue with the starter, got the starter rebuilt and then it took me a day to realize that I had somehow managed to turn the motor before putting my distributer back in and my timing was off. I finally figured it all out and now I'm still having problems with the fuel pump. If I pull it out of the car and manually pump, it moves fuel really well. When I hook it back up, it is unable to get the fuel to the carb. I did install a plastic fuel filter between the pump and the carb, but now I'm thinking I'll pull that out to see if it's the culprit. (waiting on parts since I need a reducer for the different side hoses)

Also, I'd love other's input on this, I'm thinking of putting a check valve between the fuel pump and the carb. It seems that if there is any air in the line (or in a fuel filter) the pump is unable to get the fuel going. My thought is that this would help keep the pump wet and allow it to do its job better. Is this a bad idea?

[2002iii]

Wrong length fuel pump pushrod? or worn lobe on cam?

[nodoi]

Pushrod has not changed. I'm not sure how much wear the lobe would need to have to make a difference, but I don't feel any wear on it.

 

[Stevenc22]

If its not pumping, move on. Buy an electric pump and bypass the machinal pump.

 

Amazon.com

WWW.AMAZON.COM

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by Stevenc22

[nodoi]

@Stevenc22
I'm very tempted. Do I need to hook up a return line with this pump? Is the pressure right for this car? (thanks for sharing the link!)