Fuel Problems......Acting Up Again!!

fordman7072 · Post by **fordman7072** » August 27, 2011, 3:37 pm

I've been attempting to daily drive my 66 240/3spd but so far everytime its left me sitting on the side of the road. I put an inline fuel filter in it when i first bought the truck and it would never fill with fuel just a small amoint in the bottom,so i bought a new fuel pump,blew out the gas lines,new cap and looked in the tank and its spotless,and the truck has a rebuilt carb but she still don't fill the filter. I tryed running it off of a gas can under the hood and the filter would fill...any ideas? While i was pulling the lines off the one that runs to the carb has a needle valve in it right were the line threads into the carb and i pulled that out and tryed to run the truck and all it did was over fill the carb

. Any ideas?

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » August 27, 2011, 3:50 pm

Fordman. You say you have a new filler cap. New caps aren't vented. Leave the cap off and drive the truck. If it runs that's the problem. You're pulling a vacuum on the tank.
Another problem is that freaking bogus methanol they're putting in the gas now. It absorbs large quantities of water and is fouling the spark plugs and causing carburetor problems.
With the gas line off the carburetor are you getting fuel pressure and gas squirting out when you bump the starter?
Be sure to add fuel stabilizer when you fill up.
Let me know if the gas cap thing works out for you.
U@ss

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » August 27, 2011, 3:51 pm

Also, sometimes the metal pickup tube inside the tank will clog at the inlet on the bottom of the tank.

fordman7072 · Post by **fordman7072** » August 27, 2011, 4:01 pm

Uncle Skip wrote:Also, sometimes the metal pickup tube inside the tank will clog at the inlet on the bottom of the tank.

Pickup tube inside the tank? All ming has is the line one the top were it threads in am i missing something? Also i have tryed the no gas cap trick and it didnt help. The cap i bought says vented on the inside.

MadMaxetc · Post by **MadMaxetc** » August 27, 2011, 4:14 pm

If you have one of the glass filter you will not see it fill at idle, or even 2000rpm.I It will only fill with what your engine is using. It is just working on keeping you fuel bowl topped off.

I know that doesn't help fix the problem, just wanted to make sure you where aware.

fordman7072 · Post by **fordman7072** » August 27, 2011, 4:25 pm

MadMaxetc wrote:If you have one of the glass filter you will not see it fill at idle, or even 2000rpm.I It will only fill with what your engine is using. It is just working on keeping you fuel bowl topped off.

I know that doesn't help fix the problem, just wanted to make sure you where aware.

I don't have the glass filter the fuel pump just has a can on top with a filter in it i was just going off one of them cheap plastic inlines from O'Reilly but that's what i was wondering if it olny pumped what it needed. I just thought it wasn't right because my 70 with a 302 would keep the filter full non stop.

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » August 27, 2011, 5:26 pm

Fordman.
The little fitting on top of the tank where the fuel line comes out is soldered to a hard line that goes to the bottom of the tank.
This fitting is soldered to the tank too, so it can only be removed by a professional like a radiator shop.
These lines are the pickup for the fuel and they can become clogged. You'd need a piece of "straight" coat hanger that would reach the bottom of the tank or some other larger diameter wire to run down inside that tubing. When you do this, take the fuel sender out and shine a flashlight down to see if anything comes out when you run the wire down there. I also used another flashlight in the filler neck to "back lite" the tank so I could see what was going on.
Good luck... and welcome to the club.
Tell us where you're from.

ezernut9mm · Post by **ezernut9mm** » August 27, 2011, 7:06 pm

did you take the cannister off the old fuel filter on the old pump to see how much crud is in there? just because the tank looks clean, doesn't mean it is.

cooter · Post by **cooter** » August 28, 2011, 8:40 am

those plastic fuel filters wont fill up on any vehicle i have seen, maybe with an electric fuel pump but thats about the only way

fordman7072 · Post by **fordman7072** » September 2, 2011, 5:20 pm

thanks for all the help guys....i ran a clothes hanger through the pick up tube and didn't really get any junk out just a few small pices and after i took the plastic filter out and drove it around for a few hours and it did fine except for my timing being slightly out and 2nd gear being hard to get sometimes.

fordman7072 · Post by **fordman7072** » September 28, 2011, 4:41 pm

My fuel problem has started again....It ran perfect and my fuel filter would stay about hafl full all the time on a 3gal boat gas tank in the bed and I took the tank out today to refill it and now its not wanting to pump more than a squirt in the filter again,so I hooked the in-cab back up and no dice! Should I go with an electric pump?..any ideas?

unibody madness · Post by **unibody madness** » September 28, 2011, 8:06 pm

There is a way to put an electric fuel pump in line with a relay, that will fill your fuel filter up to start. you use the oil pump sender as a ground for the relay, on the normaly opened side, that will let the electric fuel pump run gas until the oil pressure comes up, then it will shut it off.
That will assist in starting but not if it runs lean after. I am going to use a Mr. gasket #12s in line behind the fuel pump in order to stop the annoying over crank issue the new fuel has caused, because alchohol evaporates really fast, leaving me with fuel starvation at start up.
John

Haus · Post by **Haus** » September 28, 2011, 9:08 pm

Based on your comments so far, and my wonderful experiences over the years with parts, I wouldn't say just because you have a new pump, its any good. Theres no way for them to test it, take it back and tell them its not pumping. Throw another one on and see if that doesn't fix the issue.

cooter · Post by **cooter** » September 28, 2011, 10:56 pm

doesnt the boat tank require a pump up ball to charge the line?

bobenhotep · Post by **bobenhotep** » September 29, 2011, 1:39 pm

I used to have similar problems, i used to have to blow in the fuel tank to pressurize it and clear the crud in it. I built a setup with a boat fuel water separator under the cab and a plastic inline filter in front of the carb. has been good since. id recommend doing something like this because modern fuel sucks water from the air, and here in coastal georgia it is really bad. also, if a piece of trash gets stuck under one of the valves in your fuel pump, it wont pump fuel, the valve is letting fuel go both ways. that is my input on this.