Bad fuel pump symptoms
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 750
Likes: 180
From: Springfield Missouri
How often do you drive the car? If not very often you might try adding a bottle of your favorite brand of fuel injector cleaner, I prefer Lucas. The cat **** fuel known as ethanol can plug up a carb as bad as it plugs fuel injection.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,950
Likes: 498
From: Chino Hills CA
The engine will run as long as there's fuel in the carb bowl. Pour some fuel in the carb bowl through the vent tubes, the car should start. If it continues to run, the fuel pump is doing something. If the fuel pump is on it's way out, it'll be pumping fuel, but not as much as it should. It usually would let the car idle and cruise, but at some point when you step on it, the bowl will be empty and the engine would start to cut out as it starves for fuel, then as you slow down, it would eventually catch up to the demand and run again. More often than not, a clogged fuel filter is more likely the culprit.
Is my vette stock?? HAHA
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 20,218
Likes: 9,356
From: Im not allowed to tell you
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The best way is to either add a fuel pressure gauage inline or remove the hose and put a gauge on the end. Most are 7-9 psi stock. You can buy them lower or higher depending on your needs. I installed a fuel pressure regulator because edelbrock carbs want only 4 psi and quadrajets want 5-6 psi.
I Have an edelbrock pump now because I had 3 carters fail in 3 years. THe pump arm pulled the pivot pin completely out of the castng. That being said the car still ran with about 2-3 psi. I didnt have much performance but would start, idle and drive at low speeds easily, at higher speeds it would stumble or be sluggish. Sometimes it would take a while to start since I had a fuel bowl problem and the car had to crank to refill the bowl as well
I Have an edelbrock pump now because I had 3 carters fail in 3 years. THe pump arm pulled the pivot pin completely out of the castng. That being said the car still ran with about 2-3 psi. I didnt have much performance but would start, idle and drive at low speeds easily, at higher speeds it would stumble or be sluggish. Sometimes it would take a while to start since I had a fuel bowl problem and the car had to crank to refill the bowl as well
Last edited by Rescue Rogers; Jan 10, 2020 at 06:33 AM.
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 18,739
Likes: 2,583
Your other post indicates the pump is 8 years old
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...fuel-pump.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...fuel-pump.html
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,541
Likes: 1,975
From: Temple Terrace Florida
If you suspect a bad pump, one thing to do is to check the oil level to see if it's too high. Also check the smell of the oil to determine if it smells like fuel. Either could point to a torn membrane in the pump. If so, change the pump and oil and filter. Jerry
Racer
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 327
Likes: 75
From: west mi. / ms. gulf coast
On my 80 the car sputtered and quit going down the highway while the wife was driving. Went out to check it out and with a little cranking it started right up and drove home . Pulled the filter out of the carb , it looked clean, replaced with new. Week later same thing , sputtered and quit on the highway, this time no start , primed with gas in carb and it started and quit, tried 3 times , same results. Towed home. Next day it started and ran fine. Checked for cracked rubber / steel fuel line hoses. I did not do a fuel pressure check but I suspected the fuel pump and changed it out. Drove the rest of the summer with no problems. In your case I suspect the fuel pump also.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 7,739
Likes: 630
From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
Some great, practical suggestions ... but also check the short rubber hose (aka S-Hose) near fuel pump ... it can collapse ... OR, if S-Hose was replaced with a short length of "plain hose" that's much more likely to collapse ... either hose scenario will starve carb.