I've got a new Napa Fuel Pump that I can't seem to install correctly. It seems like the either the new push rod is too long or the lever from the pump is too long. The pump will not come close to flushing up against the block. The directions say to rotate the engine so that the pushrod is fully retracted. I have rotated the engine while pushing up on the rod and the furthest that I can get it to go in the block is in this first pic.- about 1/2 inch sticking out. - yes bad pic.
Not sure what I am doing wrong here.

 

how far is the pump away from the block?. I never pay that much attention to it when i install mine. There may be a little bit of preload on the spring.

If the gap is reasonable just put the bolts in and crank it down.

 

Should the lever of the pump Overlap the pushrod on top OR should they just meet head on?
Either way I am a good solid inch away from being flush against the block when the two ends meet...

 

You should only have to clamp down the pump 1/4 to have it come in contact with the block. Is it possible that the push rod is stuck on some dirt and won't go back easily?

I just looked at a fuel pump in my garage and the lever looks about the same as yours. Is the engine out of the car? If so, turn it upside down, then crank the motor over. It might make it easier.

And yes, the rod should rest on the dip of the lever.

 

My lever looks to be about 2 inches long but it hardly budges when pressed on. The pushrod is protruding about half an inch.
Did you say that the pushrod is on top of the lever or vice versa?
thanks

 

Bring the engine up to top dead center on the compression stroke - pull the distributor cap off and verify that the rotor is pointing to the #1 spark plug tower and that the timing line on the balancer is close to "0". At this point, the pump rod is fully retracted.

There are 2 3/8" tapped holes in the lower front of the block near the fuel pump. There will be a bolt in the upper hole. If you look at the hole, you will notice that it is aligned with the location of the pump pushrod. Remove whatever bolt is in that hole and install another bolt about 2" long. This bolt hole goes all the way through the block, and if you tighten the long bolt, it will hit the pushrod. So push the rod up with your finger and snug the bolt down until you feel it hit the rod. This will hold the rod all the way up for as long as you need it.

Now fish the pump into the hole. The rod is supposed to rest on top of the pump lever arm - at the very end of the arm. Insert the pump with the lever arm down low - just **** the pump so the arm is low and below the rod in the block. Once you get the pump as far in as it will go, **** the pump up to its straight position. This will bring the lever up underneath the rod. You still will not be able to mate the pump firmly against the block, but you should be close enough to be able to insert the bolts. Insert and start both of the bolts and snug them up evenly. Once done, remove the long lock bolt and re-install whatever you took out of the hole.

Done.


EDIT: I just looked at your pump photo again... I'm not so sure they gave you the right pump. That lever arm looks awfully long for a small block Chevy. Take the pump back and compare it to another pump for a small block... you may have the wrong pump.

 

 

looks like the lever is a bit long

 

Here is a pic of the fuel pump in my garage. It's an aftermarket one but it worked great on my stock 350 before it was pulled. On second thought, your lever does look a bit too long by comparison.

This pump is only a year old, came with a lifetime warranty, and is for sale by the way.

 

Yup - that's the right pump that torqvette shows there. 79v: They sold you the wrong pump, 'cause your pump arm is way too long for a SBC.

 

Where did any of you get the 90 degree fitting that you need to attach the pump to carb line?
My original one is lone gone and my replacement pump did not come with one....

 

My fitting is off of the original fuel pump.

And yes I went back to NAPA and got another one that was the correct size lever this time and it worked fine...thanks

 

Lowe's aisle 12.

 

That's not a very good Bubba fix to the problem. A good Bubba would have cut the end off the lever with a hack saw. When the hardened lever flattened the hack saw teeth, he would have used a cuttin' torch to torch it off. Smoothed out the rough edges with a bench grinder and used some JBWeld to build up the lever pad to contact the pushrod. A good Bubba can use whatever parts he has... you don't need the right parts to make it work.

 

If the lever is too long, Bubba gets extra pump mounting plates, staggers and welds 'em together raising the pump up and out with nuts JB welded to the back of the top plate. Then he uses a big hammer to dent in the header so it doesn't touch the pump.

Or, he just puts on a random electric pump he finds in the garage with zip ties

P.S. I have NEVER done any of these things and can't explain how I came by the knowledge...

Hans

 

 

You sure you have the pump push rod installed?

 

Disconnect the line from the tank to the pump at the pump. The fuel from the tank should gravity feed to the pump. If that's working, reconnect the line from the tank, disconnect the line at the carb, put the end in a container, and spin the engine with the starter to see if the pump is pumping.

 

this thread is 13 years old! Wouldn't it have been better to start a new one?