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Having Problem keeping my fuel line primed

440runner

440runner

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I was having issues getting my Car started and keeping it running. After some troubleshooting I discovered my Fuel Pump Push rod was worn so decided to go with a electronic fuel pump. Bought a Edelbrock 120 GPH 6.5 PSI. Put the Pump just in front of the Rear Wheel by the Front Leaf Mount which is below the Tank but now having issues keeping it primed.
It runs OK for a while and then for no apparent reason it will loose the prime and shut off.
Getting frustrated. Any suggestions would be welcome.
 
Have you pulled the sending unit out and checked the sock/filter. I had a similar problem and found that the sock had deteriorated.
 
No I haven't checked the Sending Unit but I certainly will be checking it now. Today we moved the Fuel pump from the front of the wheel well to the Front of the Gas Tank so hopefully that might resolve my issue. If not then I will check the Sending Unit.
Thanks for your suggestion!
 
Been there, done that. Had a very similar set up with a 120 gph Edelbrock Street. After 2 roadside repairs with the electric pump, went back to the manual (Carter) pump for reliability. Best move ever.
 
Also look at the rubber connecting hoses if they get cracks they can suck air into the system.
 
I have have a friend that had a problem with a new Edelbrock fuel pump...he tried two of them. They don't seem to suck as well as other electric pumps. His was also mounted in front of the rear wheel. He installed a Stewart Warner electric pump and the car runs fine...never looses his prime.
 
Most electric pumps (if not all) are really made to push and not pull. The supply line for them needs to be at the bottom of the tank and the pump mounted as low as possible that way the 'head' to the pump is mainly a gravity feed to it.....but.....I've had pretty good results using the old Holley style 110 pumps doing what you are doing. Not sure of the construction of the brand you have but the Holley is a sliding vane type rotor and as long as they are in good shape, they will pull pretty good so long as it doesn't totally lose prime.
 
I had a friend that had his pump over heat from lack of cool air so added a washer pump to spray water when it acted up from the fuel boiling
 
Like 69 GTX pointed out, check for cracked rubber fuel lines where the fittings from the sending unit attach to the car's hard lines. I had a mysterious problem with intermittently losing fuel flow on an old Dodge truck I had twenty years ago and that's what it turned out to be.

ALSO, check the sock in the fuel tank. I have seen them get sucked against the end of the sending unit inlet in the bottom of the tank and seal it off. No fuel flow! The car gets jostled around a bit and it moves just enough to allow some flow until the problem repeats itself. The issue was remedied by performing a slight slash cut to the end of the fuel inlet on the sending unit.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. Relocated the Pump directly in front of and below the Fuel Tank and thought I had resolved the issue until I took it out for a test run which resulted in having to get my wife to babysit the car while I retrieved my trailer. Plan to pull the sending unit today to see if that is the issue.
 
Just a thought, is the tank vented? No vent can cause similar issue after driving for a while.
 
440runner said:
Thanks for all the suggestions. Relocated the Pump directly in front of and below the Fuel Tank and thought I had resolved the issue until I took it out for a test run which resulted in having to get my wife to babysit the car while I retrieved my trailer. Plan to pull the sending unit today to see if that is the issue.
Click to expand...
Well that sucks. Did you check the pump to see how hot it was when it shut down? Another thing you might do is run it unloaded with the fuel line running into a 5 gallon can. When I do this, I like to use a can that you can see the level in. It's rated at 120 so it should put out at least close to 2 gallons per minute. Disconnect from the carb and extend the line into a fuel jug and see what it does. How much run time are you getting before it quits?
 
Cranky said:
Well that sucks. Did you check the pump to see how hot it was when it shut down? Another thing you might do is run it unloaded with the fuel line running into a 5 gallon can. When I do this, I like to use a can that you can see the level in. It's rated at 120 so it should put out at least close to 2 gallons per minute. Disconnect from the carb and extend the line into a fuel jug and see what it does. How much run time are you getting before it quits?
Click to expand...
It is actually intermittent and doesn't appear to be related to Temp. A couple of days ago I drove to my friends house to put it on his lift which is about 10 Miles with no issues. On the return route I took a shorter route and it shut down so it doesn't seem to be temp or time related. I'm hoping its the sock because if I wait for a few minutes it picks up the prime again and will run until it happens again which is no specific time line.
 
440runner said:
It is actually intermittent and doesn't appear to be related to Temp. A couple of days ago I drove to my friends house to put it on his lift which is about 10 Miles with no issues. On the return route I took a shorter route and it shut down so it doesn't seem to be temp or time related. I'm hoping its the sock because if I wait for a few minutes it picks up the prime again and will run until it happens again which is no specific time line.
Click to expand...
Put an inline filter before the pump and ditch sock on line in tank
 
Well, today we drained the tank ( about 1" left in the bottom) and could see that the sock was actually off the Fuel line tube so scrapped the sock theory. Fished it out of the tank and removed the Edelbrock Pump. Bought a new Holley with a regulator and hooked it up. Without even adding fuel ( Fuel just about pickup tube on sending unit) and with all the lines dry from Edelbrock Pump removal. Turned the key and within 2 or 3 Seconds the system pressured up. Car fired up and running. I guess now all I have to do is wait and see if the problem is fixed.
 
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