Rod in NC Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Guys...1st tiime virgin install here....I'm getting ready to fire up the V8 for the first time and I've just put in a Holley Red fuel pump. I've poured about 3 gallons of fuel into the refurbished fuel tank. I've got a fuel filter between the tank and the pump. I've got the hose unhooked from the edelbrock 600cfm carb and stuck in a plastic bottle. I crank the fuel pump for about 30 seconds, and no fuel comes out at the carb. I'm about ready to pull the inlet line to the pump and try to pull fuel into it from a separate plastic bottle to 'prime' it and see if the problem is between the pump and the tank. I've read that the Holley Red needs to be below the fuel level in the tank...I've got mine mounted in roughly the same spot as the original Z pump, which is about even with the sender unit in the tank. Any ideas before I dig deeper. I'm hoping that it is just some crud that got pulled into the fuel filter. I also removed the fill cap to make sure that I wasn't creating a vacuum. Thanks. -Rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19762802+2 Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Did you wire it backwards, is it backwards on the Fuel line? (output facing carb,Inlet towards tank) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eec564 Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 First, add more fuel. 3 gallons isn't very much and may not be reaching the fuel pickup. Second, you should have a fuel strainer between the tank and the pump, not a filter. Pumps are good at pushing, not pulling. Put the fuel filter between the pump and the carb. Trying to get fuel straight from the line coming from the tank is the best plan, once it's full of fuel and flowing, hook the pump back up (through the strainer) and run it. You should hear the pitch of the pump change once it's full of fuel and pumping. Keeping the fuel line under the hood in a bucket can be nice to help purge the lines and verify sufficient flow, as it can take a while for the fuel bowls to bleed enough air through them to prime the entire system. -Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHO-Z Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 You might have the return line connection and the fuel line connections reversed on the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod in NC Posted October 4, 2009 Author Share Posted October 4, 2009 Thanks for the feedback guys. 1) I've confirmed the pump is wired correctly. 2) I will confirm that I've got the pump inlet hose hooked to the outlet port on the tank and not the return line into the tank (i've currently got it hooked to the lower of the two outlet pipes, and the other is capped off, since I won't have a return line). 3) I'll take out that filter between pump and tank and relocate it between pump and carb (after I get fuel flowing). 3) I'll add some more fuel to the tank, but I'll try and pull some fuel from a plastic bottle into the pump to confirm that the pump IS wired correctly first. I'll feedback once I find something. Thanks. -Rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod in NC Posted October 5, 2009 Author Share Posted October 5, 2009 Ok, I just went down to the shop to fool with this some more.... I removed the hose from the inlet side of the pump. I took out the filter. I then blew into the hose to see if I could produce air bubbles in the tank. It was very difficult to produce air bubbles, which leads me to think that pickup tube in the tank is restricted. I went ahead and hooked up the hose to the pump and tried it. I did hear the tone of the pump change, but it only produced a trickle of fuel into the plastic jub near the carb. I'm going to see if I can snake a small wire into the outlet port of the tank to see if I can dislodge any blockage, then I might try a couple quick blasts of compressed air into the outlet port of the tank. Any other ideas before I resort to pulling the tank to mess with further? Thanks. -Rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eec564 Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 When you use air to blow out the lines, regulate the pressure down, step it up slowly if needed, and take the fuel cap off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 (edited) verify the inlet of feed side of the pumps hooked to the from tank fuel feed and the out side of the pumps to the carb, I know that's OBVIOUS but its on occasion overlooked then run a NEW fuel feed line, with a new strainer sock and do it correctly, also remember some factory cars have in tank fuel pumps , you can,t suck fuel thru one so verify thats not the case in this case Edited October 5, 2009 by grumpyvette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarrisonTX Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Right, maybe your hooked onto a vent line? How many lines are coming from the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod in NC Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 I'm hooked up to the lower of the two ports to the right side of the fuel sender on the side of the tank. I pulled the hose off the outlet port of the tank, and stuck it in a plastic jug of fuel. Turned key on and the pump pulled the fuel fine up to the carb. I blew into the outlet port of the tank again, and can barely produce air bubbles in the gas tank. My next feat will be to see if I can push a stiff wire (like a coat hanger) into the outlet port of the tank and clear out an apparent obstruction in the pickup tube in the tank. If I can't clear the obstruction in the pickup tube, I'm thinking of converting the drain plug on the bottom of the tank into a 90 degree fitting to run the fuel from there over to the pump. -Rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 you might have rust in the tank thats clogging it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockerstar Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 He said it was a refurbished tank, so I would guess it is gunk free. Maybe some of the coating blocked the outlet when it was refurbished? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyro Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 you are going to hate that pump. loud as hell. mount the pump as low as possible. build a bracket to hang it even with the bottom of the tank. when you get tired of the pump noise, get a mallory comp70 or comp110 (depending on your engine build). I had a clogged line like that. Couldn't fix it. so I took out the drain plug and drilled and tapped the stock drain hole to a 1/4" or 3/8" npt (forgot which one). and put on a 90 degree fitting with a 3/8 hose barb. could drop a rubber hose into a 5 gallon gas tank just to get the engine started. you will also learn to hate that carb. (vapor locks and sticky throttle). get a holley 750 vac secondary 3310 when you had enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod in NC Posted October 8, 2009 Author Share Posted October 8, 2009 Pyro, thanks for the feedback...sounds like I've got some upgrades in the future. I'm going to lower the pump a little bit more and go with a line coming from the drain hole. Compressed air and a thin wire have been unsuccessful in clearing out the blockage in the original pickup tube. Thanks. -Rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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