No fuel getting from tank to pump

Tiny
DODGENWW
  • MEMBER
  • 1981 FORD F-250
  • 4.9L
  • 6 CYL
  • 4WD
  • MANUAL
  • 195,000 MILES
Okay, for some reason I am not getting fuel from tank to pump, unless I take a air hose and blow air through hose back into tank to get it bubbling then it will flow. However, it stops after like ten seconds and then I take the fuel line off the pump and no fuel flowing.
Friday, September 1st, 2017 AT 9:40 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 34,331 POSTS
There's two lines on the pump. Are you removing the supply line from the tank or the output line to the carburetor?

There's two things to consider from your description. The first is a dry-rotted rubber hose at the tank that is letting air in. The fuel pump will draw that air instead of fuel. The second is the pick-up screen inside the tank. A common symptom is they collapse after driving five to ten miles, and cause the engine to stall, then it can be restarted after cranking a while after sitting on the side of the road for five to ten minutes. Typically that gets you another two to five miles before it happens again. When this happens on older GMs and Chryslers, you can sometimes blow the screen off the pick-up tube by removing the gas cap, then blowing compressed air into the supply hose at the fuel pump. When that works, cut the steel line at a convenient point, then install a Chrysler fuel filter from that era. Those will last the life of the vehicle unless there's a lot of junk in the tank. I never replaced a screen on a Ford product, so I don't know if they can be blown off the same way.

You can also disconnect the hose at the tank, then attach a vacuum gauge to it. You should see some vacuum appear after cranking the engine. If you don't, there is either a leak between the gauge and the pump, or the pump is not working. To verify the pump is okay, run a short, temporary supply hose from the pump to a gas can, then see if it will draw gas that way.
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Sunday, September 3rd, 2017 AT 10:52 PM

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