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Electric fuel pump problem

Gargemel78

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I have a electric Holley fuel pump pusher style, when I put the tank and the fuel pump in the car and pump worked good, but had a couple of fuel leaks and evently ran out of gas, now I’ve fixed all the leaks and the tank has 10 gallons of fuel in it. the pump kicks on but no fuel is getting pumped, i unhooked the main supply line to the pump and there’s no fuel coming out of the tank no matter how the hose is positioned, it takes no effort to siphoned gas out of the tank(yuk) I currently don’t have a fuel cap and the tank has none of the vents hooked up just open. Does it have to have that pressure to flow? And do I need to get a vacuum pump and pull the gas to the pump to get the fuel started
 
"i unhooked the main supply line to the pump and there’s no fuel coming out of the tank no matter how the hose is positioned..."
You don't have a fuel pump problem - you have a fuel getting to the pump problem.
A lot more information needed here.
What tank are you using? What sort of pickup? What fuel line? etc.
 
Pump needs to be lower than the fuel level so it'll gravity feed.
Doug
 
First guess......the inlet/outlet hoses on the fuel pump are hooked up backwards. The pump is working...but all it's doing is pumping air back into the tank. It would be hard to see with the pump installed, but there should be a very small "in" and "out" marked on the pump right where the inlet/outlet are.
 
I’m using a new factory fuel tank and pickup/level. There’s rubber fuel line going from the tank to the pump and aluminum line going from the fuel pump by the tank to the regulator under the hood, then rubber coming from the regulator to the carb. And I verified several times that in side marked in is coming from the tank and the side marked out is going to the carb. I thought to I might not have it mounted low enough I had metering part of the pump below the fuel pump, so I unhooked the pump from where it was mounted and set it on a milk crate where the pump was 2 inches below the tank just to troubleshoot the problem still nothing, when I unhooked the rubber line coming from the tank gas was not coming out even though there’s 10 gallons of gas in it, shouldn’t this line be gravity Feed and have fuel coming out of it? The pictures have the fuel pump still high I moved it down more after the pictures

EC52D638-78C6-4350-ADD8-FAA248F05D13.jpeg 61BA1576-8CFB-43E4-9E03-78CDB1888D10.jpeg C2ED85EE-3337-4766-89FA-3A31FD367501.jpeg
 
Ok, I'll ask the obvious then...
Have you actually tried to draw fuel through the rubber line from the tank yourself
(take the line loose from the pump and suck on it - ok ok, if that offends, use a vacuum pump)?
Is the line and the pickup actually clear?
I don't think that big loop de loop you have in that line now is helping things.
 
Yeah it takes no effort to suck fuel out of the tank, I’m wondering if I should use a vacuum pump to draw fuel past the pump, I’m thinking once it gets started flowing it would be ok
 
Pump needs to be lower than the fuel level so it'll gravity feed.

^^This IS the way to go. If you don't, you increase your likelihood of the issue you have now and possible pump damage.

Then too..…….
.........And do I need to get a vacuum pump and pull the gas to the pump to get the fuel started
Sure, why not?
IMO, Since you do state "and the fuel pump in the car and pump worked good", I'd try to pull a vacuum on the line after the pump and try to prime it. A hand held should be fine. If vacuum doesn't pull fuel through you likely still have an open.


FWIW, recently I threw a Holley electric on mine above the tank in the trunk to be able to move the car around. I made sure it was primed first and it worked without issue. Haven't decided which pump I'll go with yet, and if electric, where exactly I would mount it. Lol, maybe someone needs to make an electric pump that bolts in the mechanicals place.
BTW, My '08 carbureted boat, the stock electric fuel pump is above the tank about 16 inches. I've lost prime on it with water separator/filter changes over the years.
 
Ok, I'll ask the obvious then...
Have you actually tried to draw fuel through the rubber line from the tank yourself
(take the line loose from the pump and suck on it - ok ok, if that offends, use a vacuum pump)?
Is the line and the pickup actually clear?
I don't think that big loop de loop you have in that line now is helping things.
I agree with the big loop statement. That line from the tank should always be at, or below the outlet on the tank. Also, if you ran the pump for any length of time without fuel, it's possibly burned up.
 
Take an air hose and a rag stick it in the filler neck & with the ignition on pressurized the tank. It shouldnt take much to push the fuel to your pump, you'll hear a change when it picks up.
 
The pump is toast. I unhooked it from the tank and hooked it to a gas can and turned it upside down and it worked for maybe a second and wouldn’t pick anything up after that

E2DBDD45-1028-4F00-B910-D78CAB07E0BB.jpeg
 
If you weren't getting fuel to it it probably burnt up ( rotor)
 
If you can't get a warranty replacement they're rebuildable. Its just removing the bottom plate I believe, as long as the motor runs.
 
Agree with Daves69. If the vanes are stuck, it won't pump. That's why I love gerotor pumps. I've got a Mallory 250 that's at least ten years old and works great.
 
Holley pump vanes do stick. That's the major reason I went to the gerotor style Mallory pump. Take the pump out, take the bottom cover off, see if the vanes are in place & if a couple want to fall out, they should move freely in the slot. Remove & clean as needed. The pump does need to be below the tank!!
 
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