First, my car:

68 Camaro
Electric fuel pump mounted next to gas tank
Exhaust: turn downs at rear axle
4150 Holly
ALL parts are about 1 year old
gas tank replaced last week

A few weeks ago my car sputtered away on the freeway and died. I found lots of rust in the fuel filter so I installed a new gas tank.

I drove about 45 minutes south on the freeway without any problems. On the way back up north, after about 30 minutes my car sputtered and died as exiting the freeway. My car remained on with power to the fuel pump. I restarted my car while coasting and examined my fuel filter. It's clear (clean). I noticed my fuel pressure dropped to less than 2 PSI and the needle is bouncing around? I have a liquid filled gauge which doesn't normally "jitter". I start driving again and another exit up the car dies again. I quickly restart and crawl into the first gas station. I check the fuel pressure and still very low. I also notice there is a large amount of air in my fuel filter? I turn off the car and check the fuel lines, no leaks that I can find? I restart my car and viola, the PSI is back to normal? There is still air in my fuel filter? I don't see bubbles entering my fuel filter? I just see a lot of air?

It sounds as if I am having a vapor lock issue? Is my low PSI directly related to the air in my fuel filter? I've restarted my car several without cutting power to the fuel pump and continue having PSI problems. It seems as though the first time I cut power and reapplied power to the fuel pump it solved the PSI problems?

Bad fuel pump?

Vapor lock from heat or other?

Both?

 

First try removing the gas cap and see if that makes a difference, could be the cap isn't venting. Another possibility is the pump could be crapping out on you, and the air you see in the filter would be from the carb sucking the system dry because the pump can't keep up. Based on your description of the old filter, you obviously had a bit of rust in the old tank. If you don't/didn't have a fuel filter before the electric pump, the rust debris in the gas could have ruined the pump.

 

I tried removing the gas cap with no difference.

The new cap I have is NOT vented. I did vent the billet filler neck however with a tube leading to outside the trunk.

The old gas tank did have a filter but that could have been original also for all I know.

In addition, I do have an inline fuel filter before my fuel pressure regulator which has been clear since installing the new gas tank.

 

The strainer "sock" in the gas tank holds back the bigger chunks, but smaller stuff can get by as you saw you had accumulated in the old filter. For the protection of a fuel pump, it's better to have a filter before instead of after.

 

Did you install a new fuel pickup with the new gas tank. Could have a cracked pickup line inside the tank sucking air after the fuel level drops below the cracked line.

 

Camaro 69, this question is probably directed more toward you.

I'm not sure what type of electric fuel pump he has, but I've been told that most after market, performance fuel pumps push gasoline, not pull; as a result, they need a gravity fed supply of gasoline from the fuel tank like most fuel cell's are designed.

This means that a stock style gas tank that draws from the top of the tank needs a fuel pump that more so pulls gasoline from the tank, instead of a fuel tank that pushes gas to the carb and that by using the wrong fuel pump will cause early failure of the fuel pump.

What are your thoughts? If his fuel pump failed, is it possible he's got the wrong fuel pump for his gas tank?

 

StoveBolts, you bring up a good point. Too many guys are running a rear mounted electric pump without a tank sump though, which makes me think that his problem might be with the pump placement. Kamaro68 said he has "Electric fuel pump mounted next to gas tank", that "next to the tank" could be the problem. Like water, gas seeks it's own level. If his fuel pump is located at the mid-point of the tank for instance (vertically), once the level in the tank got to the mid point, the pump could be running itself out of gas. Like you alluded to, the electric pump doesn't want to be trying to siphon gas uphill. The pump inlet would want to be at the lowest point of his gas tank, so incoming gas is always flowing downhill to it. If it's up higher, he's probably starving the pump. When you read his story, and see when the problem starts, it sounds like a typical case of running out of gas. A picture of his setup could be worth a jillion words here.

 

Yes, I did install a new fuel pickup.

I am betting on the fact that the fuel pump was mounted to the front side of the fuel tank (about even with half full). The installation instructions specified to mount the pump below the bottom of the gas tank. I figured my buddy had the exact same setup and his was mounted this way and never had a problem for about 10 years.

 

I haven't had a chance to change my old fuel pump with my new one.

It's funny you mention that because I've driven the car twice since this post and neither time have I had any problems with fuel starvation. It's probably no coincidence that I haven't had any issues since I filled up my gas tank (full). Time to relocate the "old" pump, I hear the frame is a good place to locate the pump.

Looks like I may be stuck with taking a 15% hit returning this brand new fuel pump back to Summit It could be worse...

Thanks everyone for the responses, very much appreciated!

 

I went with a SUM-G3136-2 - Street & Strip Electric Fuel Pump rated at 105 gph and max pressure of 14 psi.

I'm going with your gravity fed answer...