Quick history, my Z28 was originally a tpi. some one took it out put in a carbed 305, I removed that and put in a carbed 350. that said I dont think the guys that swapped the original 305 did it right. As in I dont think they dropped the tank and pulled the original fuel pump in the tank. Now the fuel pump is mechanical on the side of the block.

I am having a little trouble where my car acts like it is starved for gas at times. Should I put in a new pickup in the tank? or is the non working fuel pump not even an issue? I didnt realize that there was a filter by the tank so I am going to try changing that also.

 

Unless you rerouted the fuel lines around the old pump, you should remove it as the dead pump acts as a restriction to fuel flow. The other option is not to use the mechanical pump and use the stock in-tank pump with a pressure regulator to drop the pressure down to what the carburetor can use.

 

is there an easy way to reroute the lines or do i still have to drop the tank? also i dont believe the fuel pump actually works so i would just like to avoid using it.

 

You could also try blowing compressed air back into the fuel tank through the fuel line, this is supposed to destroy the check valve in the fuel pump and remove some restrictions, but I never tried it. Otherwise, you still have to get into the tank, or make a new opening at the bottom of the tank for a fuel pick up. Considering the age of the car, you may want to look into putting in a new tank to avoid further problem with rust and deposits clogging things up.

 

Try changing the filter by the tank before dropping it. It might have had so much crap in it that it's clogged all to hell. Do you have a fuel pressure gauge? This is useful in troubleshooting. Also check that your fuel lines are routed away from the exhaust. When I put my engine in, the original fuel line ran right next to the header collector (never noticed it) and I had a problem with vapor lock (left me stranded on the way to the air port.) Ran a completely new fuel line from the tank to the fuel pump and it runs much better. It was eating filters too, one a week or so due to all the rust deposits in the tank. That might be something to watch as well.

 

The rear fuel filter has already been bypassed, I found out today. I am going to go ahead and change the filter on top of the motor and I am thinking about dropping the tank still and cleaning it out but I am going to wait until I get new shocks and struts and do it all at once. I also have to wait until I get another car or my bike fixed. I am definitely going to check the lines I am pretty sure they do run near the headers.

I dont think this would be my issue of the sputtering when I first press the accelerator but I do think it will be an issue eventually. Is this pressure gauge sufficient? http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/763500/10002/-1 I am going to get the 0-100 one if so.

 

The gauge looks OK, but you don't want a 0-100 gauge for a mechanical pump. Your pump is only putting out somewhere in the neighborhood of +/- 8 psi. You won't be able to read your true pressure down that low on a 100 psi gauge because the numbers are so tightly compressed.

 

Yeah, a 0-15 will work fine, but remember you need some place to install it that has a 1/8" NPT fitting. I bet you could find something with hose barb ends and the female fitting, then just splice into your fuel line. You could also go to harbor freight and get a cheap fuel pressure tester if you just want it for diagnostics.

 

i didnt realize that the pressure was only 8 psi. I will get the 0-30 instead
also there is a fitting on the bottom of that page so i can splice it in so I will order it today and let you know what my pressure is