1966 won't start- thinking fuel pump

[silverflash]

So my girl friend has a 1966 toronado deluxe that she recently inherited. It has had some carb work and fuel line work on it recently before she got it- i think and was running a few days ago fine. Now, it will not start at all. it will crank over till the battery dies. Recharge and it repeats.

I pulled the air cleaner off and mashed the throttle, no gas is squirting into the carb.

I then pulled the fuel line from the pump to the carb and no fuel squirts out while trying to start.

At this point, i am thinking the fuel pump is gone? Maybe it could also be the fuel line from tank or the tank pickup sock?? Figure do the easiest job first?

I have zero experience with older cars bit enough on newer ones.

I am considering just replacing the fuel pump as it's a $20 part.

I took a look at where it is and it sits under the alternator and an engine bracket of sorts.

Not sure if this can me gotten to easy from underneath.

any tips on replacing the pump? What has to be removed to get to it and any cavetas when i do replace it?

or am i barking up the wrong tree?

fyi, the gas gauge reads 1/2 and he added about 2.5 gallons of fresh fuel today........

thanks!!!!!

[Mikel]

You have to move the AC compressor and alternator out of the way to get to the fuel pump. Before you change the pump, you might want to unplug the fuel line going to it and make sure you can get fuel to come out it. If you have a blockage elsewhere, a new pump is not going to help you.
Good luck.

[silverflash]

so i removed alternator, quite easy. with that gone i could then remove the bracket that attaches to the motor that holds the alternator and part of the ac compressor. removed that and i can unbolt the fuel pump no problem.


i ordered a new pump and it will be here tomorrow. i do have a concern though.

it's about the rod that the pump is actuated by from inside the engine.

now this fuel pump seems to be installed upside down, by design, meaning the hose connections sit on top of the pump versus all of the others i have seen where the hose connections are under the pump.

more importantly, the videos i have watches on chevy small block pump install state to make sure the pushrod for the pump coming out from camshaft is ABOVE the pump lever.

Does this apply to this toronado where the pump and lever is upside down?

So my question is, when i go to re-install the pump, where should the pushod inside be? towards to top of motor or below? Where does the fuel pump's lever ride in relations to the pushrod? under or above it?

oreilly's also said that this part, as well as others, are not good with ethanol in gas like today. i searched online and found others that are. Why would precision make a pump that can get ruined by ethanol in gas or maybe the sales guy just didn't know what he was talking about?


thanks!!

part should be here tomorrow.....so a quick response is greatly appreciated!

[Mikel]

This is a 403... Shouldn't be any different from a 455 in that regard.

[silverflash]

This is a 403... Shouldn't be any different from a 455 in that regard.

this is exactly what i was looking for!!!!!

it's true. a picture is worth a 1000 words!!!

No rod to worry about just looks to slide right in..

I am guessing i may have to push it in harder if the lobe on the eccentric happens to be pushing against the lever but that should be easy enough..or am i wrong? Would i def have to rotate engine or can i get it in regardless of what position the eccentric is in?



thanks!!!!

[Mikel]

No need to rotate the engine. It is normal to feel some resistance if the arm is leaning against the eccentric.

[silverflash]

well, got the pump in and tightened everything down.

charged battery, cranked up and it caught but then died. tried again, it caught and died. guessing air in lines or something but more importantly, there is a leak at the fuel pump.

crap.

it's leaking from the fitting that comes from the carb and threads into that saucer shaped thing on the side of the fuel pump. i am not sure what that thing is.

anyhow, i didn't use any kind of thread sealant or tape on that. should have i? i torqued it down really snug, maybe too tight???

looks like i can get to that fitting without removing the alternator so will try unthreading it and applying some sealant.

thoughts on this? are you supposed to use sealant of the threads and if you don't will you always get leaks?

thanks...

[Mikel]

Flared fittings don't need tape.

The best explanation I've heard for the saucer shaped thingie is that it is meant to absorb the pulses from the pump. Probably unnecessary, given that most pumps don't use them.

[Doc Hubler]

Not sure what the status of your engine is, but you should make sure the eccentric, otherwise known as an oil slinger, is not damaged so that your fuel pump works properly. To do this, remove the timing cover and check to be sure that the gears and chain are in good order while you're at it. The original ones had the nylon gear teeth which come apart, then of course the car will stop running when the chain mechanism goes. If you find that's the case, you'll have to remove oil pan and clean all the pieces of nylon out of the oil strainer on the pickup tube as they will get sucked into that area. Looks like the one in this picture has already had the gears/chain replaced. That might be why the cover is off I guess. My Toro 425 engine had never had timing gears and chain replaced in about 140,000 miles, and the nylon gear teeth were gone. Engine ran and sounded good, but it was clearly running on borrowed time. The oil slinger had some wear/fatigue where it attached to the cam and had to be replaced.

[silverflash]

it was running fine till just recently when it failed to start and no gas was getting to the carb.

after replacing the pump it fired up but then died. tried again and it caught but died again.

thinking that maybe there is just air in the line that has to be worked out, maybe like priming the pump?

anyhow, i don't think the fuel line running from the carb to the fuel pump is a flared type though i may be wrong. the end that screws into the fule pump is just like a big brass plug/bolt.

I will admit i don't have a good education on things like this so i may be wrong.

i am going to seek out some help as to what really kind of fitting it is. hopefully it's the npt type and i just need some teflon paste around it and tighten down.

it may be that someone has "modified" the fule line from carb to fuel pump as my gf's brother seems to have done some things in the past to "make it work".

any tips or advice regarding how to differentiate between flared fittings and npt (threads that need teflon) is greatly appreciated!!!