86 C2500 350 4bbl

[Cowman85]

Thats what i thought of today, dont know why it didnt hit me earlier but hindsight is 20/20 right.
I bought 10ft of 1/4inch fuel hose, disconnected the smaller inline on the fuel pump and stuck the other end in a 30L gas can. put a bit of gas in the carb and fired her up, it fired ran for about a second then started choking, if will not idle proper for the 3-5 seconds it usually does when you dump some fuel in it.
I guess there could be air in the line, but wouldnt the pressure suck it through though?
I double checked the pump when installing and made sure the spring was under the bolt, i'm hoping its just a lemon of a new pump but we'll see, i will be testing it this week by taking it off and trying to hand pump it.

initially when i first bought the truck it died twice on the way back, once at the end of the block, 2 km down the road, and then again a couple of km after that. Each time it took some gas in the carb and some pumping to get her fired up again, and it would last around 5-10 minutes. Once in a while it would kinda lag out or miss on the highway but a quick pump or 2 and it was ok. These are the symptoms that i can describe.

[Cowman85]

good news, i bought 14ft of 3/8" and 1/4" and ran them from the box of the truck to the fuel pump, i filled the lines with gas to start and then fed them into the 30L gas can. She works like a dream, too bad its not a tercel then i wouldnt have to change the tank!
would it be worth a new tank @ $150 or a used one from the wreckers?
the only problem with the wreckers is that the tank is probably dirty and living in an apartment find it not one the most desirable tasks to deal with. Is there an efficient and low cost solution to this?

[HAULIN IT]

Dirt, rust & crud in a tank can be a real pain. Why go through the trouble of changing it to end up with similar problems? Buy a new one & be done with it. Lorne

[TexasRed]

A new one or a fuel cell.

[Cowman85]

i figured as much, oh well, i guess better to get it done now than down the road.

as for the fuel line configuration (i'm still waiting on the other guy to drop my manual off), there is the 3/8 (main) then the 1/4 (pinhole size) as far as i can tell they run from the pump then bridge near the rear axle splitting to its L or R tank, this is where the tank switch is right?

would it do much to stick an inline fuel filter in before the fuel pump? if so what kind etc?

is it worth rebuilding your carb or should i just get a new one? the one that i have is really dirty, carb cleaner didnt do much to it, i cant really afford the downtime but if its quick enough then it would be worth it for me.

thanks for the input guys

[choptop]

I put my inline fuel filter between the steel line in front(3/8) ,where it comes out the frame, and the fuel pump. As far as the carb, its cheaper to rebuild than replace, but your ability. Some cant rebuild carbs. Im retarded, I can rebuild a Q-Jet, but Holleys scare me?

[Cowman85]

does anyone know if the haynes manuals are actually good for this? i know in some areas they are quite brief and non descriptive.
i do believe it to be a rochester but she is so dirty i would have to double check, carb rebuild kit would run me how much do you know?

what model of filter did you use? does it slow the flow down at all? does it make a good difference in the end?

[choptop]

I had a neighbor teach me how to rebuild them years ago, but I did find a book on q jets alone that shows some pretty good tips. Key thing is just remembering howto put  it back the way you took it apart. You basically are just replacing the gaskets, needle and seat and setting the fuel float level. I am not sure how well the haynes covers it. I will look later today.
  As far as the filter, I just bought an A/C Delco inline filter with the right ends for thehoses. It doesnt have to be anything special. It helps keep trach from entering your pump, doesnt restrict fuel flow, and is alot easier to replace than the one in the carb. I removed the one in the carb when I put the inline in. The problem with the one in the carb, is it is real easy to cross thread the filter housing, and then you are in trouble.

[Cowman85]

right on, i will go get one later today, since this truck only has 152 original km on it i am trying to keep her in the best shape possible. i almost crossed that a few times but managed not to. So you only stuck one on the 3/8 line right, the 1/4 line hole is so small it looks like a bleeder or vacuum hole, you just left that one as is right?

[choptop]

The 1/4 inch line is a return line to the tank, no need to worry about it. I forgot to answer a question earlier, the rebuild kit I bought the last time was about $25. The only thing is you need the number off of the carb to get the right kit. (The parts guys around here really freak out if you dont have it. If I remember right it is on the front corner of the carb on the throttle linkage side. I dont remember for sure. One of you guys please help me out here, I am having a senior moment.

[Cowman85]

thanks as always!

[Cowman85]

ok i have yet to pull the tanks and it was -40 here so i just fed enough line up to the front of the box and put a 30L jerry can strapped in, strapped the hoses down and poof i am in business.
The truck ran like a top for a while but now when you hit the gas sometimes it will cut out completely and almost stall if you give it more gas, if you let off the peddle it will idle with no issue, i pull over let it sit for a couple a seconds and i'm good to go. But it happens during almost all heavy acceleration and hills.
When i got home i took the air housing off and looked at the line, sure enough there was a wet spot under the line on the fuel intake, then a drip, and a couple seconds later another drip. The thing is it only does it when i'm driving, if its sitting there idling parked, doesnt matter how much you rev it on and off it doesnt cut out, only when a load is introduced.
I will go out there and take it off again, and add some thread tape to it to make sure it is sealed properly, but in the meantime anyone every run into this problem?

[choptop]

The stalling out could be the float being set too low or the accelerator pump in the carberator. Is the original filter still in the carb? When I put my inline filter in, I removed the filter in the carb completely. Also, make sure none of the fuel lines are kinked.

[Cowman85]

The original filter is still in the carb, i have changed it twice so far just in case, i will be able to to put an inline filter before the fuel pump in the next few days. As for the carb i will need to get a book and also clean it off so i can find out the model.
The line in from the fuel pump to the carb is twisted a little bit at the top, i have yet to find a replacement. The truck ran fine for 2 weeks with that slight twist so i dont think it is that.

[Cowman85]

ok, so a more apparent symptom now. When i step on the gas (or just cruising) the engine will cut out before like i said before, but if you keep your foot in the same place it stops accelerating (almost stalls/low idle) then goes back to accelerating, almost like a clock if you catch my drift. accel pause pause accel pause pause accel, until finally it stops for a few blocks. Hopefully somebody knows what i am talking about cause i am in the middle of school right now and cant afford much if at all.