I'm picking up an '88 Z28 with a bored out 305, headers and *true* dual exhaust. the only problem is that the fuel pump went out. i havent been able to take a close look under the hood, but is the fuel pump in-tank or external? it is carb'ed and some threads ive read say its external but i just want to be sure. that way i can just buy the fuel pump pay him replace it in the parking lot where it sits and drive off...

 

Good luck brother!

The pump is in the tank.
You have to drop the rear, exhuast, and then somehow lower the tank enought to get the pump out. Get some really tall jackstands if your gonna do it in the parking lot. Looking at a minimum of 3 hours, took me 6 (with a lift)but that was one of the 1st things I ever did.

 

If it's carbureted then the pump is on the passenger side of the block next to the frame, it's a 10-15 minute job that can be done in a parking lot. If it's TBI then the pump is in the tank and you have drop the tank to get it....not fun and requires a sturdy jack and stands.

 

ok...if its in tank it's not that big of a deal. i can just send it to my friends shop and have them do it. whats the difference between TBI and carb'ed? I know TPI is fuel injected but i thought TBI was carb'ed.

 

TBI=Throttle Body INJECTION

 

TBI looks just like a carb only the pods on top are controlled by the ECM... thus TBI is fuel injected.

88 IROCS did not come in carb. They either came in 305 TBI, 305 TPI, or 350 TPI. So, your pump is most definitely in the tank.

 

sigh, oh well. only $700 for the car and with all the mods he has done it is still a damn good deal. 305 bored .040 over (that makes it a 312 right?) headers, dual exhaust, fuel pressure regulator, front strut tower brace, and the body is straight. cant get much better than that imo.

edit: oh and his dual exhaust is running no cats gonna suck when i go get it smogged but it's still cool for right now.

edit 2: what about this fuel tank door mod i read about? would that make it easier to do it instead of dropping the rear end and exhaust?

 

ok nevermind i read a little more about it and although it does seem like it will cause less hassle in the future, i don't think i have the skills needed to do it right. i'd rather get my hands dirty anyway.

now another question is, what can i do to narrow the problem down to the fuel pump? i tried cranking it and i know it wants to turn over but it just won't. i didn't get a chance to look in the tb to see if gas was squirting out. he does have an fpr installed along with a fp gauge and a/f gauge in a dual gauge pod in the interior. what numbers should i be seeing on the fp gauge when i try to crank it up? with the car in the "on" position? could it possibly be a relay? fuse? bad wiring? if it is the fuel pump is there a way i could get it started just to get it home? the drive is maybe 5 miles if that so it's not that far. i have replaced a fuel pump before in my '89 ford probe gt but all i had to do to get to that was remove the back seat and there it was. if anyone has any suggestions please let me know. all i have right now is get some carb cleaner and spray it in the tb then try to start it up.

 

The first time my car wouldn't start from this problem, I had someone turn the key while I hit the bottom center of the fuel tank with a rubber mallet. it started up and almost got me home. So you could try it, but be ready for it to cut off. I had a 15 mile drive and got about 11 miles of it before the pump took a dump. Good Luck!

 

You can get any old electric pump from a fuel injected car, splice it inline on the rubber hoses (smaller one feeds the TBI), and suck the fuel through the dead in-tank pump to get it home. I used one from a 1989 Dodge Conquest (it was lying around) to get my car 2 home after my pump crapped out on me 100 miles from home.

Search my posts - you'll find one on replacing the in-tank pump for later - it's not that hard, just time consuming - took me 8 hours, 3 spent going back and forth to parts store LOL.