Hello
the car is an 89 firebird, with a carbeurated 350. I was using the in tank pump until this afternoon, it decided to die.

So I have a few questions.

The pump is hardwired to an on/off switch in the dash. The fuel gauge is broken.
Last night, I was almost home, and the car died, I figured I miscaculated how much fuel was in the tank. so this morning I splashed a few gallons of gas in it, and it fired up, I went to the gas station and was surprised I was only able to put 5 gallons into it.
It started sputtering on the way home, and it died in the parking lot of a busy bookstore during xmas traffic! people werent very happy. I put my ear to the fuel filler and could not hear the pump running.
So my first question is this: I always thought a pump died and that was it, I didnt know it was possible for it to die then work again. So is it the pump? or could it be the switch overheating? I have 4700miles on this switch with no problem until last night.

My second question is: can I put a mechanical on there and hope it will pull fuel through the dead pump in the tank?

my 3rd queston is: should I have a sump put on the tank and run a external electric like the Holley Blue?
I am worried that when I take the pump out, the lines on the sending unit will snap(had this happen to my s-10) and I will have to spend 300 bucks for a new one. How likely is this? Would it be worth it to just risk it? or put the sump on and bypass the sending unit?
The cost of a sump welded on, a sump, and the electric Holley pump is about 275, so either way, I figure the price will be about the same.

My 4th and most important question is:
What the Hell do I have to do to take the tank out of the car? What do I have to take out? looks like the axel is in the way? How long does this usually take?

Also, since it has a full tank of gas(of course) how do I get the fuel out of the tank to make it easier to lower?

Thanx in advance for the replies!!!

 

to get the tank outta your car you need to drop the rear-end and then pull the tank out

i would run an external pump, easier to fix but they're a bit louder..

i would think that maybe the pump is overheating so it stops working? another thought is maybe you aren't getting spark?

you say that the car runs and then dies when it gets hot.. that sounds like a pickup coil problem (easy to change, costs 10 bucks)

just a few more ideas to throw in the mix

 

If it were mine, I believe I would go to the dealer and get the sending unit & pickup assembly for a carbed car, which would take care of your gas gauge problem too, maybe; drop the tank and put that in, and put a mechanical pump on it. The stock pump for my car (look it up for a 84 305 "G" which is the engine code for the L69) is plenty for a 400 I had in it for a long time.

To get the fuel out, the best way might be to disconnect the fuel line at the fuel filter and hook a hose up to it, add a little air pressure to the tank, and run the hose to a container (other car's gas tank?) to catch it as it gets forced out.

To get the tank out, you have to drop the rear end, all you have to do there is remove the shocks and it will lower quite a bit; you might want to unhook the rubber brake line to keep it from getting ripped in half; pull the Panhard bar, and that brace above it; and lower the exhaust, and remove the muffler heat shield. The rear springs will fall out, so now would be a great time to put in new ones, and all that's left holding the shocks in will be their nuts, so they're easy to change too. You'll have to take the filler neck loose from the trim panel up around the gas cap.

It's really not that hard as long as your hardware isn't rusted solid in place from salt or whatever. It will take a while of course and you'll get dirty, but it's not as bad as it looks.

 

one more idea..

why don't you check your fuel pressure before ripping your car apart and finding out that might not be the problem

later man
Colin

 

Im positive its the pump, becuz it is wired to an on/off switch, and when the switch is on, it doesent do anything.

 

did you check resistance on the wire? maybe the switch is bad?

 

I dont know dick about electrical. How do I check for a bad switch?

but I dont think it is the switch becuz it died last night, and it started back up, then it was sputtering earlier today before it finally kicked it.

but, the switch really isnt very big...its only 10amps or so...

can a switch go intermintentally bad? I always thought the switch would just blow and that would be it...

But, upon thinking about it a little bit, last night I accidentally left the fuel pump on all night, which in the past has killed the battery.

 

Yes, a switch can be intermittent...

Just check for 12V on both sides of the switch when it's in the "On" position. Think of it as a gate that lets power through. Either power does get through, or it doesn't, or the switch is toasted and it has high resistance or is otherwise fornicated.

 

Yea, RB's right about the tank and sender unit. You might as well have a working fuel guage.
A fuel pump will do exactly what you have experianced, on off, on off. My old blazer's fuel pump decided to go out one day 15 miles from home. I could start it and drive for 3 minutes before it clunked out again then would have to wait 10 more minutes to start again.
Do you have a boss for the mechanical fuel pump on your engine? If not your gonna have to get an electrical pump and they are noisy but fairly cheap and easy to replace.
Good Luck.
SSC

 

If you use an externl pump of any kind (block mounted or electrical) you're gonna want to dig the old dead electrical pump outta the tank regardless. It's presents a pretty good restriction to drawing fuel out of the tank if it's not running. If your engine is not a high performance one then maybe you can jsut slap a mechanical pump on the block and it'll work fine. It will DEFINITELY run by doing this, but it may not be able to keep up at WOT/high RPMs with a stout motor.