[67drake]

I just got this ‘63 LeMans about 2 months ago. My wife picked it up in Denver and drove it back here to Wisconsin. On the trip home she described it as having a intermittent fuel starvation issue, where it would buck and sometimes stall.
When I got the car home I found a clamp on a metal to rubber fuel line, between the tank and mechanical pump, not tightened. I tightened it up , put a new inline filter in,and have drove the car 1000 miles since!
Now last week I’m going down the road with the wife and it starts to stumble and act like it’s running out of fuel. I turned around and limped home.
Here’s the set up, in order- tank, mr. gasket 12s pusher pump, in-line fuel filter, mechanical pump, Quadrajet.
So a few questions. The Mr. gasket pump has a filter on the inlet side. Do I really need a second filter between the pusher pump and mechanical pump?
When I turn the ignition on and have the pusher pump switched on the pump sounds like it’s operating, BUT I get no fuel up at the carb inlet. This is with engine not running. Shouldn’t the pusher pump alone give me gas at the carb with the engine off? I figured that’s why the previous owner installed it. Is it possible to have the pusher pump whining, but not really working?
Thanks!
Link to electric pump-
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mrg-12s

[Bill Hanlon]

I think it is allergic to your wife. Only time it fails.

[geeteeohguy]

I had this same issue 35 years ago and it was a collapsed sock on the fuel pickup inside the tank. Removed the sock and no issues since. Yes, you should have fuel at the carb with the pusher pump on.

[DOC]

Make sure tank is vented somehow and not plugged with mud daubers

[Radman]

I had that issue on one of my 62 Tempests. Something in the pick-up/sending unit would just close off the fuel flow. That car has an electric pump at the tank and a block-off plate where the mechanical pump went. I have a return style pressure regulator and added a return line to the tank from the regulator. I also have a vented cap on the tank. I had pulled the sending unit and removed the sock (I have a filter in front of and after the electric pump). Still had the intermittent block condition. Could use an air hose and blow air into the tank from the fuel line. I ended up swapping the feed and return lines at the tank. Have not had the problem in two years now. And I drive that car everywhere. It usually happened when going up a steep hill, where the engine would be demanding more fuel.

[tom s]

Do you still have the manual pump on the engine?Tom

[67drake]

Originally Posted by tom s

Do you still have the manual pump on the engine?Tom

Yes.

[tom s]

I run a filter between the engine pump and the carb,thats all.Tom

[67drake]

The cap is vented.
The other replies- yes I thought of the sock in the tank, as that happened on my ‘62 Mercury, but when that clogged, it would slowly run down to idle, and eventually not even idle after a while. Like it slowly clogged. This acted up, then cleared up, then acted up, ect. I took it out yesterday, and like 30 seconds after it had one of those hiccups, I could floor it and it was fine. I’m not saying it can’t be something in the tank, but was hoping to do that as last resort, seeing as how I just topped it off, of course.
I just figured even with the sock clogged, if the pusher pump was working, I’d at least get a dribble out. This put zero out at the carb with the line off. But yet I can drive down the road for awhile. Maybe it’s just running off of the mechanical pump, and pulling fuel through the electric?

[67drake]

Originally Posted by tom s

I run a filter between the engine pump and the carb,thats all.Tom

That makes more sense to me, as I figured a restriction between the mechanical pump and tank is a no no, but obviously it had worked for the guy who had the car before me. I can’t really say what type of driving he did though. Around me is all rural, so it’s almost 100% highway speed driven.

[Schurkey]

The Mr Gasket fuel filter looks like one from a Ford six-popper. They were screwed directly into the carb inlet--intended for use in a pressure application, not suction. But no telling what MrG has produced or sourced.

If that MrG pump won't push fuel through the engine-driven pump, it's not doing you any good. Does it move fuel when disconnected from the engine-driven pump?

[Tom Vaught]

I have always run a screen remote filter from Oberg at the fuel tank
400 series unit.

https://www.obergfilters.com/wp-cont...s-Oct.2018.pdf.

115 Absolute Micron Flow Rate in GPM* 22 / 16 and remove the sock on non-efi applications.

Mallory
Model Series 110 Fuel Pump Gas

Mallory High Performance Fuel Pump delivers 110 plus GPH free flow @ 12.5 volts. Hardware is supplied. Part # 29256

The old Holley RED & Blue vane pumps were not so good and needed cleaning often.


Tom V.

[Jay S]

The strainer before the electric fuel pump is for applications that don’t have the strainer on the fuel pickup. If you end up pulling the strainer off you will want to keep it on there. They usually have a small screen on the electric fuel pump that plugs up fast without a pre-filter.

I always run a filter before the pump like Tom V posted. After 50 years the strainer often are either not doing much and have a hole some were or plugged at some point and were removed.

[tom s]

When I built my 63 421 Tempest like 22-23 years ago we put a new sock on the pickup when we modified the pickup for number 8 hose which goes to my electric pusher,can remember which Holley blue or red.No filters anywhere before or after to the Carter street pump.Run a 3/8 metal from the pump to a 3/8 factory type AC fuel filter before the carbs.Have not had a issue with the pusher in thousands of street miles and some racing in the early years.These days it only used for priming between weekends.I guess if you start with a really good tank and don’t get bad gas the Xtra filters are not that important.FWIW,Tom

[67drake]

Originally Posted by Schurkey

If that MrG pump won't push fuel through the engine-driven pump, it's not doing you any good. Does it move fuel when disconnected from the engine-driven pump?

I don’t know, I’ll try that today.

[67drake]

Thanks for all the info guys.
I kinda got sidetracked ( found bad u joints while back by the tank) and only had so much time to devote yesterday. I plan on seeing if I have flow before the mechanical pump today. I also have a replacement electric pump coming next week, in case it’s needed. If that doesn’t work, I’ll be dropping the tank and checking the pickup screen condition, and see what condition the inside of the tank is in.

[67drake]

Exact replacement pump arrived today, Mr. Gasket 12s. I haven’t had time to work on the car since I posted this thread. Anyway the package says right on the front this is a gravity feed pump! Well the one on my car is mounted higher than the tank. Might be the whole problem!

[67drake]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

I have always run a screen remote filter from Oberg at the fuel tank
400 series unit.

https://www.obergfilters.com/wp-cont...s-Oct.2018.pdf.

115 Absolute Micron Flow Rate in GPM* 22 / 16 and remove the sock on non-efi applications.

Mallory
Model Series 110 Fuel Pump Gas

Mallory High Performance Fuel Pump delivers 110 plus GPH free flow @ 12.5 volts. Hardware is supplied. Part # 29256

The old Holley RED & Blue vane pumps were not so good and needed cleaning often.


Tom V.

Tom, did you have to run a regulator with that pump. The website said it’s set for 7 psi, which should be good for my Quadrajet without a regulator.

[carbking]

I had the same problem others have commented on the sock; although my car sat for 28 years while I was working on other folks carburetors When we dropped the tank, we found not only was the sock clogged, so was the pickup tube.

As far as the filter BEFORE the pump:

We were a WD for Carter maybe 4 decades ago; when Carter brought out the rotary electric fuel pump. We, as well as other WD's, had a fairly high failure rate. I had put one on my own car, and it worked great; and then it didn't. Sawed it in half, and found the rotor seized with small rust debris. Called friends at Carter Customer Service. They said thanks. Called me back about 30 minutes later; and confirmed they did the same with a couple of warranty pumps.

The next shipment of the pumps came with a neoprene hose and an inline filter attached to the pump inlet side.

Issue disappeared.

That filter is to protect the pump, and (opinion) is an excellent idea.

Jon.

[tom s]

I have never ran a reg with the Carter street mech pump.Tom