Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

I've had what seems like vapor lock and poured water on the mechanical pump to solve it but it didn't. The second settling bowl has no gas in it and when I crank the engine some comes in then seems to be sucked back out by the fuel pump thus: https://youtu.be/zvyA6r1ECU0 It looks like a bad fuel pump to me. What do you think.

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

Had same problem once, was sucking air at the fuel bowl gasket.

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

I agree with 51 Merc. It seems that the glass bowl has a propensity to leak air. I had the same problem and solved it by sanding the top of the glass bowl on my surface plate to ensure it was dead flat and installing a new gasket. I've also found that, for some reason, cork bowl gaskets work better then the neoprene ones.

That second sediment bowl on there doubles your chances of this being the problem!

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

You shouldn't get an air leak on the second filter (pushing fuel vs pulling fuel), but might get a fuel leak.

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

Totally agree in this case, but still could be sucking air at the pump gasket.

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

In my best "Homer Simpson" voice : Doh! That's what I get for trying to be funny.

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

I assume your seeing that w ur elec pump off

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

Take the fuel pump off and remove the the fuel bowl and gasket. Now try to rock the fuel bowl in the filter housing. I have found that the the fuel bowl will rock due to distortion of the housing. Try two gaskets or replace the fuel pump or bowl housing.

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

More likely to be a split cork gasket (as it was in my case) Would have to be some serious distortion to require such remedies.

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

This car doesn't have an electric fuel pump. If it did my wife wouldn't have had to tow me twice in the last two days. This is a car I'm selling for the widow of my friend who died last month.

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

Sorry

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

As others have suggested, check the gasket in the sediment bowl on the fuel pump. If you want to coat the cork/rubber gasket, use some Indian Head shellac on both sides of the gasket. Let the shellac set up to where it becomes tacky before you install it. that will insure a tight fit and prevent air/fuel leaks at that part of the pump.

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

Have you tried tightening the star nut on the fuel bowl?

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

Just for fun I tried to get the fuel delivery problem to happen at home. I ran the engine at high idle (probably 2,000 RPM) for at least 5 minutes, which is longer than it would last on the road, watching the stock settling bowl for any signs of air and nothing. Never skipped a beat and never died like it has twice within a mile of home just driving at 30 mph on the level neighborhood streets. Frustrating. Makes me thinks maybe it's fixed itself but can't trust that it has.

If it was a leak either in the settling bowl or fuel line wouldn't it manifest itself at a 2,000 RPM idle for over 5 minutes?

The first I drove it from my friends house to mine Thursday was 20 miles at 65-70 mph on the freeway without any problems. Then made it to a car show a couple of miles away Saturday but didn't make it home. Bewildered.

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

I presume you haven't added any gas since you picked it up? So the gas tank level has been slowly dropping?

It's been a l-o-n-g time but I recall a thread on a shoebox Ford that was losing pump action, and it turned out there is a short section of rubber hose in the steel line, sort of hidden in a section of frame in front of the rear axle. It was a little higher than the rest of the line and it was cracked, letting in air when fuel level dropped, weeping gas when the tank was fairly full. I've never owned a shoebox so it's just "something I read on the internet"....

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

You may be onto something but it was just the opposite for me. The gas was very low driving the 20 miles on the freeway to my house so I filled it up when I got there. Would filling the tank cause the problem? And, why can't I get it to fail at home when I'm not driving on the road?

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

Then maybe you want to blow back into the tank from the filter bowl. You may have stirred up a bunch of loose rust.

Fast idle really doesn't burn near as much gas as going down the road. The line may be partially open.

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

I will do just that. I see a lot of rust at the bottom of the settling bowl.

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

Remove the gas cap and try that. The breather in the cap may be blocked. When you drove it home with low gas in the take it may have had enough air in the tank to get you home. Walt

Re: Bad fuel pump? 51 Custom
 

Here's the gas cap that is on the car.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psas954urr.jpg

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psscje0ecr.jpg

I don't see any sign of a vent in this cap. Should there be on this 51 Custom or is the tank vented some other way?