Please Help!!
Out of the blue my engine stalled while driving..after several attempts to restart the engine I determined that there was no gas getting into to my glass see thru filter going to the carb.

The fuel pump looked pretty old so I decided to replace the fuel pump and filter.
Bingo!! Plenty of fuel getting to carb and truck ran all day until finally another stalled engine and another empty fuel filter.

I'll admit I had to refer to the installation instructions a few times to be sure I was puttying things back correctly. One piece of instruction said to check the push rod for wear and if necessary replace.

Question..how do I know if the push rod is worn..looked ok to me. That rod has different ends..I placed the smooth end into the block (inserted in hole) and the high hat looking end into what look like an upside down cup. Not sure that was right but again, engine ran great for several hours highway and local driving.
My conclusion is that there was nothing wrong with the old pump and filter to begin with and the original cause of the problem has resurfaced..
Ok..but what could it be??

Any thoughts from you good folks please let me know..otherwise $$$ to my local mechanic which I would prefer to avoid.

 

If the pump is putting out good flow at times, look for fuel supply starvation. Is your cap vented, a must? Does fuel flow freely if you disconnect the line at the bottom of the tank where the shut off valve is? Make sure the gasket at the glass fuel bowl is not leaking. These pumps will not suck fuel if they can suck air.

 

Is the fuel line clean?
Are all the soft lines sound and not collapsed?
Is the gas tank properly vented?

 

No leaks that I can see..I removed the fuel line from the pump to the gas tank and it flowed freely. Lines don't look collapsed or soft anywhere and from what I can tell all lines are clear.
Never had this problem before so can I eliminate the possibility that cap is vented properly?

how can I tell if I'm sucking air some place?? connections seem pretty tight and again, if I was sucking air before, I would hope that I eliminated any such problems when I installed new pump and filter. Maybe I should Just replace all the fuel lines and clean out my gas tank..

 

The stock fuel line from the tank to pump is the low point of the system. All the rust, mud and junk collects in it. They can flow fine one minute, nothing the next. There's honestly no good way to clean it out without removing it, the rust particles set up like concrete. Compressed air may get some out. I'd venture to say you may as well replace the line.

There can also be stuff in the tank that covers the outlet pipe, then is released when the truck stalls. Past experience of people on the forum includes: rust flakes, chunks of RTV, lid liners from fuel additive caps, twigs, etc. With a strong flashlight, you can look down in the tank from the filler opening, after pulling the tube.

 

I'm 99.9% certain the "high hat" end goes against the cam. It is a hardened material.

You can tell if the pushrod is worn by measuring it. Overall length is 10.0625" (10-1/16") when new, it shouldn't be much shorter than that at all. I doubt that's your problem, but I do think you need to flip it.

 

ok..pulled the tank inspected and thoroughly cleaned the tank.

New fuel pump, fuel filter, hoses, clamps, fuel line, bottom of tank fuel valve.

Noticing air bubbles in visible clear glass filter. Normal?? Seems to be running good despite air bubbles.

Am I looking for trouble if I leave alone??

 

New steel lines, too?

Any signs of gas leaking at any of the joints on the suction side (tank to pump)?

 

Experience tells me you probably have a leak at the 'glass filter', AKA sediment bowl, and you are sucking air, hence the bubbles. You're sucking air somewhere.