Hey all. I just installed a new 38 gallon fuel tank from Rock Auto and I cannot get the truck to start. I got the sending unit for a 33 gallon Bronco. the Bronco tank is about two inches deeper than the 38 gallon I have, so I bent the pick up tube a bit to straighten out the angle and reach the bottom of the tank. I shined a flashlight in to the filler tube and saw that the bottom of the filter was very close to the bottom of the tank. I have put in over nine gallons of gas. Now, the truck is backed up my driveway that is on a pretty steep incline, so the front of the truck is facing downwards. I imagine nine gallons would still be enough to get the pickup tube in the fuel. I did not replace any fuel lines from tank to fuel pump, but had no problems before. I have a fuel pressure regulator, pressure gauge and a clear inline filter before the carb. I noticed there was a fair amount of rust particles in the filter. I cleaned it out, but still nothing. Fuel pump is new. Truck starts when I pour some gas in carb and I kept it running for a minute with starting fluid sprayed in carb while running. I've pumped and pumped, but cannot get fuel to the carb. The filter glass is still dry. Is there something I am missing here? Anything I should have done before starting? I hate the thought of there being a clog somewhere in the line because I'm not hyped about the idea of dropping the tank again to replace that line. It is a mechanical fuel pump. Sorry to be so long winded, but I'm getting pretty frustrated. I'm anxious to get back on the road.

 

how much did you crank it? Maybe you just need to get the lines full/primed.

Are you sure you didn't kink the line when you bent it?

 

You're saying you dropped the tank without replacing the line on top? It's possible you've lost siphon due to rotted or cracked hoses.

 

Check the rubber lines for cracks ( air leaks ) There should be one mid truck that links the mettle lines also , I had to replace that once . I had to put air pressure in my tank to force fuel to my carb after it sat for a year .No problems since that . Sounds like you are sucking air , not fuel , or have an air lock . Air will compress , liquid will not .

 

I cranked a long while. And, like I mentioned, I ran it for nearly a minute with starting fluid. I've never replaced a tank before so I'm wondering about having to prime the line, but don't know how. I thought just pumping the gas pedal would bring gas up.

I'm certain I did not kink the pick up tube.

How do I go about pressurizing the tank to force bas up the line?

I checked the fuel lines pretty well and they are in good condition. No cracking, etc.

Just don't get why it is not pulling gas. Frustrating.

 

You can put pressure in the tank with an air compressor . Unhook the fuel line at the carb , put a blow gun in the fill neck , seal with a rag and your hand . Blow till fuel starts to come out the fuel line to the carb , a helper to watch is good at this point . Prime carb bowl , and start engine . That is how I do it .

 

Well, that didn't work out so well. Disconnected fuel line at carb and placed in glass jar. Sealed filler neck with towel and shot air for a while. Girl friend was supposed to tell me when gas started coming out. After a while, I stopped. When I removed the towel gas sprayed ALL over me. Square in the face. Covered from head to toe. In my eyes, couldn't breathe. Luckily I was not smoking a cigar as is habit when working on the truck (not that I would when gas, acetone, brake cleaner, etc. is present anyway). Took 15 minutes of rinsing my eyes.

Anyway, not fun. I'm guessing there must be a clog somewhere. However, maybe there still is just not enough gas in the tank. Nine gallons should be, but if the pickup tube is not in the fuel it can't pick it up...(captain obvious here). I was in a hurry when I started this procedure, but I kind of remember the gas cap being hard to remove. Never been difficult before, but I figured it was because I just painted the filler and the paint was making it stick. What if it was a vacuum created by the fuel pump? If you run out of gas and try to keep cranking doesn't that create a vacuum in the tank? If so, it's probably just not enough gas in the tank. That's ridiculous if it's the case.

 

9 gallons is more than enough ! If it blew back from the fill neck , you have a restriction .Ck lines for blockage .And ck pump .

 

You should have been able to push fuel to the carb . Sounds like an issue to me . GLAD you were not hurt !

 

I'd be damn careful how much pressure you apply to that new tank while attempting to force fuel from the tank to the engine. Those tanks are NOT designed to hold pressure and it would be very easy to destroy it. Did your original tank have the hole on top for a vent? If so does your new tank have the vent? If no vent on the tank you will need to use a vented gas cap to prevent creating a vacuum on the tank during operation. I'm guessing there is no vent based on fuel blowing back out of the filler neck after you pressurized the tank with air.

Try disconnecting the fuel line from the fuel pump where it comes from the tank. With the filler cap off the tank apply no more than 10 psi to the line blowing back toward the tank (reverse flushing the line). If there is no resistance there is not enough fuel in the tank. If there is major resistance you have a clog somewhere in the line. It would help if you can have someone listening for air flow at the filler neck while performing this check.

 

I'd unhook the line from the tank so debris can't get in and blow back through the line from up by the carb and make sure air flows through freely, And along the hard lines on. The frame you need to Check the rubber hoses that separate the hard line. Also if you have a carb that has an internal filter I'd check that too