I have issues with fuel pumps. Who doesn't. LOL
My "project" is a 1982 F150 300-6

I am replacing the fuel pump every few months. What happens is, I put in a new fuel pump and not 3 months later I get less and less flow until I cant get up to highway speeds anymore.

The tank I draw from is new, all the rubber fuel lines have been replaced. I am currently going around the tank switcher valve so thats not in the picture.

I dont drive this truck every day, but I do drive it to work a few days every few weeks and on most weekends.

I cant seem to get a fuel pump that will last. I buy from O'reillys and lately they have only had 1 option in the store. Where can I get a "quality" fuel pump that will last longer than a few months?

I tried Jegs, but they only have V8 versions listed.

 

I am sorry to hear of your problems, kdbenton, and I also want to hear others suggestions.

My 1986 4.9L with 168,000 miles still has the original fuel pump.

 

Stay away from Airtex fuel pumps and pumps like that, they don't last. I have a Napa branded fuel pump which is made by Federal Mogul - which makes Carter products. The pump has been on there for over a year now and still works like new. Look on Summit Racing's website for a Carter fuel pump, they have quite a few of those for all different engines on there. Can't really find them many other places.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cr...-150/year/1982

Actually, there you go lol. They cost a little more than the Oreilly's pump but I've found Carter to be a very good brand for fuel pumps.

 

Unfortunately because not so many mechanical pumps are sold these days, manufactures go to secondary suppliers (China) to maintain a desired profit margin. So, the end consumer gets a crappy quality part, but the companies that make and sell it keep their margins. Brought to you by American business

 

Thought I would let everyone know what I did this weekend to fix this issue.
While the fuel pump might have been weak, I dont believe that it was the whole issue. I replaced the fuel pump with one from Napa, still had the same issue. On closer inspection, I found that the clear plastic fuel filter wasn't filling up with gas, in fact, it barely showed any gas at all while the truck was running.

I had read one of Gary's posts about fuel lines sucking air, and lo and behold, the lower clamp fastening the rubber fuel line to the metal fuel line had "loosened". I dont know how it could have loosened 4 turns, but it did. That fixed the fuel supply issue.

While I was under the hood I decided to do some other things to see what I could do about the rough running and cold natured issues I was having. Again, I took inspirations from posts that I read this week and recalibrated the choke using the WOT method. That fixed the cold natured issues I was having, but was still running rough.

Since I hadn't looked at the spark plugs since I put new ones when I first got this project, I pulled the front spark plug. This plug was covered in a light brown crusty crap that completely covered the gap between the electrode and the anode. I cleaned that off, checked the gap and moved on to the others. All the other plugs had some degree of the same crap all over them. After cleaning them all off, the old girl runs like a well oiled sewing machine... I did tweak the carb a little, but overall she runs like a new one now.

I looked up the "crap" in the Haynes manual and it attributed this to either oil seeping thru the valve guides, which is entirely possible considering how long this truck sat before I got it. OR additives in the gas, the suggestion was to change brands of gas.

Regardless of what caused it, I now know to check the plugs more often. I appreciate the guys in this forum and the wisdom you share with all of us.