Help please - fuel problem

[Bob Chadwick]

I know you have to change to an electric fuel pump but I haven't heard anything about a fuel tank swap.

 

[WayneLBurnham]

You may have rust and junk in the tank.

I have a fuel pressure gauge and it's really annoying to watch it drop to "3", then flash "lo" then watch the A/F meters lean out and you head for the side of the road, hoping this time the poor flow will catch up. I even disconnected the inlet fuel line and blew back through it with air - works for a while but then it happens again.

That's with a new 110gph 6.5 psi holley mech pump.

I also have the problem of the bladder being seperated and only having like a 13-14 gallon cap max.

So, before I get a custom tank made that holds 35-45 gals as will be needed for the real engine the whole car was purchased for, I went with a $200 non-bladdered replacement, a Holley blue electric pump with regulator, 1/2" aluminum fuel line, some new Russel or Earl's 8AN real braided high pressure line and a new strainer thingy - which looks WAY too fine for reliability and I think should be a courser brass or larger stone type or that at least I should drill a number of 1/8" holes in it in the top. The vette mechanic said not to do that as it also serves a wicking function besides a filter, but I remain skeptical of this. I have to make the main gasket as it wasn't available for '75's.

It's the next thing I'm putting on....

....assuming the engine shop can find my residual problem after the stupid bronze gear went away in under 2K miles....

How can ANY OF YOU type through the tears - my poor car being in the hospital since YESTERDAY?!?!?! (Oh the pain...the terrible, terrible PAIN!)

After 25-30 years an iron fuel tank will just have a bunch of rust and they are really dirt cheap at all the vette houses lately. For $300-400 you have a whole new fuel system.

 

[bossvette]

Jim,

I have spoken with some people that have done a FI switch, and I think that a fuel tank swap is neded. FI fuel tanks have a sump built into them to minimize the splashing of the fuel from movement of the car. I believe that your L83's fuel tank is different in this way to the L81.

Anyone else Is this Correct?

GerryLP:cool

there are several ways to get around this one is to use two pumps one a low pressure to a small reserve can that the main pump feeds off; the other is to use a baffled tank from an 82 or have your tank modified for FI which is what I did

you can see where the pump assembly was welded in an early non bladder tank ($200 for the tank $495 for the pump install) the pickup is surounded by a can which holds fuel to prevent starvation under acceleration and cornering ( a carb has fuel reserves in the bowls while FI doesn't have this reserve)