Fuel pump stuff (everybody take a look)

[Cody Forbes]

Roy Wendell wrote:
> I couldn't agree more. I went through a similar episode last year.
> Installed a brand new pump roadside after the previous one stopped
> dead with no warning. I decided to leave the stainless steel screen
> on the new pump because I suspected that the old one had died due to
> ingestion of rust and general tank crud. Big mistake. Even after
> doing my best to wipe up the crud in the bottom of the sump before
> installing the new pump, it only got me about ten miles down the road
> before it started screaming and the engine cut out. After sitting for
> a few minutes the car would start right back up, pump quiet, and run
> for about a minute before the noise came back and the engine would
> die again. In desparation I managed to get back home by starting the
> car, accelerating, shutting of the engine and coasting, followed by
> restarting to accelerate again. I managed to drive about forty miles
> by running the engine for about a minute at a time. Every time,  just
> after the restart, the pump would start making noise which would
> increase in volume right up to the point when it would scream like
> the tank was empty at which point I had no more power.

Thats exactly what happened to me except that I was 120 miles from my 
destination!!


> best I could. ****WARNING-although most shop vacs now keep the motor
> cooling air and vacuum air paths separate there is still the
> possibility of explosion due to fuel vapors passing through the
> motor. At a minimum you should do as I did and use the exhaust side
> of the shop vac to ventilate the tank for at least a day. The inside
> of the tank should be bone dry with no dark areas visible. If you
> blow yourself up don't send your lawyers my way. I'm just an idiot
> who can't afford to pay someone else to fix my cars nor can I afford
> a new one. Don't bother suing.****

Don't use a vacuum, thats not a good situation no matter how it's lain out. 
Use some 3/8" fuel line and create a siphon, then use the suction from the 
siphon to get the stuff out. Thats a lesson from fish tank cleaning ;-). I 
got the tank spic-n-span loosing only maybe half a gallon of fuel or less.

-Cody Forbes
http://www.5000tq.com
'87 5ktq - Fast.
'86 5ktqCD
'86 5k
'86 5k