[Esther]

Yesterday was spent debugging the newly installed powersteering pump. It was making a groaning noise still. Today I drove up from 2400 ft to about 9000 ft and due to my fantastic driving, stalled the truck on a tiny hill. Started it up and drove to level ground (about 20 feet) and it stalled again, but this time not my fault. I tried starting it again but it would not start. I tinkered with it for about 20 min and then, in frustration, cranked the heck of it and it turned over. Thinking it was some kind of vapor lock due to the higher elevation and the "bounce" up the tiny hill, I drove down the road about a mile to a trail head and parked. Of course, it was the wrong trail, so I tried starting it again and no start. Same as before, I tinkered for 20 min, cranked the heck of it, it started and I made it home AOK
This is what I observed during my tinkering, maybe you guys can help me figure this out. The fuel level in the site glass on the carb showed no fuel in the bowl during the 20 min tinkering time. When I did get the thing running, the fuel level in the bowl seems to be low, both at 9000 feet and 2400 feet elevation. If I can figure out what controls the fuel level in the bowl, my problem might be solved. My idle speed is at 700, the mixture screw still has the factory metal cap over it, so I know that was not messed with at any time. Is there a vacuum control that controls the level of fuel in the bowl? if so, what is it called. i was thinking it may be the fuel pump, but the truck only has 120000 miles on it. My gut tells me it has to be some kind of vacuum issue keeping the bowl from filling. What do ya'll think?
btw, no more groaning noise in ps pump.
John

[cruiser88]

Well the float level should be half way. So I would look at the fuel pump

[Esther]

So, the fuel pump is the only thing that controls the amount of fuel in the bowl? I have been reading something about timing being off, but mine seems to run OK.
Sometimes when I start out from a light, there is a slight chug-chug thing that happens, but I just press in the clutch, give it more gas, and all is good. I always thought that was just me driving bad, but if I have a fuel pump that is faulty of a vacuum issue, I can fix that.
Is there a way to test for bad fuel pump?
John

[2mbb]

The level in the fuel bowl is controlled by the float and the needle valve. Just like the float in your flush toilet, the fuel lifts the float to close the needle valve. To adjust the fuel bowl level you will need to remove the top of the carburetor. My recommendation is to remove the carburetor from the engine if you are going to attempt this.

As mentioned by cruiser88, low bowl level can also occur if the fuel pump is going out or gone. In this case, the fuel leaves the bowl faster than it can come in. If by "tinkering" you mean you are cranking the engine over trying to get to get it to run, and the fuel bowl didn't fill with in a few seconds, then I will also suggest there might be a problem with your fuel pump.

[KayakPanic]

...and a good way to decipher which of the two problems is to test the fuel system.

1) disconnect the the smaller fuel line, either at the fuel pump, or at the carb. As you are cranking the heck out of it, have someone else look and see how much fuel is advancing out on to the ground (or better, a plastic cup if disconnected at the carb). If this is irregular, or if there is no fuel, than I would guess it is the fuel pump or the fuel lines are blocked. you can remove them, blow them out and try this again.

2) conversely, you can disconnect the fuel line on the fuel filter side (pref. behind the filter), and get a small cup of gas (put like 8 oz. in a 12 oz. cup). put the black hose from behind the fuel filter and then again crank the heck out of it. this will also test to see if the pump is advancing the right ammount of fuel or not. this would also test to see if there is a fuel line blockage behind the filter.

3) it also could be dirty jets in the carb that need cleaning. you could test these by removing the air cleaner, and having someone else rev the engine, to see if gas is spraying into both sides of the carb evenly, below the butterfly.

have you been cleaning the heck out of the whole thing with carb cleaner when "tinkering?"

Also, i had a problem in my FJ40 with rust from the gas tank getting into the carb system and fouling things up. I would use starting fluid to get it going again, by spraying into the top of the carb with the aircleaner off, and eventually it would burn the deposits down enough to run again (a great MacGuyver move!). try this next time and see what happens...

have you checked the fuel filter condition, by removing the filter and the blowing it out or draining it to see if it is clogged? i blow both in line and against the grain when doing this. I also cup my hand and when i blow into it, because i don't like the flavor of gasoline...

[Esther]

I replaced the fuel pump and my problems went away. The random and inconsistent chug-chug from a stop light is gone, float/fuel level in site glass is centered. Thanks for all the tips for this non-mechanic. Searching the forums and reading was great too, but the tips given in reply to my post were most helpful.
John

[cruiser88]

This place rocks

[KayakPanic]

'nuff said!

[FJnewbie]

Originally Posted by cruiser88

This place rocks

x1000!

[slcfj62]

Thanks for closing the loop and sharing your solution.