I think it is the fuel pump?

[So Cal Mark]

I'll have to check in the morning to see if I have the elbow in stock. Did you remove the sending unit to inspect the inside of the tank?

[jimincalif]

I'll have to check in the morning to see if I have the elbow in stock. Did you remove the sending unit to inspect the inside of the tank?

Not yet. As luck would have it, the tank is nearly full, so I want to get some of the gas out first, so I will tackle this either tomorrow night or Saturday. If by some miracle it looks clean I won't pull the tank, but then where did all the rusty debris in the pump come from?

[maytag]

but then where did all the rusty debris in the pump come from?

This brings up a point that I'm always making with my kids (and my wife.... but that's another story): In an older car, you're going to get gunk in the tank. This comes from many different sources that we could discuss another time; but things like impurities in the fuel from the tank you bought it out of (ie: "cheap-gas"), coatings (or even rust) flaking off the inside of the tank, crud around the filler every time it's been opened for the last 35 years, etc etc etc.

So I tell my kids: "Kids: try not to run the tank lower than 1/4 full." When you run that tank to the bottom, you're reducing the ratio of number of units of gas to units of crud. So at full tank, or even 1/2 tank, you're sucking say 50 or 25 units of gas for every unit of crud, whereas at 1/4 tank or 1/8, you're at say 12.5 or even 6.25 units of gas per unit of crud! I once had an old buick that I'm sure was running on a 1:1 ratio...!!! (these are arbitrary numbers, thrwon out with my tongue fully stuck into my cheek..... but you get the idea )

So how does this help you right now? Maybe it doesn't. OR: maybe you're saying to yourself: "yeah, I DID actually run it right down to fumes last time before I filled-it up, right before it died, and that's why I have a full tank now....", in which case: why not run it for awhile? See how it is?

I'm not suggesting don't do things the 'right' way; I'm merely saying that sometimes we make something into a bigger project than it really needs to be. (That's good advice, that I rarely follow... )

As for the Renu process: I've done it myself on motorcycle tanks. There are actually many different products of a similar nature on the market. But if in fact you have baffles in the tank, as you've indicated, then you are correct that you'll probably have a difficult time getting a thourough coat.

[jimincalif]

So how does this help you right now? Maybe it doesn't. OR: maybe you're saying to yourself: "yeah, I DID actually run it right down to fumes last time before I filled-it up, right before it died, and that's why I have a full tank now....", in which case: why not run it for awhile? See how it is?

I'm not suggesting don't do things the 'right' way; I'm merely saying that sometimes we make something into a bigger project than it really needs to be. (That's good advice, that I rarely follow... )

Thanks. I did fill up on Tuesday night and it died Weds morning with 10 miles on the odo since fill up. It took about 8.5 gallons. I've only had the car since August and 8.5 - 9 is the most I've ever put in it, as the gauge is pretty much reading empty at this point (never had the low fuel light on). Fuel pump was replaced before I got the car, so it clogged up pretty quickly in just a couple of months.

I live in a fairly hi traffic area and anywhere I go involves a freeway, it sucked to have the car cut out approaching my office, I was lucky to be able to coast into the parking lot as there is no shoulder or other area to stop out on the road. It would sucketh mightily to have this happen on the freeway (here in SoCal freeways move at either 75+ mph or less than 10 mph), and I don't own a truck or trailer to bring the spider home, and AAA will get on my case if I call them too much. So I need to fix this so it lasts a good long time and I don't need to worry about it. Not to mention I would never live it down if it happens with my wife in the car.

I wish it gave some warning, but first it was running great, then it wasn't running at all. I have a boat with a diesel engine equipped with a Racor 500 primary filter before the lift pump with a 10 micron replaceable element and a clear debris bowl, so I can easily monitor its condition. I wish there was a way to fit one of these in the spider, but it would have to be in the trunk and would be above the tank, so I don't think it would work.

[jimincalif]

Tank is out. I pulled the sender and peered in. There is a real mess in there. Lots of loose, scaly rust debris on the bottom of the tank. I siphoned all the gas out (cheap $8 siphon, best money ever spent) and pulled the tank. Looking in from the fill pipe fitting I can see the "water line", looks like it sat for a long time with nasty wet stuff about 1/4 full. Baffles are nice and clean above the line and rusty below.

Unfortunately I have to wait til Monday to get it to a shop to clean, not open on Sat. In the meantime I will replace hoses and clean up the tank area.

Jim

[Foster48x]

If you have to replace the pump here is a substitute part
Autozone Master #E2182 w/ lifetime warranty, around $80
It is for a 1989 Ford F150 w/302,among others. It is an exact fit!
Craig

Craig,
First, sorry for all the questions in advance. I'm trying to weigh all of my options before I replace a fuel pump on my 80 FI and I ran across this older thread. Are you still using this fuel pump from Autozone? It's inline like the one already on my 80 FI right? Any problems?

I think I found the same one on their site but now it's $100 w/ 1yr warranty do you have a link to one with a lifetime warranty or know of another direct replacement w/ a lifetime warranty?

Once again sorry for all of the questions.
Rick

[NJFIAT1981]

Hi all,
Napa Auto parts makes a perfect filter as a pre-filter for the fuel pump on the FI model Spiders. It is NAPAGOLD Part #3299. It mounts between the gas tank and the fuel pump. Our local fiat guru suggested this after my fuel pump on my 81 went belly up. No problem since. (Thanks Ralph) They are about $12.00 at NAPA and about 20 minutes to install which included jacking up the car.