Fuel Pump Bad??

[Spidey23]

So all of a sudden my '78 does not want to start. I have a new battery, plenty of spark to the plugs , but no gas to the carb. In March I replaced the gas tank, fuel lines, fuel filter...but not the fuel pump as it looked fairly new & worked fine. My question is, do fuel pumps go bad on these cars frequently? About how long should a mechanical pump last in a '78? Thanks for any help. Ken

[kmead]

They can last decades right up until the moment they no longer work. Yours would be mechanical as OEM and those tend to be very reliable. They can have the diaphragm fail due to embrittlement of the material, one used to be able to buy just that part, rather than replacing the entire thing.

I would first look at replacing the filter. I would also check to see if there is any flow by running the line into a plastic container (the one going from the pump to the carb. If you have no flow through the line check your crankcase for excess fluid and a strong gasoline smell. If the diaphragm fails it can dump fuel into the oil sump.

[Spidey23]

So they work right up until the time they don't work!! LOL I put a brand new fuel tank, fuel lines, fuel filter in just March 2010, so I think the filter is okay. Pulled gas line between fuel pump & carb but no gas in rag when I turned it over....so I am thinking it is a fuel pump problem. Thanks for response. Ken

[So Cal Mark]

did you replace ALL of the lines on the inlet side, including the short piece by the left trailing arm? Any leaks on the inlet side of the pump prevent the pump from creating any suction at the tank

[Spidey23]

Thought I replaced them all, but will double check that short piece you mentioned in the morning. thks

[Spidey23]

IT' S RUNNING AGAIN !!! Thanks for all the tips. I checked & had replaced all the hoses off the fuel tank w/ new. Checked the fuel filter & it was new and not dirty...sucked up gas easily from tank thru the hose...just not being pumped to the carb. Got new fuel pump from Vick Autosports, but when installed did not pump gas to the carb. So a friend helped me take apart the old fuel pump which had a ton of gunk from previous old rusty fuel tank....we cleaned it out, put it back together, reinstalled it....and it fired right up! YES