F250 fuel pump...

Ok, I was having horrible time getting truck started, lot priming, etc. Finally start but wouldnt stay running. Thinking its the mechanical fuel pump, I added new $10 electric pump I keep around for emergencies. Ok, it stayed running. Figured bad mechanical pump and ordered new Carter mechanical one from RockAuto.com. Installed it and same difference. Plus old one showed no signs of diaphram leaking. So ready for gasoline bath, I left electric pump running and disconnected it from mechanical pump. It just spluttered out bit gas, not the stream of gas I expected.

Ok, figure air leak in the standpipe inside the gas tank. Its 34 year old and expect it finally got rust hole. You can get a new aftermarket replacement (cheapest I found was $38), but swear it looked like cheap copy that would quickly rust to same condition. Thought about making one, then saw some aftermarket stainless steel sender units for antique cars. After lot looking, one for a 1956-1961 Corvette seemed like it was closest and $33. Same shape, and tank is very similar just 16gal instead of my 19gal one. Now Ford for whatever reason made a outward bump on top of pickup tank and mounted the sender on sloping side of that. Grrrr... The Corvette tank has flat top. Well there is a flat space on Ford tank that I can make hole and mount it. Or possibly can bend it a bit though not sure how well stainless bends. Probably better to mount it on the flat spot and just cut off the internal bits of old sender and plug the remaining bit of pipe.

Was thinking hey this not only stainless, but let me have working gas gauge again, though need GM compatible gauge. Then it struck me, this is 1960 replacement so assume its the older 0-30ohm gauge. GM went to 0-90ohm in 1965. Cheap 0-30ohm gauges not plentiful though did find a $14 one on Amazon. Here I thought Ford/AMC gauges with their 240-33ohm requirement were rare. Cheapest I found for Ford was a $26 one.... until I started looking for 0-30ohm GM one, then started finding all kinds of cheap Ford gauges, they just arent listed as Ford compatible, even couple under $10. Somebody missing a bet, if they would list them as compatible to old Fords and Jeeps, they would sell lot more. And found some maddening cheap Chinese gauges on ebay that dont tell what their ohm range is plus they call them oil level gauges. Think bad translation of petrol since they show symbol of little gas pump on the gauge itself. They are really missing a bet since nobody has slightest idea what sender unit they work with. Oh and some that offer choice of ohm ranges built in. But all for newer sender units with very different ohm range, no choice for older ones.

I was just thinking, I should also test fuel pump just running a line into a jerry can of gas, bypassing all the gas tank internals. Suppose I am not going to be happy if I have same problem that way......

I tried it from a gas can. Could hear electric pump slowing as carb float bowl filled and needle valve blocking gas. Still kinda hard to start, but once started after spraying some carb cleaner in carb, it stayed running, even after turning off electric pump. So is an air leak, most likely in the tank.

I also wiggled the carb and its a bit loose so that needs correcting. Its probably got lean idle.

Oh found dimensions for the Corvette tank and its 10 1/8 inch deep. The Ford tank is 12 1/2 inch if you measure from top of bulge in top to the bottom. But its 10 1/4 if you measure from the flat area next to bulge where I am planning to mount it. So no modification of the sending unit necessary.

Got the Corvette stainless steel sending unit. Looks ok. Just the hassle of installing it. Also roll of 3/8 steel fuel line. I want no restrictions between gas in tank and the fuel pump on the engine.

Update on F250. I did drop tank, install Corvette sending unit and managed to get all metal line from sending unit to engine. Yes, plenty of gas. It works. BUT then I am still occasionally getting engine dying. so I undo all the epoxy crap and clean things up and reassemble with gaskets and some grease on both sides of each gasket. Old mechanics trick from way back.

Start up truck and DEATH RATTLE. Either it threw a rod or something fell into engine when I had carb and adapter off. No missing bolts or nuts. BUT just recently occurred to me there were two missing lock washers. Could well be.... Worth a day taking head off to look I guess. I seriously need this truck for wood. January not the time of year for playing mechanic in serious way.

Finally brief period today where weather cooperative enough that I got head off the engine.  parts of lock washer in three cylinders.  Chewed up top of pistons somewhat in those cylinders but thankfully didnt scatch cylinder walls. Trashed those sparkplugs, but thats pretty minor thing.   Have gaskets, Next brief warm spell I will hopefully get it put back together and started.  Did find three or four kinda loose intake manifold bolts so could been leak there too.

I do have the new aftermarket fuel gauge 0-30ohm to work with the Corvette sender, so once truck is back together should have a functional and hopefully accurate gas gauge.

Sunday and Monday supposed to be bit of reprieve from the cold so maybe get it back together then.

I guess I had forgotten how simple this engine is. So much nicer to work on than more modern engines. Though all that cast iron is heavy. I had to physically get in the engine bay and stand on the frame rail to lift out the head. Minor inconvenience compared to all the wiring and bits and bobs on modern engine to remove to get to what you want to work on. Be a long day to get a head off say that 4.0L the Ranger had. Even the pre-computer OHV V8s were lot more hassle to work on than a pre-computer straight six. A sane society would went to mostly straight sixes and opposed fours rather than V-engines. Keep It Simple Stupid.... Easy to work on, naturally balanced engines make most sense.

Saw a Scotty Kilmer youtube video on why manual transmissions are dying out. I couldnt believe Scotty was giving lip service to the ten speed automatics being superior with their efficiency. Yea no doubt they make sense in a $60k truck for the NEW TRUCK BUYER, but for the low end of the market trying to stretch out life of a vehicle in its waning years, this sort of complexity and expense is no boon. For low end of maket, simple wins the day. Robust old cast iron three speed or four speed can outlast the engine, even a engine that lasts 400k miles. Without a simple robust cheap option, the vehicle is trash. Nobody going to put a new $10k transmission into a $1500 vehicle. Heck few are going to put a rebuilt $1500 transmission into such a vehicle.

Warm spell. After starting from scratch finding top dead center and readjusting valves... Finally got it to where it will start, but wont idle. Feels like one cylinder isnt firing. So could be a bad sparkplug. 3 were destroyed by those lock washers banging around in those cylinders. So its got a mish mash mix of old spark plugs. New set on its way. Not worth special trip to town to buy them. Hopefully tomorrow can get it to where it idles ok and can use it again to get wood.

Okie dokie, have it idling ok. There is I think a marginal hydraulic lifter. Lot lifter noise. Anyway its running fine for hauling/splitting firewood here on my property, and that is my biggest need right now.