1957 no gas to carb

G

GDoherty0102

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Joined
Jul 12, 2023
Thunderbird Year
1957
I am currently not getting any fuel past the fuel filter.
  • Just replaced fuel filter with new full filter assembly.
    • Filled the filter the best I could with gas to prime it. When I put it back together it leaks some out the inlet.
    • I can confirm the the "In" is towards the front of the car connecting the line from the pump and the "Out" is towards the rear of the car connecting the filter to the carb.
  • When filter is disconnected, I get fuel to the inlet side of the filter (just putting plastic bottle over pipe to capture gas)
  • When the filter is connected I get no gas to come out of the filter. (I don't have the outlet pipe connected to see if I am getting gas out of the filter, again putting a plastic bottle over the filter outlet to capture gas)
Any help is appreciated.
 

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I would suspect that the fuel pump is weak, any resistence is enough to stop flow. You could check pressure, I believe the pump should put out 3-5LB. pressure.
 
Weak fuel pump or flex line feeding fuel pump is cacked or swollen closed.
 
Don't buy a new fuel pump. Rebuild an original.
 
Critterpainer said:
Don't buy a new fuel pump. Rebuild an original.
Click to expand...
I absolutely agree! I have had to replace the fuel pump annually since I bought my '56, secondary to fuel leaks. This year I decided to just bypass it altogether, and now depend only on the aftermarket electric fuel pump that was placed by a previous owner to 'prime up' the carb on startup. It has been entirely dependable. Each Spring, when I prepared the car for it's seasonal use, I would find the fuel pump had developed leaks over the Winter while it sat in the garage. The car would still run, it would simply create a puddle of gas underneath (inches from the hot exhaust!). I decided having a manual fuel pump simply wasn't worth the time and expense. The only replaced unit I saved is aftermarket, as is the one currently installed. My understanding is that only the 'Ford script' units are worth rebuilding. As is likely easy to tell, mine is not a show car. It is now used as a seasonal daily driver. When I retire I plan to use it as my primary vehicle, regardless of season. As a driver, the added expense of a 'Ford script' fuel pump, or really any mechanical fuel pump, is not justified. That way there's another NOS available to one who has or is restoring a show vehicle.
 
Some fuel filters are directional. I would make sure it is correctly installed. If directional, it should be clearly marked which side is 'in' and which is 'out'. If unmarked, it might still be worth the 5 minutes it would take to flip it and see if it makes a difference.
 
You get fuel from the pump - right? do you get fuel into the bowl without the filter installed? If not look to clear the housing. If so move on to flow out of filter bowl without filter in place. If not look for clog after inlet portion of filter housing. If so then install filter and see if fuel will flow out. Apparently it does not. Remove housing, clear housing for flow, install new filter. in essence start wher you do have fuel delivery and work your way downstream to where you have no flow. Good luck to you, J.
 
Docj said:
Some fuel filters are directional. I would make sure it is correctly installed. If directional, it should be clearly marked which side is 'in' and which is 'out'. If unmarked, it might still be worth the 5 minutes it would take to flip it and see if it makes a difference.
Click to expand...
The fuel filter element should have a bit of paper material protruding past the filter element. This is so the rubber gasket presses against it and holds the filter element in place against the filter housing. The filter element is correctly installed with the paper side towards the filter housing and the metal side towards the filter bowl.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

Filter.jpg
 
Any thought on who I could send my pump to for re-build? I am in the Atlanta area. I was going to purchase from Larry's however, they do not have any pumps and suggested rebuilding as suggested in this forum as well. Thanks in advance.
 
If you can't rebuild the fuel pump yourself, send it to Arthur Gould and have them rebuild it for you.

AG Rebuilders |

agrebuilders.com agrebuilders.com

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
 
So mostly good news. Before I took the pump out I had a thought that I should take the car off the jack stands since it was tilted to the passenger side and put a bit more gas in just to see if maybe my issue was just not getting enough gas. Awesome enough I can now get the car started and it runs (I equate this to computer customer service asking if your computer is plugged in), palm to face... However, now I am having issues getting the brass fittings tight enough to the fuel filter. No matter how tight I get it (tight enough that I started to twist one of the fuel lines, palm to face #2) it still leaks gas from both sides. The new brass reduction fittings are essentially fully seated onto the fuel filter assembly but still leak. Was thinking of getting a gasoline grade 'teflon' tape. Any ideas on how to get these sealed up effectively?
 
The fuel tolerant tape will work in a pinch if it's leaking around the threads. But if it's leaking because the seat or flare of the pipe is warped or damaged the pipe sealant is the way to go. Should be right next to the tape in the plumbing isle. I think it's the same stuff they use on natural gas pipe threads.
 
I recently replaced the fuel line from the frame to the pump. The fuel line that I had made had metric threads on one end. Maybe you received the wrong fuel line.
Just a thought.
 
sylvurhfox said:
I recently replaced the fuel line from the frame to the pump. The fuel line that I had made had metric threads on one end. Maybe you received the wrong fuel line.
Just a thought.
Click to expand...
That's a possibility. Sometimes you can get a metric thread to start on an ASA fitting but will cross thread and never tighten. Cross threading can fool you sometimes even with the proper fittings.
 
Still working through this issue a little at a time. I was curious, does the glass bowl of the fuel filter stay full for everyone else? I topped mine off to prime it last time I worked on the car, but by the time I was done it was half full. Just trying to narrow things down.

Thanks,
Grant
 
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