1955 stalls, fuel pump?

[ANDRESSTAPPER]

Hola a todos, vivo en Colombia y compre un Ford Thunderbird 1955, tengo problemas con la presión de la gasolina, acelero el carro y no llega combustible y se apaga, creemos que es problema de la bomba de combustible, quisiera saber referencias y marcas de bombas que pueda comprar para reemplazar la que tiene el carro, o saber que otro problema puede tener mi carro.


Hello everyone, I live in Colombia and I bought a Ford Thunderbird 1955, I have problems with the gasoline pressure, I accelerate the car and fuel does not arrive and it turns off, we think it is a problem with the fuel pump, I would like to know references and brands of pumps that I can buy to replace the one that the car has, or know what other problem my car may have.

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[PvS]

Probably the problem is vapur lock. You can put an electronic fuel pump on the Thunderbird. Never use a fuel pump made in China. they are very bad!!
Good luck.

 

[Buckley]

Do not buy an aftermarket pump from China. I went through 3 and they all failed miserably. Find an original and have it rebuilt, or send yours in to be rebuilt. I have 2 so if the one on the car fails I swap them out and send get the bad one rebuilt. Then you are never without. Modern fuel is terrible for these old fuel pumps

 

[doug7740]

You can find a rebuild kit at Hill's Automotive.



I have rebuilt these pumps in the past; however, the price of the rebuilding kit became so expensive that I used this company to rebuild my last fuel pump.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[bigfoot21075]

Respectfully, that does not sound like a fuel pump. It seems more likely to me carburetor's accelerator pump or a significant vacuum leak. You can easily test the first by looking into the carb with the motor off and the air cleaner removed. Operate to FULLY wide open the linkage with looking into the carb. You should see two strong, immediate streams of gasoline squirt into the primary barrels. If there is no squirt, the accelerator pump diaphragm may be torn or brittle from modern ethanol fuel. Alternatively, the check ball or needle valve under the squirter nozzle may be stuck.

 

[Grumpy Rick]

Additional things to check...Is there a fuel filter ? Look all along the fuel line, as well as near the engine. Clean or replace it if you have one. While you look for a filter, check the entire fuel line for kinks, or old rubber hoses that may also be the problem. Finally, there is a screen in the gas tank which may be clogged. It is accessed by removing the fuel gage sender on top of the tank..in the trunk.

 

[Chatrat]

If the tank is original it's probably the screen inside...replace the tank.

 

[Murray]

Try A Wix 33032 fuel filter first- unscrew the bottom of the glass holder and release the gas stored- about half a cup- then place in the fuel filter and make sure it is aligned with the pin hole jets in the holder- you can tell if the gas comes through those holes to the filter. Fixed mine right away.

 

[doug7740]

Replacing the Fuel Filter​

The fuel filter for your Thunderbird is located inside a glass bowl which is in the fuel line directly above your fuel pump on the driver's side of the engine compartment at the front of the engine. To ensure that your car's fuel system is working properly, it is important that you periodically change the fuel filter.

When changing your fuel filter you will be working with gasoline. Please use caution!​

I purchased my fuel filter from one of the Thunderbird parts suppliers, however it also can be purchased locally through NAPA. Make sure the new fuel filter comes with the rubber gasket for the glass bowl. The rubber gasket slides over the filter element. The filter should have a bit of material protruding past the filter element, so the rubber gasket presses against it and holds the filter element in place against the filter housing.

Before replacing the fuel filter, make sure that your car is on level ground and the engine is not running. Now find the glass bowl. The glass bowl is held in place by a wire harness with a wing nut at its base. By loosening the wing nut at the base of the glass bowl, you can push the wire harness over to one side and remove the glass bowl from the fuel filter housing. Be careful to catch any gas that may spill.

The following tip is not necessary, but I found that it made replacing the fuel filter much easier.

Using a 1/2" and 9/16" wrench, loosen the two brass gas line fittings which connect the fuel filter housing on both sides to the fuel lines. You will only need to loosen the fittings enough to allow you to swing the filter housing upside down so that the fuel filter element will be facing up, directly at you. Once you have rotated the filter housing, remove the fuel filter element. Next, install the new filter element with the paper side towards the fuel filter housing and install the new gasket over the filter element being careful not to fold or kink it. Make sure the gasket fits evenly in the recessed channel of the filter housing. Reinstall the glass bowl and place the wire harness back in its original position around the glass bowl. Tighten up the wing nut so that the glass bowl fits snugly into the fuel filter housing. Make sure your gasket did not shift out of the channel in the filter housing. Turn the filter housing, with the glass bowl attached, back into its original position so that the glass bowl is underneath the filter housing. Now retighten the brass gas line fittings on both sides, start the engine and check for leaks.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue