turfman454 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 just trying to find out if anyone has had this problem. Im restoring my dads 84 BRAT. Due to the fact that im using the worlds slowest body man it has been a 3 year project. Anyway over the last 4 months i have replaced 3 fuel pumps due to what i thought was an old gas issue. Every time i put a new pump on it cranks right up and both filters are full of fuel. After a few days or weeks it will not start up again and both filters are dry. I have changed filters with each pump change and drained all the old fuel out and replaced it with non ethonal gas. Can i really be going through that may fuel pumps? The first one lasted 30 years. Am i missing something? Any help would be appreciated before i buy another pump. All new pumps have only a few minutes run time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 There is a Fuel Pump Control Unit (FPCU), that powers the pump. It may be your problem. I "Think" the FPCU monitors signals from the pick-up coil in the distributor, (or is it the alternator output), and feeds power to the pump as long as the engine is running. Safety feature in case of accident to cut fuel flow. Engine not running, no fuel pump power. The FPCU's really don't fail often, but it has happened. I would check the wiring harness, looking for corrosion and similar issues. Don't take much corrosion to cause issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turfman454 Posted July 8, 2015 Author Share Posted July 8, 2015 any idea where it is located Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinky26 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Under the dash close to the fuse box, it is a little blue box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turfman454 Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 thanks. Im trying to see if a new one can be purchased but i dont think i can find one through the typical chain auto parts store. It just bothers me that as soon as i hook the new pumps up it fires right up and idles great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinky26 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 thanks. Im trying to see if a new one can be purchased but i dont think i can find one through the typical chain auto parts store. It just bothers me that as soon as i hook the new pumps up it fires right up and idles great Yeah that is weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 FPCU's can be Blue or Black. Don't believe you will find a new one, so a parts yard or someone on here with a spare would be your best hope. And yeah, weird how replacing pump lets it start then it dies. Have you tested any of the "used pumps" to see if they are in fact bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turfman454 Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 tried but i was not sure how to do it . When you look inside the connector there are more than two wires and i wasnt sure how to do it. Any suggestionson how. Oh yea the new pumps run fine once installed . I let them run for 10 minutes or so and then leave thinkg its ok. Right now it is on a slight incline facing up but i should have 2-3 gallons of gas in it so i do not believe it is a pickup issue. Its 1oo degrees in NC today and i did not feel like messing with it today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I don't understand the, "3 wire connection" part. Installed an EA81 carb type fuel pump into an '88 SPFI Wagon. Just by cutting the fuel pump connector off a leaky EA82 pump, attached those leads to a spare EA81 fuel pump body-side connector. Plugged connections together, hooked up the fuel lines and ran the Webered EA81 in the SPFI Wagon. There was only 2 wires in any of the connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turfman454 Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 yes i was trying to jump it inside the connector itself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indrid cold Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 (edited) So have you figured out the issue? Kind of leaving this issue hanging. I have never heard of an issue like this. You turn the key it should pressure the system up, fill everything, charge it up, so this is odd. Sorry, which I could help. Edited July 19, 2015 by Indrid cold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turfman454 Posted July 24, 2015 Author Share Posted July 24, 2015 no updates. Im so fed up with it at this point. Im trying to get my painter to finish up so i can get it home and work on it in my shop instead of on a hill in the dirt. Ill let you know what i find out. There is no fuel in the filter by the pump.Im going to try to blow air back through the line to t the tank to see if i have a clog in the tank. I have already drained the tank and put fresh gas in it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turfman454 Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share Posted July 29, 2015 Okay update time. Brat will start when fuel fed into carb. There is no gas going onto fuel filter by the pump. We actually used the air compressor to blow air from the fuel line back into the gas tank and vica versa. We were able to blow some gas out from the tank side but the tank will not even gravity drain. It is on a slight incline but i would think the pickup will work with three gallons of gas. Only thing i can figure at this point is the actual fuel line is clogged or collapsed. My painter is finished with it and will be able to work on it under decent conditions soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turfman454 Posted August 6, 2015 Author Share Posted August 6, 2015 Okay i got the brat home from the painter and back into my shop. It appears when we put the last pump on we crimped the line bolting it back up to the frame. Once everything was straightened out it fired up and is running great at idle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Thanks for the update on what the issue was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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