Dan-AZ

I sold the car to a mechanic this last weekend. I will be assisting him in getting it running again. At this point I have no Subaru, but I am looking at a Brat that's been sitting in a yard for a long time.

I have already removed the top of the carb, cleaned it out, replaced the top gasket, checked the float level, sprayed most of the parts & linkage with carb cleaner, installed new fuel line from the fire wall to the carb, and checked all of the vacuum lines. One of the bolts on the lower half of the carb on the intake manifold was not loose but I got a half turn on it with a 10mm wrench. It performs the same as what it did when it left me on the side of the highway. The fuel filter is less than 4 months old and I can see no dirt inside of it and there are no flow restriction through it. If I have a vacuum leak, it's somewhere I can't find. I might even have a clogged jet. I did find dirt in the bowl. This might have entered from the previous bad gasket that was on the top and was not so great. I live on a dirt road. I hope I didn't lose an intake manifold gasket or the gasket between the carb and that manifold. Now, I have not checked the "Charcoal canister" and I haven't looked at the vacuum advance hardware. Again, she runs solid with an air intake restriction up through almost 3000 rpm. After that she begins to loose power and return to idle. Then she will spool back up to 3000 prm one you let the rpm's drop and you tap the accelerator pedal a few times. It's either a vacuum leak or a fuel restriction. I have a mechanic headed over this afternoon to help diagnose.

Was going to verify the float position tomorrow. I will check that an see.

No crap inside them. Very clean. Just looked inside Tuesday when I was working on it. I am thinking a restricted or blocked jet. Here's the kicker - You can bring the RPMs up thru 3000 and she is fine. Runs great. Anything over 3000 it seems like she isn't getting gas and begins to drop off. At idle you have to restict airflow into the top of the carb - That's a vacuum leak somewhere. I haven't been able to find it. I am not interested in tearing apart the carb. When you restrict the flow it runs great but at a higher RPM. Drops off at 1200 RPM and stalls from lack of fuel. I have a friend and mechanic coming to look at her tomorrow. Possibly buying her from me for his kid.

Yes, I have the Charcoal canister. I figured it was emissions control stuff so I haven't ever messed with it. I don't know about the blockage and I am not sure so I will find out Saturday when I give it a run again. I need to see if the fuel pump issue is the reason why the vehicle isn't accelerating. The cap and possible vapor lock is possible. It has never vented like that before so I am not sure what is going on. I have to disassemble my existing fuel pump to see what's up and maybe install the new one I have on the bench. Fingers crossed.

Yes, OMG I change them regularly. I just bought a new one and have it in hand. I change fuel filters every 6 months. I will disassemble the fuel pump on Saturday. I plan on checking this Saturday. I also plan on checking the run with cap on and off.

Thanks. That will be my next step on Saturday. I was gonna do a quick vacuum check, put on the new fuel pump, loosen the fule cap, and do a test. Yes, I am familiar with Webber and I have installed new ones on a few engines. I just don't rebuild them. What is this charcoal canister everyone talks about? Where is it?

I was able to take my gasket off the top of the carb and do an exact copy. It's not cork material like the one I took off, but was an exact copy. Got the material from NAPA many years ago when I was working on my 71 Chevelle. No change in the running. The leak around the accellerator plunger remained the same. Per an old time Subaru mecanic, these carbs have a tendency to warp from the heat and need to be milled flat when they are overhauled. Again, more money to spend I don't have. I think my vent on my tank is gone plugged or non-existent so I am gonna go with a loose gas cap to see if that makes a difference. The pumps overheat to the point they no longer run. I watched one run for about 5 minutes and then quit when it heats up. Gets pretty hot. Much hotter than it should. After they cool, they run but never run right again. The voltage to the pump is good at 12.6 to 12.8 volts.

I think the reason she’s not getting enough fuel is the fuel pump is half shot. She was able to limp me home after I got stuck in town again for the 4th time. I am not a mechanic, but I figure things out pretty quick. I know very little about carb overhauls. I know how they work and stuff. The problem with the fuel pumps has been getting progressively worse. I am thinking a vent is still my problem unless someone who didn’t like my bumper stickers on my car put something in my tank. I don't have the room or desire to take the fuel tank off. The fuel lines from the tank to the firewall all look good. I can’t see the metal ones from mid-body to the firewall, but I’d have to rip apart the body to get at those. I have replaced all of the lines from the firewall to the carb. No stains around the only 2 pieces that aren’t metal under the car – one at the tank and 1 just aft of the front- passenger door. Both look old but are solid. No dirt in the fuel filter so that’s also good. No charcoal filter that I can find, just the fuel filter. Weary is not the word for me now. I have been able to fully restore this car and after 12 years, she’s no longer dependable. As a family we’ve out grown the car and she’s nickel and diming me to death now. I have a small garage, but at this point no time to work on her. Parts are tough to get if not impossible to find, I can’t stick all my kids in this car anymore, and I need something bigger and dependable. If I was retired or I had more time to keep this hobby going I’d keep her and work on her, but my wife and kids would rather see me and not see me under this car. Since I am not a carb guy, I am unable to diagnose and really don’t want to put any more serious money into the car. I am going to put the new fuel pump in her this Saturday and see what that does and how she runs. If she runs OK and the rpms stay up, then OK. I will look for vacuum leaks as well. I do have a potential buyer who is a mechanic, so the future could be possibly better. I’ll post on what happens Saturday.

New information for my problem with my car. I had some gasket material so I created a new top gasket for my carb. It seems to be better now. However I have picked up a new issue and was wondering if anyone had any ideas. The car runs. However it doesn't run great until I restrict airflow into the top of the carb. Then it runs smoother and idles at a rather high rpm [ 1500 rpm]. If I don't restrict airflow, it's very hard to start and won't run well. When I attempt to reduce the idle speed below 1200 rpm with the adjustment screw, it begins to sputter some and then quits. Also, when I bring the engine speed up to 3000 rpm, the engine then acts like it's starved of fuel, looses rpm, and then wants to quit. I take my foot off the gas and then it returns to the high idle without losing a beat. I have literally burned up 4 fuel pumps in 6 months. I opened up the gas tank when I had run it for a bit and when I took the cap off, air rushed into the tank. I am thinking a a blocked vent. Although the car has been doing this for years, the engine at highway speeds would very slightly pulse like a momentary lack of fuel and then resume. It's been doing this for years so I never took notice or thought twice about it. I was told it was a vacuum leak and this was common but this was only at speed of 60 mph at about 3700 rpm or greater. Could the lack of airflow into the tank cause that much difficulty and cause my fuel pumps to burn up? I am sure the fuel pump that's in it right now is probably shot. I was able to limp it home when she quit last time. A bad fuel pump could cause the engine to get enough fuel to get the rpm up and then fail when it wasn't delivering as much fuel as it needed to keep the engine running at the rpm. Any ideas?

I'd love to, but my car is pretty much factory original. Wanna keep it that way...

I looked it over... Mine is not removable -- solid.

I checked all the hoses from the tank to the carb. They are fine and I put new clamps on them all. When I tune her up in a week, I am replacing all the hose from the firewall to the carb. I guess the bad ground was more of a headache than I thought. I have a good solid one this time. Rock Auto has rebuild kits for the carb if there are any souls out there that want to rebuild their carb. My boot on my accell pump is also shot. I will continue to monitor the fuel pump. If the new ground hiolds and the pump doesn't quit, I am good. Thanks all.

The car is running just fine, but the loss of another fuel pump has me worried about being stuck out somewhere.

The leak is a mystery. I am not sure where but it definitely drops. I had a bad groud on the fuel pump so I hope that solves the issue. This one is a tough one to solve; other than the leak she runs great. Gonna do a tune up in a week so I am not sure what's up.

OK. On top of fuel pump issues, I have questions concerning the carb on my 1979 GL Wagon. It seems I am leaking fuel to some degree down the inlet valve on the bottom of the bowl. I checked my fuel float level after 3 days and it dropped quite a ways down. It then takes 5 to 10 seconds of engine cranking to get enough fuel into the bowl to start and run the engine. Here are some questions I have in anyone can answer them: 1. This shouldn't cause a bad fuel pump should it? The fuel pump works and it fills the bowl as needed once I have the engine running. 2. What would cause the inlet valve to leak? Can I fix it without tearing the whole carb apart? 3. Where does the gas go while it leaks through this valve? I don't smell gas at all when she sits. I don't want to tear apart the carb anymore if I don't have too. Any ideas here?

Checked the bowl level this morning before heading to work. Steady at half way up the sight glass. One weird thing when adjusting the float level yesterday. The car won't run unless the gas is at least half way up the sight window so I have to run the bowl level a little higher at 3/4ths the sight glass. I will check again Saturday since I am taking the motorcycle to work now.

Yes and no. If the leak is inside the tank, it will a week of labor to take care of that. I found while doing a float adjustment on the carb today that fuel is disappearing from the bowl. There is a pin inside the carb and on the bottom of the bowl where a rod and spring push on. This rod is part of the upper carb assembly. This rod and spring push on that knob. When it comes to carbs, I am a novice at best. I believe the fuel is going out there when it sits for a while. I cleaned the carb and it seems to start better now. I think that's why it's hard to start after a few days. I readjusted the gasket and tightened her up good. She runs a bit better. I am hoping I don't loose yet another fuel pump. This pump was covered under warranty so I didn't rip it apart. I had a bad ground which can inflict damage to the pump. I reinstalled a better ground this time and things are working OK. Thanks.

Lines look weathered, but they are intact and solid. The only place I could not check were where the metal lines run under the floor boards on the right side. I put new clamps on all of the joints to reduce the possibility of air leaks.If I keep losing fuel pumps, this will completely baffle me.

Excellent. They moved from there about 10 years ago. The were really big RV people. Their RV was worth more than my house. Gonna look at the fuel lines in a few hours. Will advise.

Sorry, I got Sandy, UT and Sand Point, ID mixed up. I have friends who lived in both places. Sand Point? That should be close to the border...

still... How close are you to Sandy? I had friends that lived there...

Brand new fuel filter, I put that on 3 or 4 months ago. The fuel line looks good from the carb to the firewall on the right side. I've never had trouble with a bad line like that without smelling gas. I don't smell gas any more since I did a float adjustment on the carb.The sight glass looks good when the fuel pump runs. Still getting 28 to 30 mpg here. That's what I have been getting for so many years. I need to do a tune up here and put new plugs, points, condensor, cap and rotor on her. She runs like a top when she has fuel in the carb. Here is the kicker. Once the pump starts doing this, it heats up and quits. Once it cools, it runs for a little while and will run for 5 minutes and then quits. It then repeats the process. I did have a bad ground. A mechanic friend stated that a bad ground might cause the pump to heat up and eventually fail. I will check the lines from the firewall back. I am hoping they are metal lines and not rubber. I will let you know when I see tomorrow. I have never checked. Shame on me. The new fuel pump is in and operation and I have run new electrical wires for a good ground and positive lead. I will dig thru and check my fuel lines tomorrow. Thanks for the reply.

I keep burning up fuel pumps on my 79 GL wagon and I don't know why. This is number 3 in 6 months. The only thing I can think of is when she sits for a while ( a day or 2) I have to crank her for 10 to 20 seconds to get fuel to the carb. Would this kind of cranking burn up the pump until I get fuel there? The pump would be dry until it gets fuel. It's always been a challenge to get her running when she has day in the past but I haven't been burning up fuel pumps. O'Reilly has the for $70. I am taking this one back for warranty. Any help/advice is appreciated.

I am not sure about an 84. My 79 wagon had 6 attach points. 4 down on the motor mounts and 2 on the bumper. I haven't used the ones on the bumper since the years have left the allignment a bit off. I'll see if I can get pixs for you. I am putting new rotors on the front in a day or 2 if you can wait that long.