First let me apologize for making this so long. I tend to over-explain things lol.


Well, I make it a habbit of at least cranking up ole Betsy once a week and maybe take a cruise every other week. Gas prices doesn't make it cheap to go on cruises, go figure huh? Anyway, lately I'd crank the motor like normal and starts fine, keep it revved for a little bit until it idles by itself and let it warm up. Ok... at first (few months ago) I could actually drive around my small town for a little while before it started acting up wanting to die and have to limp home by keeping it revved and still wanting to die. The trips kept getting shorter and shorter every other weekend when I'd go drive it until finally yesterday I started out of the driveway and it died. Now... here's what I have been noticing but kept putting it off because I thought something was wrong with the gauge. First here's a picture.



I always have the hood popped and check things out while the motor warms up before I go drive it. I have the fuel pressure set at 6 psi and that seems to run fine normally and the gauge always shows 6 psi when it's warming up. But...... sometimes I would pull over when it started acting up while driving and see my fuel pressure gauge reading 0 as in no fuel pressure. So it's at zero but the motor is still running and I can plainly see gas in the site windows on the carb. I couldn't understand it but the motor was running anyway so I went home, parked it and pouted. Week goes by and I start it up again and wouldn't you know... 6 psi. So I'm thinking the gauge is just screwing with me at this point. OK so I go cruise and it starts stumbling again and the gauge reads 0 again. Parked it. Well this time (yesterday) I just cranked it up, read the gauge, 6 psi and actually raised the regulator to read 7 psi. Slowly but surely as minutes go by that needle slowly goes down to 0. OK so at this point I'm thinking it's either the gauge, fuel pressure regulator or the electric fuel pump. What do you think?

 

I would rule out the gauge, since the gauge only measures and as far as I know doesn't affect performance.

 

that engine compartment looks too good to have problems. i would say try a new fuel filter and if that dont do it, id say the pump. Unless your making big power, maybe try a holley mechanical pump. they are internally regulated and dont wine like crazy. cheaper too.

 

just get a mechanical pump..the one on my dirt track car is a holley pump around 150 bucks and its 8 seasons old..sees 7500 rpm all night long

 

pump is craping out on ya man!!!

 

I think that its the pump like the others but I would try a new gauge before I went through the trouble of a pump swap. The symptoms sound like a pump that gets less and less effective as it gets hot. I am using a holley blue pump and have had good service for 2 years now.

 

Yea if the gauge was broke or stuck then it wouldn't read 6 psi again after everything has cooled down.

The filter is new but like some people say if it sits long the gas may gum it up?

I think I'll stay with the electric pump. If this one is going out then I'll just replace it with a new one. I wish I could test it though.

Yea this is a Holley Black and it's been installed on my 72 Nova and now on this truck. It's kinda old now. In fact it's the older design. Hasn't given me any trouble until maybe now? I don't know.

 

At this point I'm about to just offer someone some bbq and ice cold beer to come spend an afternoon to tune this thing.