Truck dying and and sputtering up hills.

[Liftedchevrolet]

I have a 72 chevy k10 pickup. It runs great but today while coming up big hills it sputtered and on the second big hill totally shut off. There was fuel in the inline fuel filter. Once I got towed up the hill and on flat ground I cranked it a few times to get gas back in the line. Then it started up. Any ideas?

[turp mcspray]

Sure sounds like a fuel issue. If the filter isn't clogged, then your pump may be on its last leg.

[Liftedchevrolet]

Originally Posted by turp mcspray

Sure sounds like a fuel issue. If the filter isn't clogged, then your pump may be on its last leg.

It got gas as soon as I cranked it a few times. Would the pump be spooky or go out all at once.

[hounddogs!]

Originally Posted by Liftedchevrolet

It got gas as soon as I cranked it a few times. Would the pump be spooky or go out all at once.

The pump could certainly go out gradually. I had a tear that started on the outside edge of the diaphragm. As the tear grew, fuel delivery got more and more sporadic.

[Ol Blue K20]

How much fuel is in your tank? Might be a pick up problem in the tank.

[quick60]

Maybe spark plug wires, wires not snapped onto cap or plugs all the way. Under load resistance is increased and can cause missing.

[O'l Buck]

When my fuel pump went on the 67 it would surge and hop going up hills and run fine down hill and on flat ground, if the hill was very long, it would completely die.

[brown7373]

Sounds like my 69 GTO back in 1973. The primary wire (points to the negative of the coil) had gotten pinched. The wire strands were cut through, but the backside insulation held it together. The increased resistance showed up going up hills, and it would sputter and sometimes shut off. When the wire strands made contact, it ran. If they vibrated apart it sputtered or shut off.

Unless you find an obvious fuel issue, it sounds ignition related to me.

[no1udknow]

Do you drive it all the time? If not it could potentially be a stuck float in the carb, not enough gas in the bowl and when you head up hills it starves out. Other than that I would check the tank or like brown said, maybe something loose. Is your tank still in the cab or under the truck somewhere? I have heard of people denting their tanks while wheeling and bending up the fuel pick-up.

[BB72CHEVKT]

fuel pump is on its last leg, $12 bucks give or take to replace

[stsalvage]

How many miles on the eng do you have low vacuum if so you might be getting a Flat cam.there is a short bolt on the front of the engine that lets you stop the rod that makes the fuel pump work seen guys put to long of a bolt in and take the lobe off the cam funnest thing to see on a motor that only has 300 miles on it and your truck goes lean and burns up the motor or puts a hole throw the piston.

I did it to my 1965 3/4 ton truck had over 750K miles wore down the cam had 5-6 pounds of vacuum the brakes would hardly work and i had power brakes and my fuel what fuel and my truck ran Hot.

Probable none of you will ever do it or see it in your life time to see a cam go complety round your lifter hardly move

[MagmaJct]

I had vapor lock like symptoms before my fuel pump failed completely. I even replaced my fan clutch as a Hail Mary attempt to solve the problem.

I once got stranded in a landfill. Yeah, it was over 110*F that day. Eventually, it failed for good. After a new pump was installed, I have yet to have a problem 2, maybe 3 years later!

In hindsight, I should have checked the fuel pressure.

[brown7373]

Have you checked the sock in the fuel tank on the pickup tube? It gradually becomes clogged and can restrict fuel flow.