Fuel pump options

[Saphiro]

I don't know if this will be helpful or not. But, when I bought my C-20 in 2003 the mechanical fuel pump was leaking. So I bought a new one in order to make the 150 mile trip home. Only it suddenly didn't work, at all. The leaking pump worked fine, but the new one didn't. So, as a stop-gap, I bought an electric pump, put it inline and bypassed the mechanical pump. I kid you not, I've been running the truck like that ever since.
I now know that the pushrod for the fuel pump isn't working properly, and has likely worn out all together (or the cam that is). But the electric pump hasn't failed once in the past 12 years. I didn't put in a pressure regulator, and just count on the float valve in the carb to cut off fuel when necessary.

[barmanvarn]

Originally Posted by Saphiro

I don't know if this will be helpful or not. But, when I bought my C-20 in 2003 the mechanical fuel pump was leaking. So I bought a new one in order to make the 150 mile trip home. Only it suddenly didn't work, at all. The leaking pump worked fine, but the new one didn't. So, as a stop-gap, I bought an electric pump, put it inline and bypassed the mechanical pump. I kid you not, I've been running the truck like that ever since.
I now know that the pushrod for the fuel pump isn't working properly, and has likely worn out all together (or the cam that is). But the electric pump hasn't failed once in the past 12 years. I didn't put in a pressure regulator, and just count on the float valve in the carb to cut off fuel when necessary.

Is there an easy way to tell whether or not the lobe on the cam has given up the ghost? If so, I'd like to rule that out as a possible issue before I just slap another pump on it.

[leftybass209]

Originally Posted by barmanvarn

Is there an easy way to tell whether or not the lobe on the cam has given up the ghost? If so, I'd like to rule that out as a possible issue before I just slap another pump on it.

No, there really isn't an easy way to check without pulling the cam.

If you had a buddy that could crank the engine by hand, you could put a dab of grease on the end of the pushrod, place your finger on the other end, and attempt an eyeball measurement to the distance it travels, or build some measurement contraption to check it. I think that would be overkill though.

It would be highly unlikely that the cam lobe would have worn away, as a stock or similar pump doesn't have enough spring pressure to grind away the cam unless there was no lubrication. If there were no oil, the entire motor would have seized before just the fuel pump cam lobe.

I'm not saying it's not possible, but that would be a weird set of circumstances.