Fuel Starvation Issue?

[krick3tt]

Perhaps he is an alien. Mars is watching us.

[Jimm391730]

I'm living in So Cal, I see LOTS of faces like that... I must be getting used to it.

[khansmith]

I wanted to give an update. Here are the things that checked out OK
1.) Yes, I have a full tank of gas
2.) power to solenoids is fine
3.) No red flakes in fuel filter

I ran the engine off of a gas can in the passenger foot well so that seems to be working just fine. The only thing I noticed is that the fuel pump wouldn't keep the filter full of fuel. Not sure if that is normal as I have never really paid attention before. Anyway, it appears I have an issue with the tank. I am a bit baffled because the fuel filter is perfectly clean. I put a camera in the tank and I definitely have the red coating. I tried to take the plug out of the bottom of the tank but it looks like I need to put some penetrating oil before I can get the plug out before stripping it. Unless someone believes that I have a fuel pump issue (because the fuel filter didn't stay full), here is how I am going to progress:
1.) Pull the fuel sending unit and see if it is plugged
2.) Attempt to drain the rest of the fuel

One last question...if I have the "red death," how do I get the tank fixed or do I have to buy (gulp) a new one?

Oh...sorry about the avatar. I will look for something that won't give people nightmares. It's just "bat boy"

[krick3tt]

Napa or VW sell a fuel pump that will suffice for a time as a replacement till you can get a kit to repair your pump...or just get the rebuild kit if your pump is bad.
Keep the Napa pump as a spare.

[khansmith]

Napa or VW sell a fuel pump that will suffice for a time as a replacement till you can get a kit to repair your pump...or just get the rebuild kit if your pump is bad.
Keep the Napa pump as a spare.

Do you think my pump is bad? If so, can you help me understand? Is it because while the engine is running, the fuel filter doesn't remain full or is it the lack of red particles in the filter. I just want to learn.

[Stekay]

Fuel filter does not stay full. There's generally an air pocket at the top.
Have you taken the fuel line off the carbs and cranked the engine to confirm it pumps? If not I know some have taken the diaphragm out of the pump and simply turned it over and re-assembled to get home.

[krick3tt]

If you take the line off the carb side of the pump and see if turning over the engine will put out fuel it may tell you something about the pump.
Use a bottle of some type and put a short piece of line to see if there is some pumped in the direction of the carbs. You may want to have an
assistant help with this to keep from spilling fuel on the engine. Just did this a few days ago to help discover the correct side of the replacement
pump...I was the assistant.

[khansmith]

Fuel filter does not stay full. There's generally an air pocket at the top.
Have you taken the fuel line off the carbs and cranked the engine to confirm it pumps? If not I know some have taken the diaphragm out of the pump and simply turned it over and re-assembled to get home.

I have not but I will do as you suggest.

[audiocontr]

Cracked fuel line between pump and tank?

[Twin Pinzies]

A quick trick to find out if you are getting a clogged fuel line from the tank is to take the line off of the filter and blowing back into the tank (take the gas cap off first!). Does it seem to resist at first then blow easier? That's debris getting blown out then.

[og]

Longshot, but it is possible for tank vent (in the tank cap) got clogged. Test is easy, simply remove the cap and take it for a ride.

[mockingbird812]

Not sure if this is your issue, but this is what happened to me SEVEN years ago and the fellas round here were a big help!

viewtopic.php?t=4192

[compunerdy]

I actually had that exact problem (as mockingbird) when I bought my Pinz. The owner said it died while driving and he somehow determined it needed a new timing chain (which it does not have) so I bought it for 2k less than they originally wanted and found the fuel leak from the T or Y in my case to the gas heater and it started right up.

[khansmith]

Update: I blew into the fuel line that goes to the tank and no issues at all. Even the pressure bypass in the cap works great. I noticed the vacuum hose that goes to the air filter snorkel that operates the butterfly valve had a big hole. I repaired it and now the engine runs super strong. So the issue was either

1) I had too much fuel in the tank causing a vacuum lock (it was very full, into the fuel filler hose)
2). The vacuum hole was making the engine run too rich
3) maybe I blew debris away?

I'll keep you posted. Insights and opinions welcome.

[blackstack]

I had a similar problem and did all the things suggested here...drained tank, changed fuel pump changed filter checked solenoid etc etc...nothing solved the problem...for no reason other than i came across a little box with a new one i changed the rotor in the distributor.....problem solved. weird