Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) BOMBed fuel pickup, now pumping foam (HELP!)

[Boldt's Wagon]

Vaughn, on the NWBombers.com site you stated that you rerouted the return to the supply fitting. Does this mean that the return is now injected at the bottom of the tank inside the screen. The rerouted return may be aerating the fuel near the new supply pickup. Try routing the return back to the old return line.

 

[keimmmo]

Vaughn,

You have upgraded the fuel supply to the motor... did you upgrade the vent system? Is it possible you are drawing a vacuum in the tank? As if a vacuum wouldn't be bad enough, is it possible that the plastic fuel tank is being drawn enough that it touches the end of the pickup tube? If the problem becomes worse with more fuel in the tank instead of better, it might be a possibility. When looking for a wierd problem, anything is possible!



Steve

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

I think it's fixed (cautiously optimistic)

Well maybe the saga is over, but it turns out the culprit was the mesh screen at the bottom of the pickup assembly. I ripped it out and reinstalled the pickup assembly and Wallah. . . it maintains pressure now! I would've never guessed a screen at least 3" in diameter couldn't flow enough fuel to keep up. The pressure is still kind of erratic but at least it stays above 12psi in normal driving and I actually drove it on the freeway a few minutes ago. Running up hard it stayed above 9psi. The pressure wanders up and down though between 12 and 14 psi with steady throttle, but with hard acceleration, braking and cornering, it doesn't miss a beat. When I accelerated hard onto the highway and got it down to 9, it only took 1 second to recover to 12psi when letting off the pedal, it was almost instantaneous. So I think this is good, it drops fairly slow but recovers fast.



Thanks again everyone for your creative suggestions, you thought of some good ones, BW, keimmmo, HVAC & the rest of you



I do have the normal vent open so I think I'm OK there, on the test run last night the fuel cap was off.



Vaughn "Fingers Crossed" MacKenzie



ps: Now the gas gauge is whacked :{