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Totally perplexed

Green Monster

Green Monster

1/2 ton status
Joined
Aug 10, 2013
Posts
328
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Location
Thousand Oaks, CA
I installed a new fuel pump and fuel lines. All stock stuff. Had to pull the alternator and smog pump off. Big PITA. Put it all back together, no fuel pressure. Take everything apart, put it back together without alternator and smog pump. Fires up, runs great. Install smog pump and alternator, no fuel pressure again. Can't see any kinks in the soft line, and I didn't crimp the hard line on anything either, as it ran fine without the smog pump and alternator. Any ideas?
 
If one of the smog pump brackets uses this hole, the bolt is probably too long...

15075146073402081985670.jpg
 
That hole is open to the fuel pump pushrod, many guys stick a longer bolt in there during fuel pump changes to lock the fuel pump pushrod in place, so it won't fall out while the fuel pump is off.

My best and only guess from the info you provided is that the bolt is just a count hair (@handloader90 ) too long, and once you tighten everything down, the force of the starter turns the cam hard enough that the fuel pump push rod will go down, but the fuel pump doesn't have enough spring to push it back up. Once you loosened it, the fuel pump can now return the rod against the cam lobe, and it runs. Tighten it, rod gets stuck away from the cam again...
 
Justin V said:
If one of the smog pump brackets uses this hole, the bolt is probably too long...

View attachment 247606
Click to expand...
Yep, I just thought that I may have mixed up the smog pump and fuel pump bolts. So would that cause a binding issue with the rod that actuated the fuel pump? Did I destroy anything? I noticed that what I thought were the fuel pump bolts were a little short, so I got ones just a little longer and put a couple of washers on them. The new pump's flange looked a little thicker, so I just got longer bolts. So that means I put the longer fuel pump bolts in th smog pump, and tossed the smog pump bolts in my "extra bolt coffee can." Think I permanently damaged anything? Thanks for your help.
 
Plus, if the bolt was way too long, the motor would lock up or break the cam or the timing chain. Probably just stack a washer under the bolt head and be done with it, go about your day and drive the 76 until something else craps out...



Short story, it'll be fine.
 
Justin V said:
Plus, if the bolt was way too long, the motor would lock up or break the cam or the timing chain. Probably just stack a washer under the bolt head and be done with it, go about your day and drive the 76 until something else craps out...



Short story, it'll be fine.
Click to expand...
Thanks everyone! Yep, something else will crap out. I'd just like to drive it for awhile before that happens!
 
Justin V said:
That hole is open to the fuel pump pushrod, many guys stick a longer bolt in there during fuel pump changes to lock the fuel pump pushrod in place, so it won't fall out while the fuel pump is off.

My best and only guess from the info you provided is that the bolt is just a count hair (@handloader90 ) too long, and once you tighten everything down, the force of the starter turns the cam hard enough that the fuel pump push rod will go down, but the fuel pump doesn't have enough spring to push it back up. Once you loosened it, the fuel pump can now return the rod against the cam lobe, and it runs. Tighten it, rod gets stuck away from the cam again...
Click to expand...
I agree, count hair too long.
 
Green Monster said:
Dark now, will switch out the bolts tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully I can do it from beneath, I really don't want to take the whole thing apart again. That smog pump is a PITA.
Click to expand...
You don't have a flashlight?
 
Green Monster said:
Yep, I just thought that I may have mixed up the smog pump and fuel pump bolts. So would that cause a binding issue with the rod that actuated the fuel pump? Did I destroy anything? I noticed that what I thought were the fuel pump bolts were a little short, so I got ones just a little longer and put a couple of washers on them. The new pump's flange looked a little thicker, so I just got longer bolts. So that means I put the longer fuel pump bolts in th smog pump, and tossed the smog pump bolts in my "extra bolt coffee can." Think I permanently damaged anything? Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

The only thing that could have been damaged is the camshaft fuel pump lobe. I have made the same mistake a couple of times, but after I straightened it out the engine ran just fine.
 
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