OK first off, heres some info: 1986 2wd AT 360cid w/ Rodchester 4 barrel, royal SE package

This truck is strange! at first the mech. fuel pump was bad, so i replaced it with a electrical, that went bad. then a new mechanical did not sump fuel (from the tank) so I changed the intank sump and level sender unit (dealer part). I also replaced all the rubber fuel lines, cleaned the steel ones, and a mechanic friend rebuilt the carb ( i was missing parts!).

now it truck runs great, but only from a small gas can i put under the engine for testing. fuel doesn't go to the fuel pump from the tank. I can't figure out why. I've checked everything, dropped the tank, twice. the steel lines flow free (no leaks, b-12 fluid goes in one side, out the other). All the emmissions and vacuum lines have been bypassed or plugged off (for testing only), the filters are new too.

i'm out of ideas, ya'll go any?


the picture: left 1986 in question, right 1990 4x4beast (360cid, TBI)

[IMG]local://upfiles/3888/ED43D8ADAE574097A6A81DDB5A7EB078.jpg[/IMG]

 

there are two lines from the tank, make sure you are connected to the correct one. The return is from the bleedover on the fuel filter. I have not confirmed, but there may be a check valve on that one, preventing gas from being pulled on it. You may have swapped the lines when you dropped the tank.

I have a question for you as well. Were you able to drop the tank without cutiting the straps, and if not, what are you using for straps now? Mine has never been taken down before and I need to drop it to fix the ground on the sender unit. I have a corroded electrical connection, the sending unit line is reading 17,000 Ohms instead of 70. As a result my gas gauge is stuck on E.

 

my 86 accually has 3 fuel lines, the extra one accomadates the vapor cans under the hood, those have been bypassed though. I think the truck, like my girlfriend, is half Mexican.(LOL here The other two line (fuel and return) are different sizes so theres no way to mix them up.

As for your straps they should hang on a small cross member in front of the tank and havea "j" style bolt on each one hanging it to another cross member at the very rear of the frame. loosen these bolts to make the straps loose and the lift out of thier notches in the rear cross member. I used a jack to lift them. Watch out they will pop loose. I also had to remove my trailer hitch to get to them.

I would definetley reccommend cutting the bolts not the straps if you must cut something, j-bolts are easy to find. I'll try to find pictures, but i'm at work right now. I think i'll be off to O'reiley's later to get steel hose, a bender, and a flare tool. Oh well, if you replace everything, eventually you'll have a brand new truck

 

I replaced the rubber lines to the tank, figured i'd make them long enough to drop the tank and still run the engine for future maintenance. This results in kinks that block flow . that problem is solved.

Now I have to figure out the fuel gauge. the in-tank float unit has been replaced (new, ordered from dealer), But the fuel needle in the dash only goes to the second tick mark, even with a full or half full tank. The float works when removed from the tank and moved with my hand, but not inside. I think it's not floating. Any ideas????

 

If you got a replacement fuel pick up/sender from the dealer, its a new superseeded part number. The windings for the sender off the float are not engineered right so the gauge will never be even close to stock calibration regardless of what you do to adjust the float level by bending the steel rod. OBTW they break too. I've gone through two of them from the dealership. Still on my second now, not bothering to adjust it.

The pickup/sender needs to (yours and mine I've also got a '86 mexican assembled Ramcharger 4x4 Royal SE) be sent to an after market gauge and sender repair shop, and have it completely redone to work right again.