manual fuel pump

[FiatJim]

Does a manual (engine powered) fuel pump fail suddenly or slowly?

Backstory: I hadn't run the car in 6-7 weeks. When I checked the oil, it was contaminated with gasoline. Drained the oil, new filter then ran the care for 3-4 minutes. Drained the oil and refilled with fresh oil. 3-4 days later, it wouldn't start. The fuel line & filter were dry.

I have tried starting fluid with success - ran briefly, as expected.
Filled the fuel hose through the fuel filter, I though it might "prime" the flow. It did not.

Would it be a good idea to hook up a small temp gas tank, running it through the filter?

Jim

[wizard124]

I don't understand the portable fuel tank idea?

Replace the fuel pump or convert to an electric one.

[FiatJim]

I am trying to determine if the pump has broken, or a different problem is the cause.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

What can happen after long periods (weeks) without running the engine is that the fuel drains back to the tank and it can take a lot of engine cranking to get the fuel pumped from the tank back up to the carb. However, this shouldn't happen in 3 or 4 days.

Check to make sure that you have the hoses connected to the pump in the right way: Inlet to the pump goes to the fuel tank, and outlet of the pump goes to the carb (or fuel filter then to the carb).

If you had gasoline in your oil, one of the common causes is a leaking diaphragm on the fuel pump. So, you may need a new pump.

To prime the pump, I attach a clear plastic hose to the hose connected to the carb (disconnecting this first) and then suck on the hose to draw the fuel up. Stop when you see gas enter the clear plastic hose, and then reconnect to the carb. Obviously, a hand-held pump would be better for this, as gas tastes pretty nasty.....

-Bryan