Hi fellas,

Can anyone recommend an electric fuel pump for my 59 F100?

The truck has the Stock fuel system that has been all renewed, but I’m having starting problems when I crank it up. It can be weeks/months between drives and I’m having to crank the engine for 15-20 seconds before the mechanical pump (new) gets fuel up to the carb. (New fuel lines, mech pump, filter, carb). It starts fine the next day after driving, just when I leave it for long periods.

I have the factory tank behind the seat with the fuel pipe that comes in the top. What I have read is that electric pumps push fuel not pull, so just wondering if anyone has used a electric pump with success in this type of application?

This is what I’m looking at-






Thanks, Dennis.

56 F100 - 272 Y Block
NSW, Australia.

I tried 2 Holley reds.  They averaged about 1000 miles and failed.  Then I tried Carter and I'm on the 2nd in about 12 years.  This is in a year round daily driver scenario.  The carter can be mounted something like 18" above the tank (read instructions) so it does have some capability to pull fuel.



Lawrenceville, GA

While I do not use it much any more, several years ago I installed a Mr. Gasket 12S electric fuel pump back towards the fuel tank to do just the job you describe - fill the fuel bowl, etc. The model I used is a 5/16" line just like my 55 Ford's original gas line so hook up was beyond simple. I have a little bit on this on my blog...

Mr. Gasket Install

These pumps are pretty common at most auto parts stores, eBay, Amazon, etc. It does come with a very small filter that is to be used before the pump - just make sure your gas tank is free and clear of any trash floating around. I would imagine the small filter can become clogged pretty quickly. Obviously, the pump is a "pass-through" so that you can suck fuel through the pump by means of your conventional fuel pump at the block. I have had 0 issues with the setup. The pump is wired with a Bosch relay and a toggle switch under the dash.





Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

Those of us that still use the stock fuel tank behind the seat, the pump doesn't have to "lift" fuel once the line in the tank is purged of all air. If I disconnect the line from the inlet port at the stock mechanical pump, fuel will syphon easly from the hose at the pump until the tank is emptied if allowed to do so.   In fact, I gently blow coompressed air back through the line to stop the syphoning effect for sarety reasons when removing the pump.   

64F100 57FAIRLANE500

You need to repair the problem with the carburetor, it should not leak down, you may have a heat soak problem (carburetor boils the fuel after shut down from a over heated base), the fuel bowl should remain full, even for 6 months. 

Get rid of that flex hose, it puts pressure on the radiator neck and will cause a leak after some time.

If it is ethanol laced gasoline, it will boil quicker and will evaporate quicker in an open vent system.

https://theshopmag.com/features/ethanol-hates-carburetors/

____________________________

Dennis:  Is your choke closing properly?.  Don't know what carb you have there, but some have rather large vents, which of course will evaporate your fuel over time.. In my case, the Ford autolite 4 Bbl carb I have, has a large front vent, so when the car is parked for long periods, I found a small plastic clip that fits in the vent slightly loose, so I can plug it.. Interestingly, by accidently forgeting to remove it, I found the car will start & run with the vent plugged...     


Paul

Thanks for the feed back fellas, sorry for the delayed response.

Charlie- that’s good info, I always value real life experience with parts/products! Do you have a part or model name/number for the carter?

Daniel- that’s some real interesting info, I’ve never heard of that. Sounds cool. I’ll have a read up on the install! Thanks!!

Ford Dearborn- thanks, yeah that’s right I forgot about the syphoning. I do remember replacing the fuel pump and having to plug the gas line to stop it flowing out.

Cliff- thanks for the suggestion to remove the flex hose, it actually looks a lot worse than it actually is. I do have a 2inch phenolic spacer that I hoped would help, but your right there seems to be an issue. The fuel could be boiling also because it really has a hard time starting after it gets hot and I turn it off for approx 15 minutes. I did get a suggestion to look down the carb after shut off to see if fuel is leaking, but I totally forgot to check. I will keep that in mind next drive
.

Kultulz- as far as I’m aware it’s not ethanol laced fuel, its 98octane. I don’t know much about fuel though!

PF Arcand- the carb is a new Edelbrock performer 600cfm. I have changed the auto choke to manual choke, so I’m pretty certain the choke is closing all the way. Is it just a visual check to see if the choke is closing correctly?




Thanks, Dennis.

56 F100 - 272 Y Block
NSW, Australia.

I had the same issue with a SBC that I had in my last truck.  It would annoy me when I hadn't driven it for a couple weeks.  I bought a battery tender so as not to kill the battery when starting it up after being parked for so long and I was satisfied.  I am pretty sure my issue was with distributor advance/ general timing at idle.