Bruce, Ok, looking at the pump, you have one tube going from the tank to the bottom of the pump, then two ports exiting the top of the pump. The old ones had three exiting the top, not three total.
So if you have the newer, one has to go to the SPICA pump, the other has to be a return, or it goes to some emmissions thing, if I can recall correctly, but I remember it having at least two ports exiting the top of the pump. The other thought I had was, something along the way to the SPICA pump may divert fuel to some place else to make that fuel pressure light take longer to come on. I would concentrate on the pump itself, passage ways from the pump and passage ways to wherever. T-Mobile, America's First Nationwide 4G Network Sent by Samsung Mobile Bruce Giller <[email protected]> wrote: >John, > >My FI fuel pump is the new style with only two ports so there's no way the >gas can back into the tank from it. > >Bruce > >On Sat, Jul 28, 2012 at 7:18 AM, John Palumbo <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Just a quick thought, I would tend to think it would have something to do >> with the fuel delivery from the fuel pump. The fuel it would seem is >> getting pumped back into the tank, instead of to the pump where it belongs, >> hense you noticed it took longer for the pressure light to go out. >> >> If I can recall, the older pumps had three ports on them, one to the SPICA >> pump, one as a return to the tank, and I think the third was for some >> emmissions thing, I'm not sure. I know the the newer pumps had only two >> ports. >> >> So maybe if you had a spare pump, you could try installing it and see if >> it does the same thing. Perhaps there is a sort of check valve system, >> similiar to that of a diode thats gone bad, it being that alows the fuel to >> flow in only one direction, to the SPICA pump. The other thought would be >> to run it with the fuel cap off. But there should be no logical reason why >> the tank should be over pressurizing. >> >> John >> >> T-Mobile, America's First Nationwide 4G Network >> Sent by Samsung Mobile >> >> Bruce Giller <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >Yesterday we (David Tallerico and I) attended a Seat Time session at >> Summit >> >Point track after a too-long hiatus. The weather temp wasn't hot but >> >pretty warm - mid to upper 80's or so. It is 1.5 hour drive from my house >> >there and we stopped in Charles Town for gas. at around 7:50 am. At the >> >station the car would not restart and we discovered that it was getting >> any >> >gas for the plugs were dry. The fuel pressure light went out but it took >> >longer than usual for it to go out; usually after running for a bit, it >> >only takes 1 second for it to wink out. I removed the return hose from >> the >> >SPICA pump and gas was pumped out with the fuel pump on. We 'fixed' the >> >non-starting problem with starter fluid sprayed down the throats. Off to >> >the track! >> > >> >Barely into my first session of the day, I started getting a whiff of >> >gasoline but I attributed it to all the other cars whizzing past me. But >> >then it got stronger and stronger which lead me to pull into the pits >> >before I caught on fire. On the false grid, I stopped and opened the hood >> >- no smell there. But in the trunk, there was a light layer of gas in the >> >fuel gauge sender and a light coating over portions of the tank. When I >> >loosened the filler cap, I could hear air escaping at more than normal >> >pressure. And the car would not restart. I removed the air cleaner but >> >this time it started without the need of the starter fluid. And replacing >> >the air cleaner did not kill the engine. Gas supply related, perhaps? >> > >> >On the next session I withstood the fumes until they started bothering my >> >eyes, so I exited the track and drove the car to our spot. This time gas >> >was dripping from the front of the tank as well as being on the fuel gauge >> >sender. The drip was not coming the lower exit to the fuel pump but up >> top >> >where the SPICA fuel return hose is connecterd to the tank. My flashlight >> >turned out to be dead so I couldn't see if it was really coming from that >> >connection. Once again the tank was pressurized far more than normal. I >> >removed the fuel vapor recovery container and found it to contain a >> >considerable amount of fuel - so much so that it when held level it poured >> >out the two lower outlets (one drains condensed fuel back into the tank, >> >the other allows vapor into the container). I drained the fuel back into >> >the tank. The return fuel line did not show any evidence of cracks at the >> >end and I tightened the clamp a bit more than normal when I put it back >> on. >> > >> >I reasoned that the fuel in the vapor container was blocking the outlets >> >and thus leading to over pressurizing the tank; and the fuel was >> >an accumulation over many years. The two hose connections to the tank >> were >> >clear as well as the vacuum line back to the engine. And the air breather >> >on the vacuum line allowed in and out - I don't think that it is designed >> >like the later models that had a check valve to allow air in but not out. >> > >> >On the next session (tank was about 1/2 full by now - should have started >> >with 1/2 tank), I ran the full 20 minutes and didn't smell gas (well, at >> >least not nearly as much as previous session). Back at our spot, I >> checked >> >the trunk and I could hear air loudly hissing from the filler cap (tightly >> >screwed on) and from the vapor container's air breather. I could hear >> >gurgling sounds from inside the tank. And when I started to pull the >> >filler cap from the tank neck, fuel & air spurted out of the filler all >> the >> >way up my arm and partially on my face - fortunately I was standing to the >> >side and didn't get sprayed full on. I screwed the cap partially back on >> >to let the pressure escape. After the tank was depressurized, I >> discovered >> >that the vapor container remained pressurized. There was even more gas in >> >the container than previous which I drained back into the tank once the >> >pressure was released. >> > >> >We left before the last session. At the end of the 1.5 hour trip back >> >home, I cracked open the filler cap and found no pressurization. Tank had >> >about 2-3 gallons left in it. The temps in the DC area where much warmer >> >than at Summit Point and the traffic much slower. >> > >> >So just how is the tank getting so over pressurized?? Outside source?? >> My >> >rear muffler is not too close to the tank for there is the standard 3"-4" >> >gap between them. The gas tank was warm to the touch when over >> pressurized >> >but not frying pan hot. I did replace the front resonator with a straight >> >pipe but that shouldn't heat up the rest of the system that much. And how >> >could it heat up almost 11 gallons of fuel so quickly on the track to >> cause >> >the pressurization? >> > >> >And how could the normal operation of the fuel pump system lead to >> >producing this much pressure ? It is a closed system but with a vent to >> >the outside via the vapor recovery container's air breather. If the >> system >> >is in working order on the car, the pressure built up so rapidly as to >> >overwhelm the air breather's venting capacity and then the high pressure >> in >> >the tank forced gas up into the canister which in turn covered the two >> >lower outlets aggravating the problem in the tank. >> > >> >All in all, very odd and disconcerting. It will be hard to replicate the >> >problem in the driveway since it only seems to happen the car is driven >> >hard on the track. >> > >> >Any ideas where I should look ?? >> > >> >Thanks, >> > Bruce >> > >> >'73 GTV >> >-- >> >to be removed from alfa, see http://www.digest.net/bin/digest-subs.cgi >> >or email "unsubscribe alfa" to [email protected] -- to be removed from alfa, see http://www.digest.net/bin/digest-subs.cgi or email "unsubscribe alfa" to [email protected]
