Bad lift pump or?

[Mr_Roboto]

I've had a problem for a while where at times the motor would idle or run rough, like there was air in the system, but it never lasted long.

Well I head out to a call tonight, jump on the highway and at about 50 mph it was like someone shut the key off. I kept the clutch out and the motor turning, and maybe 8 seconds later power came back. I picked up the car (side of highway) and getting back on it did the same thing, no power for some seconds then back on. It ran fine to the customers house (but I took back roads to keep speeds down).

The International has the same setup as the Ford pickups BUT there is a seperator / filter before the lift pump. I don't *think* there are any air leaks. Fuel was about 1/2 tank and I filled it all the way up to be sure, and the truck still did the same thing at high RPM's.

I replaced the seperator / filter a few days ago because of the rough idling, I replaced the filter on the motor a couple months ago.

Any thoughts?

 

[RLDSL]

Maybe you just filled up with a load of nasty fuel. It only takes one bad fill to cause trouble, even on fresh filters. I had more times than I care to remember, back when driving a big truck, where about 30 miles after a fill up I'd be stopping every half hour-45 minutes to change another filter till the junk was gone

--------Robert

 

[Mr_Roboto]

Aha - Some (nameless) idiot installed a new piece of rubber line in an attempt to cure the rough running, and put a bend in too tight, pinching the line.

Now to figure out why my (gas) van didn't make it out of the driveway this morning. I was starting to think there was a conspiracy involving water in my gas / fuel tanks.

 

[argve]

Maybe it's a pinched line conspiracy... I have heard reports of this in the past.... ;p Glad to hear you figured it out. Does yours have a fuel filter light to tell you when the fuel filter needs to be changed? Just curious... When I installed the electric fuel pump on the enterprise and forgot to turn it on it would run fine until as you describe, then it would stumble and starve for fuel - well my fuel filter light would kick on during this process.

 

[Mr_Roboto]

Well - it has a light that comes on, but isn't hooked to anything that I can find (. I already bought a new lift pump this morning, and I'm planning on changing it once I can get that darn line nut loose.

I'd also like to plumb an electric pump near the tank, but it has wierd hard plastic tubing with compression fittings. So that's going to be a real "project".

 

[RLDSL]

Well - it has a light that comes on, but isn't hooked to anything that I can find. I already bought a new lift pump this morning, and I'm planning on changing it once I can get that darn line nut loose.

I'd also like to plumb an electric pump near the tank, but it has wierd hard plastic tubing with compression fittings. So that's going to be a real "project".

If you want to put an electric pump in there, but don't want to have to mount it underneath on the frame, checkout one of these
They will lift fuel 10 ft ( they are the factory fuel pumps on Carrier Transcold, and Thermoking ****** units now ) I have one mounted behind the battery on the passenger side inner fender. real handy to get to the filter screen and makes a nice place to see how your fuel is. Been running it around 2 years now.

-----------Robert