73 C-10 eating fuel pumps alive. HELP!

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heffalump

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90
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2500 suburban
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350
" NOT all V-8 Chevy mechanical fuel pumps are the same !!!!!!"
I am guessing you have a fuel pump rod length and arm difference issue.
Check your correct part #s again
Any rough idea what the differences in lengths between the 305 and 350 are?
 

rpcraft

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My initial thought is it sounds like maybe you are sending trash through the pump that is destroying the diaphragm but I guess it ultimately depends on what you are seeing in your fuel filters.
 

Jerry phillion

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Is the end of the arm , that is actuated by the cam , rough or chewed up? If it is , then cam is your problem.
 

rpcraft

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Is the end of the arm , that is actuated by the cam , rough or chewed up? If it is , then cam is your problem.

He's saying the pump starts weeping fuel out of the weep hole. I've been thinking about this some while I was resting and what you might do is double check your filter and see if it has filled up with trash. Not sure if you bought a plastic see through one or a metal one, but either way I would try emptying the fuel out of it and cutting it open to inspect the filter element and replace it again, meanwhile get one of those smaller clear fuel filters that are made to go between the pump and the carb and it might seem like overkill but at least you have a way to see if the pump is sending trash to the carb. You might have rust in the fuel tank still or some other fine layer of material that is course enough to shred the pump diaphragm, and usually that will plug up a fuel filter again but in this case maybe it's fine enough to still get through.

Might be worth it to inspect the fuel bowls too and see if you have anything making it's way there, and if running the stock quadrajet I think there might be a small filter in the inlet but I hate to admit it, I can not recall for the 73's (my earliest wrenching experience is on 77 and up so my apologies there).

Just trying to think about all the things it could be, and if you just started having the problem recently, then factoring in the components that changed is the only way to think about what the problem might be (unless it is just crappy replacement part).
 

bucket

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" NOT all V-8 Chevy mechanical fuel pumps are the same !!!!!!"
I am guessing you have a fuel pump rod length and arm difference issue.
Check your correct part #s again

All small blocks use the same length pushrod for the pump.
 

heffalump

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I replaced the filter before the pump and cleaned the filter between the pump and carb( one of the glass universal ones with the filter that can be cleaned), also the filter in the carb (usually paper this one is metal and re-usable). Then installed the 5th fuel pump. So far its running fine. When I replaced the sending unit the old one was in bad shape and basically disintegrating. The tank seemed clean inside. The only thing I haven't replaced is the hard lines running along the frame. They're original so I think next thing on my list is to replace them.
 

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