1984 ranger 2.8l fuel not getting to carb

[Gavinmalone5]

I have a very weird problem that I hope someone can help me with. I got a ranger that I’m fixing up with the 2.8l and it’s a 1984. It fires right up with starting fluid in the carb but nothing with the line so I took the line off and saw nothing was coming out. I checked the fuel pump and connected a gas tank to the intake side of the fuel pump and it came shooting out of the carb side and will run forever if you keep feeding the line. I checked the line from the tank by sucking on the line and it felt stopped up so I got a compresser and shot the line full of air till I heard air in the tank and now fuel comes out of the line when I suck on the line. The only problem is when I connect the line to the fuel pump nothing comes out. It worked great with my portable tank but the truck tank nothing. I tried priming the fuel pump by pouring gas down the carb side and it splits the gas I poured down just fine but after that’s out of the line nothing comes out.

im stuck right now and dont know where to start why wouldn’t it suck from the tank but suck fine in my portable one?
Thanks guys

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Sounds like something may be loose in the tank and pluging the suction end of the line in the tank. There may be a filter inline?
Or at the carb.

 

[Gavinmalone5]

Sounds like something may be loose in the tank and pluging the suction end of the line in the tank. There may be a filter inline?
Or at the carb.

When I put a vacuum pump on the carburetor inlet gas comes out no problem it’s pulling perfectly from the tank. Today if I get time I’m going to drop the tank And see if anything is broken. There’s a filter on the carb and if I’m correct that’s it on the 2.8l rangers.
It’s just weird to me I can get gas all I want with a vacuum pump but nothing with the fuel pump

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Sounds like the fuel pump is the problem. And it's a pita to get to...

 

[Gavinmalone5]

Would it pump from a portable tank even though it’s bad because it pumps fine with a portable tank

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Yeah, that is weird. Perhaps the pump is weak. I would bypass the mechanical pump and put in a inline electric.

 

[Gavinmalone5]

Yep that’s was going to be my next move. I gotta take out that fuel pump though which is going to be fun. Thank you for your help

 

[RonD]

Mechanical fuel pumps can only pump fluid, so if they get air inside they stop pumping

This would happen if you ran out of gas in the tank, ask me how I know, lol
You put gas in the tank and still a no start, WTF?

Need to prime it
Couple of ways to do that
Take the fuel line off the carb and pour fuel into the line, this should take the place of air in the pump, air bubbles come up and out of the line, can be a bit messy

Put a hose in the gas tank filler with a rag around it and BLOW, this should force the fuel thru to the pump and since float bowl is empty the air can get out of the pump thru the carb or you can take the carb fuel line off and BLOW until fuel comes out


If gas tank fuel line was clogged as stated then you should have a look in the tank
You can get debris that moves out of the way temporarily, but then blocks it again

 

[Gavinmalone5]

I got the fuel tank dropped and of course the whole tank is fully rusted inside. The sending unit is even falling apart when I took it out as it’s fully rusted also. I found one of the main problems but I got to testing that fuel pump on the truck and I do think it’s shot. I’m thinking of replacing it but also leaning to just electric pump swap it and move on with the original but I do love the reliability of that mechanical pump.

 

[RonD]

Regular electric fuel pump can NOT pull gas from the tank, they have 0 suction, just FYI

Mechanical pump is a diaphragm type pump so has suction
99% of electric pumps are centrifugal type so no suction
Which is why electric pumps are put inside and the bottom of the gas tank

So since gas tank is out, put electric pump inside it
1986/87/88 Rangers had a low pressure electric pump and sender/float assembly that "may" fit your 1984 tank, not sure

You can not put the electric pump outside the tank, well you can but if it loses siphon its a real pain to prime it again

At $30-$50 the mechanical pump is the best choice, in my opinion, they last for many, many years

 

[Gavinmalone5]

I will do a mechanical fuel pump but hating the placement of where’s it’s at. The problem I’m having ordering parts is that sending unit on the 84’s can’t be found at all. I’ve seen forum post on here saying you can’t find the exact one anymore. I know you can get the 85 and up but 84 nope. Do you know by chance if the 85 tank will fit right on the 84 frame or would there need to be some modifications? I wouldn’t mind getting 85 everything but it would suck for the tank to not fit right.

I also saw that the bronco ll might fit but I haven’t seen anyone say for sure it will work

Thanks for your help

 

[rusty ol ranger]

One thing i havent seen mentioned here that i got a feeling is the actual problem....

You have a pinhole in one of your fuel lines from the tank to the pump.

Had a very similar problem on an old 79 F150. You get a pinhole that will let enough air get sucked in to keep the pump from moving fuel, but it wont leak fuel.

Yes its weird but i pulled my hair out on that 79 untill the old guy at auto value mentioned that to me.

Changed the line and it ran perfect.

 

[Gavinmalone5]

One thing i havent seen mentioned here that i got a feeling is the actual problem....

You have a pinhole in one of your fuel lines from the tank to the pump.

Had a very similar problem on an old 79 F150. You get a pinhole that will let enough air get sucked in to keep the pump from moving fuel, but it wont leak fuel.

Yes its weird but i pulled my hair out on that 79 untill the old guy at auto value mentioned that to me.

Changed the line and it ran perfect.

I really got to thinking about that ngl I haven’t had the time to check the lines fully the thing that’s annoying is that some of the lines are plastic and black plastic at that so it’s hard to look at all the lines and what pin holes are at

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I really got to thinking about that ngl I haven’t had the time to check the lines fully the thing that’s annoying is that some of the lines are plastic and black plastic at that so it’s hard to look at all the lines and what pin holes are at

Probably wont see it.

 

[Bronson with Bronco]

I will do a mechanical fuel pump but hating the placement of where’s it’s at. The problem I’m having ordering parts is that sending unit on the 84’s can’t be found at all. I’ve seen forum post on here saying you can’t find the exact one anymore. I know you can get the 85 and up but 84 nope. Do you know by chance if the 85 tank will fit right on the 84 frame or would there need to be some modifications? I wouldn’t mind getting 85 everything but it would suck for the tank to not fit right.

I also saw that the bronco ll might fit but I haven’t seen anyone say for sure it will work

Thanks for your help

I'm in the process of swapping a 4.0L into my 84 BII. I had to order a new tank and sending unit to accommodate the EFI system. I ordered a tank for an 87, but I think they're pretty much all the same after 85 or 86. The new tank I got is the same size and shape as my 84 tank, but the hole is larger to accommodate the EFI sender. If you're in need of a sending unit for an 84, mine will be for sale soon.

FWIW, before I started the 4.0 swap, my 2.8L had an electric fuel pump mounted just fore of the tank. It seemed to work pretty well, and looked like a pretty simple setup (installed by previous owner).