Ahh Ha!

You need a new fuel pump and an oil change. It is very bad for the engine to drive it with that gas in there. Replace the fuel pump before you change the oil. The old fuel pump will ruin the new oil in minutes.

Do you know where the fuel pump is? Passenger side, bottom of engine, toward the front. It bolts to the block with two bolts and has two fuel lines going to it.

Danny

Three lines, actually, on a '71. There's the fuel inlet (about a 7" length of flex hose connecting the steel fuel line that runs up from the gas tank to the steel fitting on the fuel pump), the fuel outlet (a threaded fitting that accepts the steel line from the fuel pump to the carburetor) and the carburetor bowl vent line (a flex hose connecting to a fitting on the fuel pump body near where it bolts to the block).

When you're replacing the fuel pump, it's a good idea to replace the inlet flex hose. Upgrade the safety and integrity of this hose by using fuel injection hose — you'll have to ask specifically for it, and make sure it is stamped "30R9" on the side, not "30R7". The correct size is 5/16". You will also want to consider doing the fuel line mod at this time.

The only real trick to replacing the fuel pump is making sure the actuator arm on the new pump rides on top of the camshaft eccentric that operates it. If the pump arm is accidentally installed under the eccentric instead of on top of it, as soon as the engine's cranked the new pump will be destroyed. If the old pump seems to spring/push itself off the block as you loosen its bolts, then bump the engine over a little at a time with the starter until the eccentric moves inward.

And yep, you'll need to change the oil right away, since all that gasoline has badly contaminated it. Use a NAPA Gold #1806 filter.

Got your three books yet? They are the first tool to purchase when you decide to work on your own old car.

_________________
一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

All books are ordered, Petersen was shipped yesterday, Paul Politis will ship factory manuals Monday, no word on Stockel yet.
When the books arrive I'll get right on the job.
Thank you both

Yep, he means theres basically a tongue that sticks out of the fuel pump and goes into the engine and rides on the camshaft. You'll notice when you try to put the new fuel pump back in that it most likely wont want to go all the way in and it'll stick out a little bit. Don't try just bolting it on and cranking it down. Either use a remote starter or go back in the car and just barely tap the key so the engine cranks over a tiny bit. Then go back and try the fuel pump again. If it still doesn't go all the way in, try it again and again. Eventually the cam will turn enough and the fuel pump will just slide right in and basically be flush with the outside of the engine block. Then you can put the two bolts in and you're ready to go.

Also, $207 to replace the thermostat? Wow thats gouging if I've ever seen it. Thats what people who own BMW's and Mercedes pay for simple things to get replaced on their cars (replacing the pcv valve and hose on a mercedes will cost you about $850 . On a slant six it'll cost about $6 and take you 5 minutes). Just go get a new thermostat and gasket from Napa for $5-10 and replace it. I think it's as simple as draining some of the coolant, removing the two bolts on the housing and popping a new one in there. Also heres a housing on ebay. I have no idea if this is a good price or even the correct housing. I havent messed with mine in a few years but you can take a look here.

http://tinyurl.com/9s8xk7

Heavenly,

You can fix anything on these vehicles. Because of equipment you may not have access to you would find it hard to do some things inside the engine and of course some parts you will have to find, but it's lots of fun and there are so many of these vehicles around that if you are patient you can get about any thing you can't make.

But about that housing. The url shows you would have about $16 in the housing. Outrageous. Seems as if they are all made in China but the Chinese ones work. NAPA has em for about $8 so the ebay person is merely selling a NAPA part marked up and letting you pay postage. I know you are just getting going on your fixing career, but here is something you ought to consider.

If you get a housing you can easily drill a hole in it and thread the hole for installation of a real temperature gage probe. Sooner or later you will need a tap and die set for thread work. I buy really good tools but you don't need the best to start with if the price will keep you from ever starting. Several of us here have multiple temperature devices in our slants showing readings from different places. As you learn more you will see the value of a gage, but I personally would plumb in a temp gage very early on in my work, even if I had to let it lay on the floorboard. You don't get many chances at overheating.

All of which points out what slant six dan repeats again and again...before you do something, think about what you want the outcome to be, because often times you will find you could do two or three things on the same repair that will save you much return to the task time. As in, don't just change a thermostat, test it in hot water against a thermometer before you install a bad thermostat. Look in the thermostat hole and see if you see any wires like coathangers you can pull out.

rock
'64d100

Welcome to the board. You could just sell the Dart and get one in better condition, but what would be fun about that? I have several cars, but the slant six is the one I use to stretch my abilities and try things that I wouldn't on a more expensive/complicated vehicle. So you have an opportunity, not a problem. My two pieces of advice are: ask questions, don't be afraid to seem ignorant, we all started with no knowledge. Read, search, learn. Second, be safe. If you are going to jack up your car, always block the wheels that are remaining on the ground. Always use two jack stands for the front or back wheels, or four for all four. Never trust a jack to hold up the car. Have a beer after the car is back on the ground.

I finally got all three books. I was pricing a fuel pump and the salesman suggested that I buy an electric fuel pump because it saves gas due to its accuracy compared to the manual fuel pump. Has anyone switched out manual for electric? Has it made a difference?
TIA

Egad. Run, do not walk away from that salesman. You need to find a parts man that knows something about cars, not flipping hamburgers. Very few cars will benefit from an electric fuel pump. Untill you get more experiance, whenever one of these parts monkeys tries to sell you something, please check here first.

_________________
Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

I agree with Charlie. Sounds like the guy didn’t have your fuel pump in stock so he wanted to sell you something. Get the fuel pump for your year and model - Electric would be more work for no gain. No one stocks many parts anymore so they may have to order it. That’s usually not a big deal; most places can get it by the next morning.

Fuel pump part numbers to choose from (in case they don’t know how to look it up): ACDELCO Part # 41345, AIRTEX Part # 4844, or CARTER Part # M4844. (aprox. $23, $28, and $36, respectively.)

Fuel pump gasket: FEL-PRO Part # 6579 (aprox. $1) I always thought the gasket came with a new pump but my last one didn’t.

You can look up most anything yourself (or order parts) at http://www.rockauto.com

Danny

Great! Put 'em in the bathroom or wherever you're most likely to read them thoroughly. Start with the Stockel and Peterson books.
100% baloney. He either doesn't know what the hell he's talking about, or he's trying to get you to spend money needlessly; try another salesman and/or another parts store. Buy the correct mechanical (not "manual" unless you're planning to operate it by hand!) pump for the car.

_________________
一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

hi sages- i thought the only reason to use an electric fuel pump over a mechanical, was in a fuel injected, non carburetor engine. the mechanical one working off the cam lobe shoots gas in strong pulses which is ok for a carb with its float inlet closer pin, but a fuel injected car requires a steadier, non pulsing, less pressured flow. is my analysis correct. also as an aside, i notice that modern fuel injector systems seem to last much longer than carburetor systems and dont require as frequent fussing and readjustment. one thought- are carburetors mostly female?- most of both require constant fussing with, rarely run right and some wont start(do not show this to a barracuda- not the car)). btw-88 v6 buick lesabres FI system hasnt been touched in 183k miles. some say they get better gas miles but havent noticed a big improvement in that measure. regards name withheld by request(mine)

Actually FI systems require higher fuel pressures to drive fuel through the injectors when opened. The high, steady pressure, is provided by an electric fuel pump. The FI system has two moving parts, the fuel pump and the injector. Everything else is electrically controlled.

The FI system has the ability to adjust fuel delivery to suit the situation. To do that it needs a computer and a bunch of sensors so that it can continously read the situation and adjust to supply the fuel demands made on the engine. Oh yeah, you also need a few pounds of wires and connectors to put it together.

The carburetor is a self-contained device with a bunch of moving parts and the inability to self-adjust to changing situations. It is these moving parts, and inept adjustment of them, that gives the carburetor a worse rap than it deserves.

Back to the guy who said you needed an electric fuel pump for your carbureted street slant six; RUN. Hope you can find a mechanic who knows these old beasts and is truly trustworthy.

_________________
You can't fix stupid. - Ron White

Hi everyone,
The fuel pump is replaced, and the oil is changed. There is a difference, the shaking has subsided. Fuel line mod is planned next asap along with a tune up.


There was a shower of thin black tar-like substance coming out of the tail pipe every morning, I will monitor closely to see if it is resolved with the fuel pump replacement. The bottom of the car is filled with gunky oil so I have to find out where the oil leak is coming from. After I resolve those issues, I guess it will be time to tackle the front end little by little if nothing more pressing arises. I will refer to the manuals and I will be in need of your help

Thanks

That’s good to hear!

Keep an eye out for leaks/puddles but you may have already fixed it unless it's been leaking for a long time. When you have a over-full oil pan, plus the oil is thinned down by gasoline, oil can easily get into a lot of places that it isn’t supposed to be. It’s not unusual for it to blow it out the tailpipe or almost anywhere else.

Danny