betsycam

I posted this in the Help Forum first, but will try here now.

I replaced my bad lift pump today. Since I just did this a year ago March, I remembered that I ended up having to crack the cylinders to finally get things going. So, I bled the line at the filter housing, at the IP, and then I cracked all but #2 since I didn't have the right wrench to get in there. I only got a dribble of fuel at #4. I've been at this all day, bumping away, and getting nowhere. I remember having a big problem last year, but I don't remember what the final solution was. I've wasted way too much of my day at this and am ready to go psycho!

Is there any other reason that I can't get fuel out of the cracked lines when I know for sure there is fuel up to the IP? I need this truck to be working tomorrow since I have to pick up a trailer we bought, and also move some stuff!

JPR Ram

You shouldn't have to any bleeding at all if all you did was replace the lift pump. All I did after installing a new lift pump was bump the key to prime the pump. I did key "on and off" about 5 or 6 times.

betsycam

I forgot to preface all this with the fact that I was having radical fuel pressure readings and suspected my pump was going out, but just to be sure I did a fuel filter change. I filled the canister up with fuel before tightening everything down, and then bumped the ignition to turn the pump on, and it was dead! So, I had to get the air out from the filter change after putting the new pump on.

Funny, last year I changed the filter and couldn't get it started, and was told here to bleed the system of air. That's when I discovered my pump was dead! then when I had the new pump installed, I was air locked and had trouble bleeding the system then, too!

PaulDaisy

I just bled mine, and followed the instructions that suggest that you run the LP continuously, which I did by closing my relay short (my system allows this easily), and loosening up all lines at the head. Some lines will bleed after a while, then you turn the engine CCW using alternator nut, other lines will bleed. It takes a little while for them to start bleeding, so I was patient when turning the engine. I never got #2 to bleed but I got all others. So I tightened all up and cranked. After 8 s of cranking the engine fired up and ran well.
-P

betsycam

Well, I'm back at it today, and still not getting there but this is what I've observed:

* With lines 1, 3 and 4 cracked, nothing, and no pressure readings on my gauge.
* With #5 cracked, I get a few psi coming up while the pump runs, and occasionally the pump will make a weird struggling noise and the pressure jumps up to almost 15 briefly, but no fuel is coming out anywhere. It then slides back down and the pump goes back to sounding the same as before.

Could this pump be bad, or do I just need to go out and buy a line wrench for #2 and see if that's what's holding everything up? What kind of wrench do I get? My neighbor had a line wrench I tried but it still wouldn't fit in there (also it was a SAE wrench, not a 19 mm - could that be why?)

betsycam

JPR Ram

To get too the #2 line, pull off the air horn and the air heater grid.

Barry St John

I have never had to bleed my lines when replacing a lift pump. Are you getting plenty of fuel through the filter? Good Luck