Just a stupid question. Does everyone have to change their fuel filter every three or four months? I had the tank cleaned and resealed and still having the problem. Is this normal operation for first gens? By the way thanks for all the help on my last post. The car runs like its brand new, well until the fuel filter gets clogged.

 

I doubt its that often, but still, even with your resealed gas tank it still is a ~20 year old car, rust is gonna happen no matter what. I changed mine last April and its still works fine, so it should last at least that long. Maybe your fuel pump is shot and full of junk and tahts causing the problem.

 

The problem could be with the pick-up tube. It makes 3 90-degree bends, and inside the tank there is a horizontal section of the tube which rust and crud collects in. That was the problem with my '80. I got an old bass guitar string (I think it was a D string) and bent a little bit of the end at an angle, then chucked the other end in my drill and spun the sucker while I fed the end into the pick-up tube. Instant Roto-rooter! Worked like a charm. Then I cleaned the crud I had just loosened out of the tank. I also installed an RX4 fuel pump for good measure. One more thought: it could be that the little fuel inlet screens in the carb are clogged. The fuel flows across them in one direction and they get a build up on them. Sometimes just rotating them will do the trick, although it's better to take them out and clean them right with some carb cleaner, etc. Hope you get 'er figured out. -WG

 

check out what wankelguy said ... i have no other REAL input on the subject other than to say, when you're done, run a filter on either side of the pump.

 

And if you end up running two filters, make sure to check your fuel pressure and readjust as needed since a second fuel filter in line will drop the fuel pressure seen at the carb.

 

yeah i tried the second filter under the hood and removed the little ones from the carb after i cleaned and rebuilt it. But really after about 2 or 3 months i get some sputtering and weak acceleration problems. And when i check the filter it has like a greasy slim on the out side and its all gummed up on the inside. when i dump out the inlet of the filter its all nasty and rusty. should i get a new tank. Another than that the car runs perfect.

 

what is the history on your car, was it sitting up for a long time,,,mine sat for 2 years, rust was in tank, had to replace my filter every two weeks cause of rust clogging it,,,tried the boiling out the tank trick,,,no work,,ended up getting a really good one off a wrecked 7 at the junk yard...just look inside when u pull it off,,no rust, buy it..20 bucks is what i payed,,,havent had clogged filter in over 10 months and going,,,good luck,,,

 

yeah the car sat for about a year and a half, I just check out some yards out by me and they want $120.00 for a used tank, thats a load of crap. but thats what im going to have to do.

 

If the tank itself is rusty, you have two choices: deal with the rusty tank, or get a different one. If you want to try to deal with the rusty tank, first clean it out as good as you can with solvent or clean gas. then get some chain, not too big, about 3-4 feet long. You want to put the chain in the tank and shake it around so that the chain knocks off all the rust flakes. Naturally you want to secure one end of the chain so that you can then withdraw the chain when you're done. Then you have two options, go for the tank sealant solution which will cost you 35-50 dollars, or the phosphoric acid treatment which is much cheaper. Get yourself some "Os-Pho", or "Rust-mort" from the automotive paint store, mix it 50-50 with water and pour it in the empty dry tank. slosh it around so everything gets wetted, then pour it out. it works fast so it doesn't have to sit in there long. Let the tank air dry then rinse it out with solvent or clean gas. Then for good measure, keep the tank full. Yeah, I know, it WEIGHS more...
Here's one more tip: When you are inspecting the tank, take out the sending unit and take the tank in a totally dark surrounding (dark garage) and shine a flashlight in the sending unit hole. It'll light up in there like you won't believe! -WG