System Pressure Low, please help!
 

Based on many recommendations, I bought the CIS gauge tester from Whitney. I have hooked it up and my 1983 SC shows 25 PSI for System Pressure. Bentley shows that I should be between 65-75 PSI. FYI, 3 months ago, my system pressure was at 65.

So the book says that if my pressure is too low,

1. Check external fuel leaks
I never smelled any gas near the car.

2. restricted kinked fuel supply line.
"Which ones are these?" Definitely not the ones coming from the distributor.

3. Clogged fuel filter.
I can easily replace this (but, FYI, I just replaced the filter like 2 months ago).

4. Clogged fuel pickup in tank.
What is this? Can you guys clarify this 'unit in the tank? How do you even unclog it?


5. Is my fuel pump ready to die? (I will test the amp draw as soon as I get some short 'shut-eye.' Been up all night. :)


6. Leaking or incorrectly adjusted pressure regulator.
I have already adjusted this about 3 months ago. It can't be this.



As always, I thank all of you ahead of time.

i doubt it would even run at 25#. something must be wrong with the gauge or the way it's hooked up.

It is easy to hook it up to the wrong side of the WUR and read the controlled pressure instead of system pressure.

CHeck how you hook it up. If you do this everyday, then it becomes automatic. If you do this once a year, we all tend to forget.

You never said if you were having running problems--are you, or did you just want to check out your fuel pressures? I agree with the above posters, you probably hooked up the gauges incorrectly as 25# system pressure would certainly show up as a problem with a running engine. Don't worry about any of the "fixes" until you can confirm your pressure readings. As far as #4 on your list, there is a plug on the bottom of the fuel tank that contains the filter which is very delicate and should be replaced rather than cleaned.

Perform the basic test first...........
 

Cab83,

Test your FP for either volumetric flow or delivery pressure. Once you confirm that the FP is good, then you could proceed with other tests. I usually bench test the FP and measure the flow rate or delivery pressure thus eliminating the problem with clogged tank filter. This simple test will tell you the condition of your FP and avoid quess work.

Tony