LUVTruck.com

I have a 1980 2 wheel drive Mikado that has been sitting in my garage for 7 years. I decided to get it running again. It was running fine when parked. I put a new battery in it and it fired right up but then quit. I put a new fuel pump in it and now it starts and runs perfect. The choke kicks in and it idles perfect . I put new plugs, points, condensor, distributor cap and rotor in it just to be sure it would run good.

The problem is, that after i drive it a few miles, it quits just like it ran out of gas! I pour gas in the carb and it fires back up and runs until it burns all the gas i pored in . After it sits for a half hour it will start and run perfect again for a few miles and quits again!!!

Anyone have a clue to whats wrong???

Thanks for any help.
Ike

_________________
Only God can make a tree.......
and only Chevrolet can make a LUV !

Did you change your fuel filter? Perhaps it is clogging, and after it sits, the trash floats down to the bottom and allows fuel past till it gets clogged again.

_________________
Hammer to fit, paint to match.
If it aint broke, don't fix it.
There's always room for duct tape and bailing wire.

WATCH YOUR PIEHOLE!!!!!!

Bingo Been there and done that.

I better get a prize.

_________________
Hammer to fit, paint to match.
If it aint broke, don't fix it.
There's always room for duct tape and bailing wire.

WATCH YOUR PIEHOLE!!!!!!

You just won a RF fender and a grille..theyll be there tomm bout 430pm

sweet. It is supposed to snow tonight, but none of it will stick. Too warm. See ya tomarrow D.

_________________
Hammer to fit, paint to match.
If it aint broke, don't fix it.
There's always room for duct tape and bailing wire.

WATCH YOUR PIEHOLE!!!!!!

Grimace,
Yes, i put a new filter and a new fuel pump on at the same time. And i drained the old fuel from the tank at the same time.

I got the fuel pump at Autozone and it looks like a cheap piece of junk compared to the original. Do you think this cheap Mexican fuel pump could be the problem??

This problem is a real pain. The truck runs perfect for 10 miles then falls on its face just like it ran out of fuel. After 20 or 30 minutes it will run 10 more miles and the same thing happens again.

I swapped the fuel pump relay from a 79 i have, but that didn`t help. It done the same exact thing again.

What in the hell could shut the fuel off other than the fuel pump???? Something shuts the fuel off when it gets hot and it comes back on when it cools down! What could it be????

Thanks again,
Ike

_________________
Only God can make a tree.......
and only Chevrolet can make a LUV !

Here is my quick list of what could cause lack of fuel probs. There are probably other things that could contribute, but I hope I've covered the usual suspects. It should at least give you some more to think about, maybe tie one with other unrelated symptoms you've seen.

1) Crud in tank or lines. Could be enough in the tank to clog the pickup tube, or a floater in one of the lines that won't make it through.

2) Relays under the cover one the passenger side fender, right behind the coil. One of them could be acting up and cutting power to the pump. One controls the pump and the other controls the coil, but they are tied together. You've tried this, but I mention for others who might be looking for answers to a similar problem.

3) Alt/reg probs. Those relays fire based on the alternator spinning and the reg working properly. Intermittant charge problems could be dropping out the signal to the relay and cutting power to the pump.

4) Clog at the carb. Just been fighting this myself with a Weber carb. Every few days a chunk of crud would come loose from somewhere and clog up a jet. In my case the idle jets usually. My truck would run if I had my foot to the floor, but would refuse to idle. Other times it would only just idle and no more though, just to make it interesting. Take the inlet tube off and clean the screen, if you find junk in there, you likely have some in the carb too.

5) Water in fuel. Can cause a wide range of problems. I've hit it once (don't buy gas in Tillamook during flood season) and it was throwing all kinds of symptoms. All Intermittant stuff: cough/sputter, lack of power, refuse to idle, refuse to anything more than idle, no start, severe dieseling, and backfires.

6) Vapor lock or vacuum in the tank. Never lived anywhere hot enough for vapor lock to be a problem so I haven't got much to say about it. Watch for exhaust leaks near a fuel line that could be boiling fuel and causing problems. Vac in the tank is a good candidate though. Reproduce the problem, then open the gas cap. If it sucks air in, you need to hook up a vent line somewhere. There is a lot of evaporative emissions stuff going from the tank to the motor so if this is happening that stuff would have to be plugged off or something.

Its getting worse! I can only get a mile from the house now before it quits!

But thanks to everyone for your help. I will mess with it when i get time.
If i figure it out. i will let you all know what the problem was.
Thanks again,

Ike

_________________
Only God can make a tree.......
and only Chevrolet can make a LUV !

i had the exact same problem at one time.
i can't think of what its called now but there's a little brass tube in your carb that lets only a certain amount of gas into the carb (it's not a jet). i believe it unscrews from the carb and you should be able to see it looking at the carb. well the hole is very small and can get clogged very easily. take it out and blow in it to get the junk out and i'll guarentee that'll be your problem.
maybe xl can but in and tell you what its called since i had a brainfart

_________________
1980 luv sport 4x4 Just a memory now
Frame rusted from the inside. Truck stripped and now looking for a new donor in southern ohio

I think the part bcg is talking about is called the float needle valve seat. If you follow the fuel line into the carb, you find a bolt that is holding down the part the inlet tubes go into. Take off the lock tab deal that is over the bolt (should be a screw holding it down) and take out the bolt. You will get the inlet off, and there will be a screen under it. The part they slip over is the brass needle valve seat. The screen does a fair job of keeping the big chunks out of the carb usually, but the way it goes in there makes it impossible for it to seal completely so stuff can get past it. Over the years, the tiny bits can build up in there and turn to big enough chunks to clog things up too. I think that is what I've been dealing with on my truck.

The seat is threaded into the carb like a bolt so you can take it out and clean it. Just be careful not to crossthread it when you put it back. The metal the carb is made of is not very hard, making it easy to strip out the threads. If it doesn't go in easy, try again until it does don't force it.

It really does sound like a lack of fuel problem somewhere. Its either not coming out of the tank like it should (clogged pickup) or its not getting into the carb like it should. Assuming that replacement pump is working as advertised at least. If you have not absolutly confirmed that you are getting no fuel into the carb there is a chance it could be a spark issue too though. If the resistor on the coil is bad it could be heating up until it disconnects and then no spark. The coil could be doing the same thing.

Bad head gasket? or anti-freeze leaking into the cyl.? It's doin' it , we think, to the 1.8 we have now, it's got avg. comp. but every thing seems wrong

_________________
-Old ride-82 Luv diesel 5spd with some upgrades
-Past rides-82 Sierra, 78 Coupe De'Ville, 91 2dr Blazer, 86 RX7, 86 Porsche 944T (rear-ended and totaled)
-Curr. rides- 1970 Ford LTD 4dr, 390 4Bbl, 2nd owner! With a few Extras 00' Civic beater...

xl, your the man
ike, i'd really check into that. mine wouldn't go as far as 100 feet without dying. once i blew it out she ran like a champ

_________________
1980 luv sport 4x4 Just a memory now
Frame rusted from the inside. Truck stripped and now looking for a new donor in southern ohio

OK, thanks guys. I know the part you are talking about. I will take it apart soon as i can. I will let you know when i find out whats wrong.

Thanks again to everyone trying to help. I really do appreceiate it.

Ike

_________________
Only God can make a tree.......
and only Chevrolet can make a LUV !

Yes, i agree that it is most likely crud/crap that has clogged the needle seat in the carb.I just went thru this same thing w the red yugo right as i was gettin ready to sell it, as i had put another gas in it, didnt know there was crap in it, looked like rust & crud.
Well I tore the carb down , blew that piece out , put back together and problemo el solvo

Well guys, i am a little embarassed to admit it but i, with the help of everyone here, finally found out whats wrong! I took the tank out and looked in it and sure enough it is full of rust , varnish and other crud. The screen on the pickup tube was clogged up but would let enough fuel through to run for a while and then suck up more crud and shut off the fuel again. After it sat for a while the crud would fall back in the tank and let it run for a few minutes and then clog again.

I put the fuel line in a five gallon can and it started right up and ran all day! So there is no doubt what the problem was.

Now, where can i buy a brand new tank? I spent 2 days cleaning the old tank and it looks pretty good but if i could find a new tank or a very clean used one i would buy it. But i may just "Kreem" the old one and forget it it? I do this to motorcycle and moped tanks all the time.

I am almost doing a "frame off" restoration on this truck so i am not worried about putting a little money in it. This truck was driven from Caifornia to Ohio and for some reason ended up in a police impound lot. I got it from the guy who bought it at a police auction. This truck was in almost mint condition when he got it, but a short time later a "Drunk" came down the street and ran into it and knocked it into a telephone pole while it was parked in front of his house! I have replaced both front fenders and the hood. This truck only has 65,000 miles on it. It is a Mikado with factory Air. The interior is not too bad except where the lower California sun cooked the dash! The original owner must have been a surfer, it has surfboard decals all over the back glass! And, i know i`m crazy, but i just got a NOS dash off ebay for $590.00!!! But i am planning on putting this truck back to showroom condition. This truck is absolutly rust free and will be an easy restoration.

You will never see a Luv truck in Ohio that is not rusty unless it has been restored. I have a 79 4x4 Mikado with factory air that i bought brand new. It has 165,000 miles on it and the air still works, but it is so rusty that it is not safe to drive. The frame is ready to fall down! It is a sad sight sitting there in my garage falling apart a liitle more every day. Every once in a while i sweep up the rust that falls on the floor underneath it and a little bit more of my little "jewell" goes in the trash! My friends ask me all the time, when are you gonna get rid of that piece of junk?? But i just can`t do it. There are just too many fond memories there! It would be almost as bad as the day i had to put my old Basset Hound, "General Morgan" to sleep

My original idea was to use the bed and cab from the two wheel drive Calfornia truck to restore my 4x4, but it is too far gone. The frame is just too rusty. So i am just going to settle for a restored two wheel drive to satisfy my desire for another LUV truck! And i will be using a few pieces of my old 4x4 to restore the other truck, so at least small part of my original " LOVE" will be back on the road!!

Yea, i know i`m crazy.....

Ike

_________________
Only God can make a tree.......
and only Chevrolet can make a LUV !

you're not crazy. you just love your little truck. i think most of us can understand that