79 Drifter 440 Diagnosis Help Needed: Excited Newbie Alert

[mswyka]

If I fish out the puck up tube, does it reach all the way up to the fuel cap for inspection?

All of ours  reach up to the cap.

[MillerTime4242]

I was inspecting the fuel filter and looked extremely dirty, and it would only fill half way while putting around at 1/3 power. I decided to replace the fuel filter and in-tank pick-up with filter on it. After doing that I started it up and ran it around the yard. Again, fuel filter will only fill 1/3 of the way. What is this a sign of? My other 440 runs full all the time. Fuel pump?

[Ameritude]

Sounds right.

[mswyka]

I was inspecting the fuel filter and looked extremely dirty, and it would only fill half way while putting around at 1/3 power. I decided to replace the fuel filter and in-tank pick-up with filter on it. After doing that I started it up and ran it around the yard. Again, fuel filter will only fill 1/3 of the way. What is this a sign of? My other 440 runs full all the time. Fuel pump?

Can you do a pressure test on your pump?

[MillerTime4242]

I was inspecting the fuel filter and looked extremely dirty, and it would only fill half way while putting around at 1/3 power. I decided to replace the fuel filter and in-tank pick-up with filter on it. After doing that I started it up and ran it around the yard. Again, fuel filter will only fill 1/3 of the way. What is this a sign of? My other 440 runs full all the time. Fuel pump?

Can you do a pressure test on your pump?

Not sure how to do that yet...

[mswyka]

I was inspecting the fuel filter and looked extremely dirty, and it would only fill half way while putting around at 1/3 power. I decided to replace the fuel filter and in-tank pick-up with filter on it. After doing that I started it up and ran it around the yard. Again, fuel filter will only fill 1/3 of the way. What is this a sign of? My other 440 runs full all the time. Fuel pump?

Can you do a pressure test on your pump?

Not sure how to do that yet...

Since it will  idle, can you put a "tee" in the line to one of  the carbs and put a pressure tester on that line?  I have an old vacuum/pressure gauge from when I had to tune cars by measuring vacuum.  It is a nuisance, but tells me whether the pumps are making pressure or not. 

[MillerTime4242]

I’m also getting a lot of fuel blowing back in air box. I ran around without air box on and fuel sprays out of carb.

[MillerTime4242]

Could a small tear in fuel pump diaphragm cause all my issues? Found one today.