73 914 2.0 Fuel Pump, Ever hear of this one? Options

[avidfanjpl]

I got the car tuned, but I had some hunting. So, I put a brand new fuel pressure gauge on the passenger side port. The fuel pressure "hunted" between 10 and 30lbs. YEOW!

I went to the clear fuel lines and saw with my own eyes that the fuel was not a steady flow, but was going full to empty on the left clear tube, which goes to the FPG over Cylinder #1. It is really easy to see the tube empty, then fill up again, and coincides with the hunt at about 1000 rpm.

Checked the fuel pump in the front trunk and it sounded OK, but am I seeing a failing pump?

I checked the new hoses from the pump to tank and pump to engine and back and the tee, and it is all routed correctly. TPS is absolutely set right, and the ECU is on click 11, with a small (1/2 turn) bleed setting on the throttle body screw.

WTF? Is this how a fuel pump fails when it isn't a sudden thing? Slowly losing it by varying the actual fuel it can deliver? Or am I missing something obvious?

I have 1/4 tank on the gauge, because I filled it myself.

Steve Gaglione (my bud from the 70's in NJ and the main reason I am 57 and still messing with 914's) and I have been pulling our hair out on why this car won't take a load, and hunts at idle when points/timing/triggers are all great and set right. It looks like fuel flow. The FPG on the driver side seems to be correctly set.

I actually have a bit more hair than Steve at this point, but after months of weekend work, duh, I found something no one suspected, I think!

HELP! Am I close to being right?

Thanks!

John
avidfanjpl

[qa1142]

Check the screens in the fuel tank (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)