1959 Coupe DeVille

[bosshogg]

I have been working on this car for about a year and a half since purchasing it in Texas from the Rick Smith collection auction.  It now runs and drives, I just finished the new floor pans and am trying to get ready for a show in April.

[59-in-pieces]

Matt,
Welcome to the brotherhood of 59's, and the also rans 60's - LOL.
We live on progress pics - post many.

Have fun,
Steve B.

[bosshogg]

Some more progress has been made as of last weekend.  I got the bottom half of the seat installed, wheel covers on, and the front end/grill is complete.  I had the car running, but after setting it back on the ground it no longer ran.  The new fuel pump apparently stopped working, so I put the old one on which worked, and that also no longer works.  I have now ordered one from Caddy Daddy.

[35-709]

Assume you have checked and are sure it is the fuel pump, not just guessing it is. 
I have owned, on 2 separate occasions, vehicles that would run for a little while and then quit --- fuel pump or fuel filter was always the first guess.  But both times it turned out to be the ignition coil that would break down when it got warm/hot.  A bad condenser can react the same way. 

[Cadman-iac]

I had a 56 Chevy years ago with the 6 cylinder in it, and I had a tach on the column. One day I was heading for Ruidoso New Mexico in the middle of the night when out of the blue the car died. I let it sit for about an hour and it fired right up, and I drove on, for about 20 miles and it died again. Wouldn't start again for an hour. After the third time I finally realized what was happening and I bought a new coil. That one worked for almost a day before it died on me again.  I finally traced the problem to that tach. Somehow it apparently was drawing too much power and causing the coil to overheat. Once I swapped the tach out, I never had another problem with it.
Before you start swapping out parts the next time it dies on you, check for a spark while you crank it over. If it's an overheating coil, it will be extremely hot to the touch too. And look for an oil film on it. They are oil filled to cool them, and if it's leaked out, it will get hot faster.
The time it took when you changed your fuel pump allowed the coil to cool off and it started up again. Then it overheats and dies again.
Give your coil a look. Like 35-709 said, I'll bet it's the coil.

Rick

[bosshogg]

The reason I think it is the pump is because I could get it to run with starting spray, and when I remove the fuel line at the pump outlet no fuel comes out.  The eccentric rod does move up and down when cranking.  My previous '59, the Wood Rose six window, had the exact same thing happen and the third pump worked for the rest of the time I owned the car.

[Cadman-iac]

That does make a difference in the diagnosis. I didn't know you had it running on an externally applied fuel source.
Good luck on finding a good working fuel pump.

Rick

[Daddio]

Would you feel comfortable rebuilding the original pump?

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/1958-1959-1960-1961-1962-CADILLAC-FUEL-PUMP-REBUILD-KIT-WITH-MODERN-MATERIALS/382523453467?fits=Year%3A1959%7CMake%3ACadillac&hash=item59102cb01b:g:vIgAAOSwtdVcSOCf&vxp=mtr

[bosshogg]

I wouldn't mind trying a rebuild on one, but I did disassemble the one from Summit Racing and could not see anything wrong with it.  I am very limited on time right now so I will be trying the pump from Caddy Daddy which is to arrive tomorrow.

[35-709]

That does make a difference in the diagnosis. I didn't know you had it running on an externally applied fuel source.
Good luck on finding a good working fuel pump.

Rick

Nor did I, always helps to know all of the story.

[James Landi]

Some times the pivot on the pump's fulcrum wears so that the pump work great when you have it in your hand and you're pumping the fulcrum, but the lash in the worn pivot does not permit it to work in place on the engine.  Also, pin hole leaks in the under chassis fuel lines as well as over the fuel tank can be the problem. CHeck to see if you have good "pull" vacuum" from the pump with it installed on the engine. If so, you have a fuel line issue.   Hope this helps,  James