MG Car Repair: fuel pump, fuel pressure gauge, solenoid pump

Question
I have a 78 B that has a Carter Solenoid pump that seems to loose its prime. I can drive it 3 to 5 miles and then it will stumble and die due to lack of fuel. the pump continues to run but without picking up fuel. after about 15 minutes, and several key on listenings, the pump will pick up fuel and pressure up and run fine. I usually have driven the car multiple miles after each incident without it occuring again. The tank is clean and the pickup screen has been cleaned. Suggestions?

Answer
Hi Kevin,
The end result of a fuel pump is to supply from 1.5 to 3 PSI fuel pressure so to test it to see if that is a problem you need to put a "T" in the fuel line close to the carburetor and run a long hose out from under the hood and place a fuel pressure gauge under a wiper arm so you can monitor fuel pressure at the time of suspected failure. (Be sure to put clamps on all hose connections)
Check to see that the fuel tank is vented to the charcoal canister and that the canister is clear.
Howard