oldtimer: there is a “gear” type icon to the right of your post. It doesn’t appear until you move your mouse to that area. click on it and select edit. Then select all the text and type “deleted”.
It doesn’t allow you to delete the entire post, but the “deleted” is just as good.
deleted
The gas cap itself is vented so make sure the original gas cap was not replaced with a non vented model. I don’t suspect the fuel pump because they usually give you trouble all the time.
A quick test is when the engine is running good and fully warmed up, and you are in a safe place to do it, run up full throttle until it shifts into second gear. You don’t have to start out full throttle or burn rubber. If there is an issue with the fuel pump, it will be felt and heard just before the shift. You will feel a sudden loss of power and the engine will lose its throaty sound.
It is hard to find the old style electric fuel pumps. Todays fuel pumps put out 60-70 psi which is way too high. You only need 3-7 psi for a carburetor.
If I recall correctly, your distributor is at the front of the engine just above the water pump. This area gets its hottest 10-30 minutes after shutdown. The only two things that would be affected, if you still have the points type distributor is the condenser and the coil. It doesn’t seem likely that these would be the issue, but there is a small chance that one of them could be breaking down.
I kinda think it is an issue with the fuel lines. Insulating them wont help much in your case as you are giving them time to heat soak, insulation could actually work against you. Air space around the fuel lines is what you need more than anything. Check the full length of the fuel lines to make sure they are not close to any exhaust pipes or the exhaust manifolds. Try to avoid any coolant hoses as well.
If you can find some heat sinks that attach to the fuel line, put them on the line where they will get good airflow. If you cool the gas in the line, then it will cool the line as it is drawn into the fuel pump and pushed into the carburetor.
Quote: you know i thought All gas tanks have vents but i just dont see one and filling er up with gas is a half hour ordeal.This is indicative of a blocked vent tube. This might not have anything to do with the fuel starvation problem, but still, it's something you might want to look into, and should be simple to fix (with luck).
Most cars have this overflow tube installed. It’s a smaller pipe, rubber hose, or similar that runs next to/near the main fill hose. It should permit air to flow from the top of the tank back to the filler, and prevent fuel backing up into the fill hose/tube causing the fuel station pump to shut off continuously as it gets hit with splash back as the tank burps during filling.
Having said all that, there’s a possibility there’s a bunch of crap in your various fuel lines - especially the return lines - and the tank is starving for air, causing the lines to starve for fuel.
Normally, all the problems are related. Think like Dr. House (from the TV series). One problem, lots of indicators. Find the root problem, and all the indicators disappear.
Kieth you are rite the distributor is in the front and it is a older looking accel and a accel super coil and the wires are all older accel too. Maybe i should them? the fuel lines where just run by the last owner with a new tank. It is all in the stock areas but i did notice they put a flowmaster type muffler on it and the fuel line is about 5-6" away from it in a 5-6’ a strech of the fuel line as it comes off the gas tank. Now under the hood it had 3 filters and ran from behind the drive headlight over to the passager side of the carb/ I removed 2 filters and rerouted the line more directly to the card inlet but it does cross ove the engine. Oh Also before they had the fuel line zip tied to the heater core line. I removed that line because the heater core is gonee n here in florida i will not need heat. Just to see if it would work i went over the distributor cap and rite to the carb to see if it made a diiference. Today i had things i had to get done without breaking down so im not gonna be able to see if that worked till tomorrow but do you think 5-6" away from the muffler is to close it runs 5-6" away for bout 5-6" and it is all metal till it gets to the engine bay
Is the distributor an electronic conversion model or does it have points inside? I would get rid of the Accel coil and use a good stock coil instead, unless it is an electronic conversion. I remember those Accel coils being problematic as they got a little age on them,especially when they got hot.
Edit: 5 to 6" of clearance with the mufflers and exhaust pipes should be enough. Ideally you would put a heat shield between the exhaust and the fuel line, but I don’t believe this car ever had the heat shields with the stock engine. The fuel line should hug the firewall until it reaches the level of the carb fuel port, then a straight shot to the carb.
BTW, a heat shield will be more effective than insulation.
I assume it has a clear in-line fuel filter . Is the filter empty each time it stalls ?
The fiber block you mention should be thick enough, in theory anyway, to prevent vapor lock issues but that’s not necessarily true in all cases.
Back in the 80s Subaru and Nissans especially were prone to vapor lock problems and the addition of fiber blocks helped a bit but were not the cure-all. The carburetors on those cars had sight glasses in the sides of the float bowls and on a warm day after engine shutdown one could eyeball the sight glass and watch gasoline percolating in there like coffee in a pot.
If carb vapor lock is suspected what you could do after shutting the engine down on a warm day and after the engine has been fully warmed up is to wait about 3-4 minutes after shutdown, raise the hood, remove the top of the air cleaner, and look down the carburetor bores.
If you see a drip, drip, drip of gas that means the gasoline is boiling in the float bowl and being discharged into the intake. That will cause a slow, flooded type of engine start.
If you have a steel fuel line from the fuel pump to the carb you might consider replacing it with a rubber line as that can help fight vapor lock issues. Hope that helps.
I’ve had good luck using Armaflex insulation on gas lines for cars with carbs, if it is vapor lock.
Keith the distributor has points. It is not the electric type
Slowpoke you are rite the fuel filter is empty Everytime was it does have gas in it I can’t tell if it looks like it’s boiling or the gas just entering the filter in small burst
I’m going for a ride in the morning i haven’t seen what it will do since the last reroute I did last nite. Is there’s still a problem I thought I would maybe throw some old air hose line around the fuel line in the areas that look like that could be getting off and see if that help if it does I will make up some nice heat shields so Keith either way sounds like ur saying get a new coil and maybe distributor rite?
Here is a listing of the non-oxy stations in the US. Hope that helps locate one. Minnesota is easy.
If you can visibly see that the fuel filter doesn’t have gas in it when the car stalls the distributor isn’t your problem .
All the additional fuel filters make me wonder if there is a lot of debris in the tank. The poor running issues make me wonder if there is a strainer on the fuel pickup in the tank getting clogged, and the debris eventually falling off as it sits. Here is what the pickup in the tank looks like
Ok so the other day I rerouted the fuel line in the engine bay again, then I insulated the metal fuel line in the rear by the muffler with a header type wrap just to see if this would help. Also left the fuel cap off witch is a vented cap. I drove it this morning she ran great. Made a few stops auto parts store, work than picked up a grand baby and headed home around 1:15pm got home No Issuses than went to go get some icecream 30 mins later and couldn’t even get her started now. Finally when I got it started (kinda) if I let her go below 1800 rpm she would stall. Popped the hood NO gas in the filter none what so ever and that was after I finally got her running at 2000-2500rpm way long enough to fill the filter . Ya know I was going back n forth on coil or fuel problem I guess the coil thing was still in the back of my head but now I can see it All fuel delivery. While at the parts store a fella that owns a hot rod shop around here said he’s been working on a cutlass with the same problem and just put a electric fuel pump in it n it did not help a dang thing so he had to remove it. He said ya Welcome to Florida Hot Rodding… But there’s plenty of guys around here running fine in the heat n shoot it’s only 80 here today. So let’s go over some things.
Fuel tank is new by p.o. But I can’t see the pick up should I just pop it out n check it? I guess it wouldn’t hurt.
Fuel pump looks brand new n car came with one that looks brand new in the trunk but had been installed. But I don’t know any history really on it so I guess just replace it too rite?
Now Barkydog I was told by the po he did try sucking the old tanks fuel through so they had put 3 filters on it maybe he didn’t replace the pick up but there again from the outside off the tank it looks brand new.
Ok so the po did call me today also kinda admitted to know ping bout the problem but had different news I was more concerned about… The carb says Fuel Force on it, he told me that was a Very old edlebrock carb… It’s Not it a Weber fuel force with electric choke. Could this carb be my problem?
I’m going out rite now to look for the vent better and I bet I’ll find a half full fuel filter that was totally empty when she was hot. If it’s vapor lock like I feel it is I Really Don’t See Where I’m Getting That Much Heat From…lol
AGAIN THANK YOU VERY MUCH FELLAS just getting on here n venting has helped but being able to step away n come read your imput is priceless thank you!!!
The OP states, “OK the tank is brand new in December by the PO.” (previous owner)
Vapor lock is the most likely problem.
Tester
Yes Tester the tank in it now was put in by the po new in December but before that had tried sucking the bad fuel that was in the old tank through and I was told the fuel lines are new but now not sure if new with this tank or the one before it(the tank was replaced before this one too) The po is a nice guys just goofy at best. He has called me a lot since I bought it so I don’t think he’s “hiding” anything he just really doesn’t know a lot and the car kinda fell in he lap. He buddies worked on it for him.
So Vapor lock is there anything beside heat sources by the fuel line I should look for?
There’s a couple of ways to check for vapor lock.
The next time you park the vehicle, open the hood and then do your shopping. This will allow the engine heat to escape from under the hood.
Carry a bottle of water in the vehicle.
When the engine doesn’t start, open the hood and pour the water over the fuel line to cool it off.
If doing either of these allows the engine to start, that’s vapor lock.
Tester
I still think you have a fuel pump problem but I could be wrong. To prove this is a vapor lock issue you could let the trouble happen again. When it does have some sponges soaking in some ice water and wrap the sponges around the metal fuel line. If the fuel really is boiling then the cold sponges soaked in water will cool things down and the issue will go away, at least until the sponges dry out. If the trouble is with the fuel pump the problem will continue.
@ok4450 … just curious about how vapor lock can occur after a mechanical fuel pump. I can see how fuel vapor pockets in the gas line leading to the fuel pump could cause vapor lock preventing the fuel pump from pumping the fuel to the carb, but everything after the fuel pump the gas is just getting pushed down the line, right? Fuel vapor pockets forming after the fuel pump should be pushed by the fuel pump right into the carb fuel bowl, where any vapors, seems like they would just float to the top of the fuel bowl & dissipate and eventually get sucked into the engine intake.