OKAY - WHATS GOING ON

Two weeks ago the fuel pump went, installed new fuel pump, took car out for a long ride, parked it for an hour while I shot photos of some antiques. Got in car, drove past our house, Ellen went into drug store and I cruised parking lot for about 20 min. She came out we leave for home.

Half way home, car starts to buck, then slows town, shuts off, I roll to side of road. Pop hood, no gas going to carb. Police show up to protect us, one car takes Ellen home to get another car. She comes back, everyone suggests I try and start it again. I crank and crank and crank, then fuel starts flowing. PPatrol car suggests he follows me home. I pull out, and the car runs like a bandit

But the same way it bucked and would not start is what made me put in a new fuel pump. HELP.

Reply to
Bill Glass
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Either that or the gas cap is not venting and a vacuum is being created in the tank.

Reply to
Lee

Crud in the fuel tank floating over and temporarily blocking the fuel exit from the tank, Bill. BP

Reply to
bobcaripalma

Reply to
Alex Magdaleno

I would agree that it probablyt is crud in the tank. Have had it happen in the past too. I got pretty fast at disconnecting the fuel line and connecting a notrher length of hose to it and blowing the crud out by mouth.

An after market sediment bowl solved my problem. I just allowed mor trime when I went someplace and drove so that if it stalled I could pull off and disconnect the line and then blow the crud back. It took a few weeks but eventually the crud wound up in the sediment bowl and out of my tank.

Reply to
Studebaker Kid

What model Studebaker do you have? What was the outside air temperature? Many of the problems people are having are FUEL PUMP vapor lock. When this happens you get an air lock in the pump and cranking the engine won't clear it. If you take the inlet line off and use a manual siphon pump to draw gas to the end of the fuel line and hook it back it will pump again. We must remember today's gas boils at a much lower temperature than gas did just 5-10 years ago. With a mechanical fuel pump you actually have a negative pressure on the inlet line from the tank. This pressure reduces the boiling point to where it can boil at 80-90 degrees F. That is why most of us will eventually have to install electric fuel pumps to push the gas from the tank to the carburetor. This 3-5 PSI will raise the boiling point for gas just like it does for water. Here is a bit of info I found on gasoline boiling point. Since many of the compounds boil at less than 356 F we can be sure that part of the fuel will boil at under hood temperatures in the summer. Fuel Injected cars overcome this by pressurizing the fuel to

50-70 PSI.

Gasoline is a mixture of various liquid hydrocarbons. The book I have says the initial (higher volatility components) begin boiling at 30C for winter fuel, 34 or summer fuel. 30C is about 86 F.

34C is about 93F The last components are way up there, in the neighborhood of 180C or 356 F.
Reply to
1949commander

FWIW, in a Brand-W, I once had to back up the last hundred yards or so to get over one of the mountain passes near the Cal/Nev border one hot day. A couple of other drivers waved as thay went by, so I guess I'm not the only one who has done it there. (No, I didn't have a couple of wet rags handy!)

Model T drivers did it as a routine measure in hilly country, what with their gravity feed systems.

Karl

Karl

Reply to
midlant

I run two fuel filters... makes a big difference as far as the crud in the tank... but if it is vapor lock... could need other tweaking. regards, Mike M.

63Champ
Reply to
Mike M.

Bill, what kind of fuel filters are you running. If it is an inline, clear glass with a chrome cap on each end, that is your problem. BTDT.

Reply to
Jerry Forrester

Geez... that is the kind I am running on both Studes. What, do they cause a bad ground, or what?

Reply to
Dave's Place

Dave, Ya' beat me to it!

Jim

Reply to
Jim Turner

Yeah, I knowed what to 'spect... I didn't come down with the last rain, ya know. -¿Ö

Reply to
Dave's Place

That's what I've got in the Hawk too.

Lee

Reply to
Lee Aanderud

Must be that damn chrome.

Lee

Reply to
Lee Aanderud

I was running those too, but after seeing the stuff that they let pass through into the carb. I switched to the disposable ones with the pleated paper element inside, or else the stock style "stone" in the fuel pump bowl (best of all, as it filters *before* the check valves)

nate

Reply to
N8N

If it is an inline, clear

Big noise a few years back about this type, also the lovely "stone bowls." Any little thing, apparently, can bust the glass and start an engine compartment fire. On flathead F**d truck V8's, which had an updraft fuel feed in several steps, the guy who taught me said that the air space was in that bowl to give the gas somewhere to boil off to, and thereby minimized gas line vapor lock. When one would vapor lock anyway, a quick disconnect of the bowl bottom (IFIRC, one kind had a wire clamp and another screwed on with v.fine threads) was enough to break the vacuum. BOY that gas had to climb a long way from a saddle tank to the carb...

Reply to
comatus

That was part of it, I'm sure. Low atmospheritic pressure on tank contents, high temprature and so on. Get gravity to help and all is workable.

Fun to experiment!

Karl

Reply to
midlant

56 Golden Hawk

What was the outside air

About 68 degrees F first time About 63 the 2nd time

Many of the problems people are having are FUEL PUMP vapor

I willl get one, plus make an extention because the inlet pipe is WAY DOWN by the frame

Thanks

Reply to
Bill Glass

You mean the original one, that had a pourous ceramic thing inside? I broke the glass bowl yrs ago. Now I am using these plastic see thru filters with folded 'PAPER" in it.

Reply to
Bill Glass

No Bill, I didn't mean the original type. Those are probable the best you could ever wish for. The plastic filter with folded paper element is a good filter too. Stick with that, I doubt very seriously if the filter is the problem. Disconnect the fuel line from the carb., (I say carb. because it is easier to get to than the pump) plug it and pressurize the fuel tank with about 10 psi. and check for leaks all the way from the tank outlet to the carb. If there's a leak, then your fuel pump is sucking air.

Reply to
Jerry Forrester

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