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Advice For Older Jeep Owners

Now that MTBE has been removed from gasoline, the government mandated replacing it with 10% ethanol. If you are running an older engine (like the '64 Olds V6 in my CJ), the alcohol will tear up the fuel pump and hoses. I speak from experience when my '61 Jeep died and I had to call the flatbed to get it home. Fuel pump pressure had dropped to about

1psi. I replaced the stock pump with a Purolator/ Facet electronic pump (around $40) and get a steady 4psi at the carburetor. (If you are running one of the older Dupree plunger pumps, be advised that the alcohol will tear up the bellows in it too. There are no replacement parts to solve the problem.) Be sure to replace the old hoses and fuel filters too. Alcohol will tear up older rubber hoses and they can plug the filter inside the carburetor inlet.
Reply to
Bill Lahr
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Same goes for the 258 engine! The owners manual states 'no' amount of alcohol is safe in them. My float needle maybe lasts a year before getting gummed or crudded up.

Do you know about the fuel pumps on those?

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >
Reply to
Mike Romain

Reply to
Jerry Bransford

Reply to
L.W.(Bill) Hughes III

They were hardly the best then, were they?

Alcoholproofing one's fuel system has been acknowledged as a necessity for like twenty years now.

Reply to
Bret Ludwig

Reply to
L.W.(Bill) Hughes III

Mike,

If the engine dates from the mid-80's, it's probably okay. The older ones (my Olds Oddfire is a '64) use a rubber bellows and rubber flapper valves in the mechanical pump. The $40 Purolator/Facet electronic pump doesn't have any rubber parts. The one I use has a 4-6psi output, for a carburetor. (Only drawback is noise. Mount it properly to the frame or it will sound like a Model T when you are idling.) If you have fuel injection, your system is probably safe enough for alcohol already.

I've used Arco gas for years, never had any problems with it. When MTBE was being phased out, they added a small amount of alcohol, 3-5%, which wasn't enough to hurt the rubber parts. Now that MTBE has been banned, they upped the alcohol to 10%. All the gas is like that now. When my Jeep stalled, the lady at the auto club and the tow driver both said they have had a lot of calls lately from owners of older cars that simply stopped running. Ethanol in the gas is like welfare for mechanics and new car dealers.

I replaced the accelerator pump and float needle/seat in the Rochester carb, so hopefully I won't have any more problems. Now I have to check my '71 Datsun 240Z to be sure the alcohol isn't going to screw it up next.

Bill

Mike Roma> Same goes for the 258 engine! The owners manual states 'no' amount of

Reply to
Bill Lahr

Twenty years late is better than never, I guess.

Reply to
Bret Ludwig

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