Thread: I goofed up somewhere (fuel problem)

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OK, my '29 Ford w/BBC has been running flawlessly since I put fresh plugs in her last week

While doing some detail work over the weekend, I noticed the previous owner had somehow mangled the fuel line leading from the pump to the carb inlet

It's a long steel line that routes under the alternator and can be seen about 30 seconds into this video:



I decided to hack the line a few inches from the kink, add an elbow fitting to the pump and tie it together with a short piece of braided rubber line, but first, I took a ride to my local speed to make sure they had what I needed in stock and she drove perfectly fine

They had what I needed and after draining the fuel from line at the pump end, I removed the whole line and this is what I cut off...




Here's the low loss elbow I put on the pump...



Added a 6" piece of braided rubber line with the fancy fake anodized couplings (the ones with the hidden hose clamps) and she was good to go

Didn't have any starter spray on hand, so I had to crank her for a good 5 seconds to build up pressure before she started up

Once she was idling, I noticed the fuel pressure gauge on the carb inlet was a little on the low side

It was steady around 6psi, where usually it's around 8 or 9.

Decided to take her for a spin and half way down the street, I noticed a very bad bog at half throttle

Pulled over, checked for leaks and everything was tight.

Left her idling and noticed the needle on the pressure gauge was erratic, bouncing back and forth (something it's never done before)

Brought her back to my shop, stuck her on the lift and left her there for the night cause it was time to go home.

Now, I've got a few possibilities running through my head, but I feel like kicking myself for messing with it in the first place

I figure it would be best to post up here and get a few opinions before I go tearing into her in the morning

My only thought is that if you used a hacksaw to cut the line that you might have gotten a burr or two in the system.

maybe kinked the hose??

Originally Posted by NTFDAY

My only thought is that if you used a hacksaw to cut the line that you might have gotten a burr or two in the system.

I used a pipe cutter for a clean cut and although there were no burrs, I still blew it out with compressed air.

Also made sure to keep the teflon tape on the threads and not on the inside of the fitting.

I was thinking more along the lines of a stuck float, so the first thing I want to do is give it a tap test

Originally Posted by cffisher

maybe kinked the hose??

The hose has a pretty straight shot, but I'll check it out as well

If you cut the tube with a tube cutter you need to ream the tube after to leave a smooth inside edge or else you have just reduced your tube size and are possibly starving for fuel flow. Also if not reamed properly you may have dislodged a piece of the wall and it is in your carb filter now.

Originally Posted by buzz4041

If you cut the tube with a tube cutter you need to ream the tube after to leave a smooth inside edge or else you have just reduced your tube size and are possibly starving for fuel flow. Also if not reamed properly you may have dislodged a piece of the wall and it is in your carb filter now.

Considering how bad the previous piece was mangled, I don't think this will be an issue lol

http://www.fuelslut.net/ihost/files/...edfuelline.JPG

The end of the line looks exactly like the cut edge of this one.

I checked for burrs and a soft edge, but there weren't any, so I didn't bother reaming.

I'll get to the bottom of it when I get to the shop in a few hours...

Sounds like there is something wrong with the piece of hose you just installed.

Probally a piece of junk made its way to a needle & seat. Try pinching the vacuum side of the fuel line off,start it and let the carb run dry. Then un clamp it and start her back up. Lots of times that will clear it as the needles will be wide open and flushed out. Back in the day that was a common problem after changing a fuel filter,especially on quadrajets.

OK, after a few love taps on the bowls with the back end of a screw driver, the gauge went back to normal and the midrange bog was gone

Decided to pull the line at the inlet and check the filter and there wasn't any (just put in an order for a replacement filter through Summit)

I figured while the line was off, I'd pull the front bowl and see what was up with the float, but everything looked clean

Pulled the jets and the spray nozzle, sprayed some carb cleaner and blew it all out for safe measure.

Still not sure what happened, but she's good to go now

I didn't know holleys had fuel filters on them

Instructions from Holley specify 6 1/2 psi max. How are you getting by with 8 or 9 without unseating the needle and seat and blowing raw fuel into the intake manifold?

Originally Posted by cffisher

I didn't know holleys had fuel filters on them

Not on the carb, but on the adjustable fuel line.

This is the one I have:




Didn't have a filter when I cracked it open today

Originally Posted by techinspector1

Instructions from Holley specify 6 1/2 psi max. How are you getting by with 8 or 9 without unseating the needle and seat and blowing raw fuel into the intake manifold?

There's no regulator and it has dual 600's (2x4 tunnel ram)

This is how I got the car just a few weeks ago and I haven't had any problems (float settings were all fine)

That being said, I'm going by what the el cheapo Summit gauge on the inlet says (not exactly the highest quality gauge)

I would think the gauge might be inaccurate.

Originally Posted by techinspector1

Instructions from Holley specify 6 1/2 psi max. How are you getting by with 8 or 9 without unseating the needle and seat and blowing raw fuel into the intake manifold?