Thread: Fuel problem! Carb? Tank? Line? Fuel Pump?

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Hello Everyone! , Happy Veterans Day to all the Veterans! .... Ok, here's the latest problem of many! I've got a '32 Ford with a small block Chev in it. It 'sputters & spurts' like it's running out of gas. If I pump the gas pedal on/off really fast it still runs & eventually starts running ok again. This always starts happening when I'm on the freeway at over 60 MPR. It never starts happening on city streets under 40 MPR. In fact, sometimes it starts happening at the same spot on the freeway {about a mile after I get on the freeway, but not everytime}. This first happened a month or so ago, then about once a week & now today it happened several times so it's getting worse. I guess my questions are; 1) where should I start to trouble shoot at? Clean the fuel tank? {Even though it's a new steel one it looks 'yucky' in the inlet tube}. Change the fuel filter? {it looks like a special one, may be not available at a local auto parts store}. 2) Are fuel pumps {mine is an Edelbrock machanical} either good or bad? Or can they exhibit these symptoms? 3) Is there a chance it's the carb? 4) May be I should just drive it until it happens again & then try to trouble shoot it when it's happening? Oh, the car & engine have about 8,000 miles on them, new stuff, except for the fuel pump, I've had it for years.... THANKS Bill

I'd start by changing the fuel filter and adding a fuel pressure gauge.

Could be vapor lock. Be sure the gas lines aren't near the exhaust pipes anywhere.

A new fuel tank offen has debris in it--it sometimes will take 2-6 filter changes brfore it is clean enough to run without clogging a filter
A reason that it quits at the same spot is because your using fuel at a rate that the filter won't keep up with. Pumping the pedal just lets it run on the accel pump fuel until the carb gets some fuel back in the float bowls, then at a cruising speed it may keep up


Jerry

Is the tank vented?

I just had to replace my filter ,I think there may be some local gas stations with a little garbage in the tanks,like rock longs shell gas station in ojai
I made it about 3/4 of the way up 33 after a fill there 3 weeks ago,I am about to replace it again ,just because there was soo much gray and black garbage that came out of my filter.The car was running just fine before that voyage and after a filter change it ran fine again.

I just had to replace my filter ,I think there may be some local gas stations with a little garbage in the tanks

This won't solve your current problem, but might help in the future. If you go to get gas and the tanker is at the station, don't get any. When the tankers dump gas into the tanks it stirs up the mess that is already down there, and your car will get both the gas and the crap thats in the gas. I try to avoid this situation at all times. Sometimes, in an emergency, you might not be able to.

I agree with Jerry. My 66 corvette 427 had this same problem. Turned out to be restriction in the line, kind of like what someone's arteries look like with heart problems. Buildup of crap internal to the line.

...Thanks Everyone! .... ok, my gas lines are not near my exhaust so I guess that rules out vapor lock? And, yes the tank is vented.... So tomorrow I will change/clean my fuel filter. I have a fuel pressure gauge that I'm planning on installing when I put on a new fuel line from my fuel pump to my carb. It has a rubber hose on there now that's about 2' long & I want to change it to be NHRA legal. I already have the parts I just need to get motivated! Don't fill up when the tankers putting in gas??? Wow! I've done that a bunch! No more though, I'll be careful on that in the future..... thanks again! Bill

Don't feel too bad. A friend filled his new GM diesel one-ton and got a batch of crud. Sucked the filter apart and did in the injectors. Something in the range of 12,000 fun-tickets to fix! And no warranty either, not GM's fault. He coulda sued the gas station, but lots of luck with that.

If i read your post right you said everything was new except the fuel pump. I think you also said you had had it a long time. If this is the case then it could very well be the fuel pump. This is only my opinon(can,t spell). Hope this helps.

Hey billsbird, if your filters look ok and you are sure that the carb is getting fuel then I would check to make sure that the floats are set right. Or the inlets to the float chambers may be blocked by dirt. This is common in Holley style carbs.
peace Bud

....yep, I checked the fuel filter & sure enough it had little pieces of rubber stuck in it. So I put a new one on {I'm sure I could have just cleaned the old one but for $5 bucks I just got a new one}. I will post another post as I wonder if I shouldn't have a little bit better fuel filter? A 5/16" line straight into a little 5/16" screen seems like it'd clog up pretty easily? Then I blew the fuel line out from the tank to the filter {while the line was still disconnected}. Then took the tank out, drained it, got out these little pieces of 'crud', flushed the tank out with gas & re-installed it..... THANKS for all the help everyone!!! Bill