Help!

Unknown

As the title says...HELP!!!



We were out driving the Hudson today and after a few chugs and belches, she (the car, not the wife) died and wouldn't restart. Although I had gas at the fuel pump bowl, there was no gas at the carbs. The filters were clean so I'm assuming that the fuel pump diaphragm went bad as opposed to the gas tank filter sock being clogged. Any advice would be welcome so the Hudson can go from -->:( to this --->:D .



Thanks,



Dave

[Deleted User]

As a quick confirmation of your theory hook a line to a gas can and see what happens. Or if you have a vacuum guage hook it to the pump and see what she reads.

When I saw the title I though timmy and fallen down the well again....

Unknown

Little Timmy is OK.. got your attention though! On a whim, I tried blowing air into the fuel line, the one from the carb to the tank. No go. Tried drawing air and as able to do that. Doesn't this sound like a pooped pump diaphargm?



Thanks for your help and keep Timmy away from that well.

[Deleted User]

Yup, pretty easy to pull that pump off and check. Pull it off then work the arm and see if you get any action.

Unknown

Sure, why not give that a try. Thanks

[Deleted User]

When you pump the arm hold your thumb over outlet if its got pressure the diaphragm is good.

Do not under any circumstances put a hose from the pump into your mouth and try and guage the pump pressure that way. It does not work

Aaron D. IL

It may be the carb but do check your fuel lines though! any fitting or joint that is not sealed is like a straw with a hole in it....just doesn't work so well.

Unknown

Problem solved. Thanks for the suggestions.

rambos_ride

Dave53-7C wrote:

Problem solved. Thanks for the suggestions.

Don't just leave us hanging here ...what was the cause of the problem?

Unknown

rambos_ride wrote:

Don't just leave us hanging here ...what was the cause of the problem?

Oh, all right :rolleyes:. It turned out to be a corrosion clogged metal fuel line. At first, I disconnected the fuel line (from pump to carbs) and cranked the engine. With a finger over the end of the fuel line, I could feel pulsations which suggested the pump to be OK. I then disconnected the rubber fuel line (from steel line to pump) and drew a vacuum on the line from the tank. Virtually no fuel came out but what did was brown. Then, I connected a rubber hose to the steel line and hit it with compressed air. Alternating between drawing a vacuum and using compressed air finally dislodged a bevy of rust. Although the fuel line was replaced and tank cleaned about four years ago, the goof that owned the car before me never drove it (after full restoration - go figure) and let it sit with very little gas in the tank. So, the next step is a new fuel line and possibly removal of the tank for yet another cleaning. Any opinion on using the new nylon fuel lines?

Unknown

That is a good question and one I've been meaning to ask. One of the big reasons for the new Nylon lines is the increasingly large amounts of ethanol being put into gasoline. Ethanol and rubber are not good friends. I try to stay away from ethanol for that reason and supposedly BP (Amoco) and Sunoco are a couple of the fuel stops that don't use it. I have not tried the nylon material and if anyone does please let me know how it works. I am thinking that for the very reasons it is employed it may not be worth using in old cars because there are many other rubber parts, such as fuel pump diaphragms, that are still vulnerable and not easily replaced.



Best Regards,

nick s

jamcoats wrote:

I am thinking that for the very reasons it is employed it may not be worth using in old cars because there are many other rubber parts, such as fuel pump diaphragms, that are still vulnerable and not easily replaced.



Best Regards,

that's why its important avoid using nos (except as cores) and to get fresh rebuilds with neoprene diaphrams and seals. must be regional as i had lived in an area that used "reformulated" gas. bp and sunocco had it, marathon and shell did not use ethanol.

mars55

One disadvanage of nylon is that it is soft and if it rubs against something you will soon have a hole. For that reason I think stainless would be a better choice.

Unknown

mars55 wrote:

One disadvanage of nylon is that it is soft and if it rubs against something you will soon have a hole. For that reason I think stainless would be a better choice.

If steel were to rub against something, you'd also have a hole. If nylon were problematic, why are new vehicle manufacturers be switching to it for fuel and vapor lines? I'd be more concerned about the lines melting from contact with something hot. In my case, the previous owner neglected maintenance. If I use steel lines, I suspect I won't have a problem since I do maintain my cars properly.