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fuel starvation and Ethanol gas
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   Forward Look NON-Technical Discussions -> 1955-1961 Forward Look MoPar General DiscussionMessage format
 
imopar380
Posted 2019-06-07 11:44 AM (#583066)
Subject: fuel starvation and Ethanol gas



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Over the past 5-6 weeks I've had my car starve for fuel and conk out 3 times. It started about a year ago, I noticed at speeds of 50 MPH and above it would start losing power. Finally checked the fuel filter in late April and it was completely clogged ( had been on since 2012) so it was changed. Then about 3 weeks later I had backed the car out of the garage one evening to do some work. Tried to start it 2 hours later and it wouldn't start. Not getting fuel again. I left it in the driveway overnight. Next morning it started just fine and was good until May 26th, when we drove to a car show 100 miles away, and on the way back it started starving for fuel again. It finally stalled out and I managed to coast into a rest stop. Others in our group pulled in behind us, and there were three seasoned MoPar mechanics to the rescue. Took off the fuel line from the carb to the fuel pump and blew through it, and it was clear. Took off the fuel pump and it didn't seem to be working.... Anyhow this was Sunday afternoon at 4:00 PM. We called the local Parts store and they had ONE B block fuel pump in stock. Went over there and picked it up along with a can of compressed air to blow out the fuel line to the tank. Installed the new pump, blew the air thru the line until I heard bubbles in the tank. Started the car and got back home with no issues. We did however, suspect there may be some dirt in the tank , as it took a while for the air to start bubbling in the tank, so we thought that the filter screen on the pickup tube in the tank may have been clogged with dirt. Kind of strange though as I've put 34,000 miles on the car in 11 years with no fuel issues prior to this. Anyhow, I took the car in to a local shop yesterday. They dropped the tank to check and clean it. There was no sediment / dirt in the tank. The issue was that the old screen filter sock on the pickup had disintegrated and bits were being sucked into the gas line causing the fuel starvation. The statement given was that this was a direct result of using Ethanol fuel in the tank. I haven't actually used any Ethanol fuel for a number of years now but I did for a while, and at the time I hadn't heard of it's destructive qualities on older fuel systems. Anyhow, I had a NOS filter screen that the shop put back on the pickup tube so all is fine again.
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56D500boy
Posted 2019-06-07 1:50 PM (#583069 - in reply to #583066)
Subject: RE: fuel starvation and Ethanol gas



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Thanks for posting that Ian. Definitely points out the one of the (several?) downsides of ethanol in older cars. I knew about vapour lock being exacerbated by ethanol but not the eating the tank filter sock.

I had my tank redone in the fall of 2016 (shortly after I got my car) but I don't know what they did with the intank filter. I had thought it was a metal filter but they might have changed it to something else. I've had problems with acceleration after about 70 mph and lately seeming like something is holding the engine back. I am running Chevron 94 (with no ethanol) now but I did run the cheaper 92 (with ethanol) for awhile so there could be ethanol-related issues. Something else to check out.

I never thought about blowing the fuel line out with compressed air. I could have done that back in 2016 when the tank was out (but I didn't)

Did your's look like this:



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ronbo97
Posted 2019-06-07 3:48 PM (#583075 - in reply to #583069)
Subject: RE: fuel starvation and Ethanol gas


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Ian - 

As I stated in reply to your facebook post, there is no proof that Ethanol is the cause of the filter disintegration. Your mechanic is just taking a wild guess. These filters degrade over time, being made of thin nylon. They are a consumable item.

Ron

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imopar380
Posted 2019-06-07 5:54 PM (#583080 - in reply to #583069)
Subject: RE: fuel starvation and Ethanol gas



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56D500boy - 2019-06-07 10:50 AM

Thanks for posting that Ian. Definitely points out the one of the (several?) downsides of ethanol in older cars. I knew about vapour lock being exacerbated by ethanol but not the eating the tank filter sock.

I had my tank redone in the fall of 2016 (shortly after I got my car) but I don't know what they did with the intank filter. I had thought it was a metal filter but they might have changed it to something else. I've had problems with acceleration after about 70 mph and lately seeming like something is holding the engine back. I am running Chevron 94 (with no ethanol) now but I did run the cheaper 92 (with ethanol) for awhile so there could be ethanol-related issues. Something else to check out.

I never thought about blowing the fuel line out with compressed air. I could have done that back in 2016 when the tank was out (but I didn't)

Did your's look like this:



:)


Yes, very similar to the picture. As far as Non Ethanol Gas here, I don't use Chevron 94 Octane, all the CO-OP Stations here sell Ethanol Free 91 Octane which my car runs fine on. It's cheaper than the Chevron 94.



Edited by imopar380 2019-06-07 5:55 PM
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finsruskw
Posted 2019-06-07 10:19 PM (#583096 - in reply to #583066)
Subject: Re: fuel starvation and Ethanol gas


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Sounds just like my F and the issues I have been having as of the last few summers.
But I have bee blaming it on the crappy fuel and high under hood temps on very hot days.
When it's cool, car runs great like in the morning or evening. Even stopping for a while at a rest stop for 20-30 minutes seems to help for about 10 miles and then its back to the same old crap.
I have changed the filter and installed a new fuel pump to no avail. Carbs were professionally restored in 2012. been driving the car since 1985 w/no issues like this before.
Most Casey's stores around here sell non-ethonal but it's only 87 octane.
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Viper Guy
Posted 2019-06-08 11:09 AM (#583118 - in reply to #583066)
Subject: Re: fuel starvation and Ethanol gas



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Oh boy, another thread that peaks my interest.

My '59 DeSoto Firesweep with the standard 361 two barrel runs fine under most conditions, starts quickly every time, but "pings" like crazy under load when hot. I use 91 octane ethanol free unleaded which is easily obtainable here. I've tried retarding the spark and octane boosters to no avail. Recently I was advised of a racing fuel dealer 40 miles away who has custom mix fuels available and his suggestion to me was his 95 octane with lead at $5.95 per gallon. I'm going to try this and see how successful it is and since I don't drive the car all that much, 10 gallons of this custom mix should last most of the summer.
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wizard
Posted 2019-06-08 11:56 AM (#583121 - in reply to #583066)
Subject: Re: fuel starvation and Ethanol gas



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If you have an adjustable vacuum pot, try to decrease the pot a bit...
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56D500boy
Posted 2019-06-08 12:28 PM (#583122 - in reply to #583069)
Subject: RE: fuel starvation and Ethanol gas



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56D500boy - 2019-06-07 10:50 AM

I had my tank redone in the fall of 2016 (shortly after I got my car) but I don't know what they did with the intank filter. I had thought it was a metal filter but they might have changed it to something else. I've had problems with acceleration after about 70 mph and lately seeming like something is holding the engine back. I am running Chevron 94 (with no ethanol) now but I did run the cheaper 92 (with ethanol) for awhile so there could be ethanol-related issues.


Based on a little run to a car show last night, the issue with 70 mph seems to be gone. (I think)

Hope your issues are solved Ian.

REFERENCE: http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=71500&...

.

Edited by 56D500boy 2019-06-08 12:28 PM
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