> With average temperatures like that I doubt seriously that they had to
> deal with a whole lot of vapor lock problems over there so they didn't
> make engine cooling a priority. I feel it's more ambient temperature
> related than it is "reformulated" fuel related.
[Lew Palmer] It's both, folks. Here in Minnesota (no jokes, now - we've
just had a week or more of 85+ degree weather and dew points in the 70s)
we get the same hard starting after running. The problem occurs in all
my cars (32, 36, 50, 59, 73, and 80).
The common cure is insulator blocks, heat shields, liberal use of the
choke when starting hot AND the use of non-oxygenated fuels. Those that
have tried non-oxygenated fuels swear by them. (Unleaded fuel doesn't
seem to effect anything, it the oxygenates that do the damage.) Here in
the Midwest, the oxygenate is methanol made from corn which has a very
low boiling point. Add 10% of that stuff to a hot engine and you have
instant vapor lock.
Regards,
Lew Palmer
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