my understanding of vapor lock is that if you have a none venting gas cap on a
gas tank that needs a vented gas cap you basiclly cause a vacum in the gas tank
and the fuel pump is unable to suck any more fuel..... thats my version.
Bruce
1949 chev 1/2 ton
The Perfesser wrote:
> Hello, list...
>
> I have a 1949 Chevy Pickup... I'd call it "original restored" - most of the
> underpinnings are original, but the engine is rebuilt, and it has been
> painted and re-upholstered. You can see a picture online at
> http://songs.com/pws/xmas99.html . I've only had it about 3 months,
> basically it looks great and runs great, but three times now it has "conked
> out" and refused to restart, and on two of those occasions I've had to tow
> it a fair distance to get it home.
>
> Each time it has 'conked out" like this, I have been unable to restart
> it. Starter works fine - one time it wore the battery down to zilch, hence
> the tow-job - but there's no getting it to turn over. So I've taken it to
> a mechanic, who didn't get to it till the next morning, and each time, the
> mechanic had no trouble starting it - even in the "dead battery" case.
>
> In the first two instances, I could see that there was no fuel in the
> transparent fuel filter; also, I'd been experiencing some "surge" going up
> hills and so suspected the fuel pump. After the second instance, we
> replaced the fuel pump, and it has in fact been running much more smoothly
> ever since (not that I drive it all that much - like, twice since the pump
> was replaced).
>
> This past Sunday, despite the new fuel pump, it conked out again and I
> could not restart it. Called AAA. They towed me home... and as soon as he
> lowers the truck in my driveway, I tried to start it and... fwhoomp... it
> started right up.
>
> A neighbor who knows a little about old cars listened to my tale of woe and
> suggested that my problem is caused by "vapor lock" I'm not really sure
> what "vapor lock" is, though I've the phrase hundreds of times.
>
> Does this sound like "vapor lock" to any of you, or could there be
> something more fundamental, like a failing magneto or something? Are these
> engines/carburetors prone to vapor lock? And, can vapor lock be so total
> that it would keep a truck from starting for over an hour?
>
> If it is "vapor lock," can anybody tell me a) how to prevent it in the
> future and b) what to do about it if it happens again?
>
> If it's not "vapor lock," then how do I go about trouble shooting a problem
> which only appears intermittently? (I'm fortunate that, so far, it has
> only happened in cases when it has been easy to pull off the road... that I
> might not be quite so lucky next time makes me nervous every time I leave
> my driveway.
>
> I confess I know little about old trucks or carburetors. I wanted to take
> auto mechanics in high-school but was supposed to be on a fast track to
> college (lotta good THAT did me...) so, now that I need the knowledge, it
> ain't there. I learned a lot about engines when I was a kid (anybody
> remember the "Visible V-8" model?) but at this point I've forgotten more
> than I never knew, and my knowledge of carburetors in particular is
> non-existent. Can anybody steer me toward a good book on carb fundamentals?
>
> I am grateful for this list... there are not a lot of vintage chevy truck
> owners in my neighborhood, so it's nice to find a fellowship of like minded
> folks out here on the Net.
>
> Look forward to whatever help anybody can offer... thanks very much.
>
> --PS
>
> ***************************************
> Paul Schatzkin, aka The Perfesser
> General Manager, songs.com unit of Gaylord Digital
> shipping - 3927 Cambridge Ave #2 Nashville TN 37205
> mail: P.O. Box 121616 Nashville TN 37212
> ph: 615-298-1122 - fax: 615-298-4825
> e-mail: perfessr@songs.com
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> "Hard work has a future pay off. Laziness pays off now." -- (anon)
>
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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