In a message dated 2/22/00 10:47:10 AM Pacific Standard Time,
perfessr@songs.com writes:
> 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
I've never had a vehicle vapor lock until after I've added headers or dual
exhausts, etc. If you suspect vapor lock then look at the exhaust and how
close it comes to the fuel line, 4-6inches of clearance would be more than
enough.
Since you mentioned your site bowl being empty, I'd pull the tank pickup
tube and check the screen on it, also blow through the thube and make sure
nothing is obstructed.
One last thing, you're using a vented gas cap, aren't you?
Mike
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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