For the past 30 years or so, the manufacturers have been using a
sealed fuel tank cap with a separate vent through a charcoal canister
to catch the fumes. These old trucks need a vented fuel cap, available
from the usual vendors and probably your FLAPS.
Some of the newer caps fit the old tank spouts.
What happens is that as you drive down the road, the gas leaving
the tank forms a vacuum and eventually the gas starts boiling. You
get something similar to vapor lock except nothing is hot. Leave
the truck sit a while and some air probably leaks back into the tank.
I bet you put a nice shiny new fuel cap on the truck. Don't feel
bad, it happens to lots of us.
Bruce K
57 3200
Mt. Iron, MN
At Tuesday, 15 October 2002, you wrote:
>Not 3 days after I get my '54 Chevy "Peanut" back on the road, she
decides
>to stall out in traffic. This is a sporadic problem, and has only
>occurred on 2 out of the past 10-12 drives in the past week.
>
>What happened the first time was this: I leave my house, drive a few
>blocks to a stop sign, stop, hit the gas, and the engine dies. After a
>lot of coaxing and fiddling with the choke, I get it started again, and
>make it onto the highway. After about 3 minutes at 45-50 mph, it dies
>again. After many tries, I get it started again (blocking traffic is
>fun), and make it another 10 minutes or so, this time staying in
3rd gear,
>when it dies again. Once again, I get it started after a few tries,
and
>make it in to work (another 3 minutes or so).
>
>I replaced the fuel filter, thinking that might be the problem, and it
>worked fine after that, driving all around town for a few days. Until
>yesterday morning, when I had the same problem -- it died when I
hit the
>gas at the first stop sign heading out of my neighborhood. This
time, I
>couldn't get it re-started successfully -- it kept dying whenever
I'd put
>it in gear and give it gas. Later that afternoon, I got it started
right
>up and drove it the few blocks back home.
>
>I'm fairly stumped as to what might be the problem. I think it
might be a
>vacuum issue with the fuel pump, but I've also noticed a new (unrelated?)
>leak in the valve cover gasket. And there's always the possibility
that
>it's the carburetor.
>
>Anyone have an idea as to where I should look first? Fuel pump? Carb?
>This is an original 235 with Rochester 1bbl carb and original-looking
fuel
>pump.
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Tim Lloyd, lloyd@lasp.colorado.edu
>"Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been
>sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful,
>rebellious, and immature." -- Tom Robbins
>"The eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the
>planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed
>by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace."
>-- John F. Kennedy
>oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
>
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