Hey guys, I am a small engine Mechanic - I`ve had the issue a few times of steel gas tanks needing holes drilled into them sometimes and I`ve come up with a 100% perfect solution to keep EVERY little speck of that metal debris/shavings from entering the gas tank - and THAT is to use one or several very powerful Ceramic "Rare Earth" magnets around the area where the hole or holes are being drilled, and you do NOT need to be in the awkward upside down position (and get a possible injury to your eyes and HOT shavings to skin areas making you jump from the burn reaction, possibly messing up the hole) to do the job. When finished with your cutting, drilling, de-burring?, simply *Slide* the magnet to the hole you just cut and remove the collected shavings. Another added suggestion would be to have a "Secondary" magnet set directly attached to the outside bottom of the tank directly below the drilled hole JUST in case SOME does slip past, when done?, you can (like " I " do) is to clean THOSE shavings at the INSIDE bottom of the tank where (IF ANY) that magnet was placed?, use a wood stick/Dowell with a Q-Tip like bundle on the end of it (DON`T use a telescoping magnetic pick-up tool to do this, it does NOT pick up those shavings because the area is MADE magnetic by the stronger magnet and chips WILL stay there) with a petroleum based lubricant to wipe/pick up any shavings after removing the magnet from it`s location. Hope this solves SOME headache`s with that issue.
I've been dealing with ethanol issues on all the big 3 for years. The first thing to determine when having fuel issues: is the issue not enough fuel in the carb, or too much fuel? Not enough = vapour lock. Solution is electric pump and return line. An in frame Edelbrock works well. That set up in the Impala looks extremely expensive and prone to failure. I had a ford 460, 4100 series Motocraft carbed motorhome that worked flawlessly even climbing mountain passes in B.C. at 37 degrees celcius, loaded. NEVER percolated or vapour locked. And it had those two things. Too much fuel/flooding = heat soak/percolation. The solution so far is a return line port as close to carb as possible, insulating lines, and as tall as possible Phenolic/wood spacer under carb. Also that big, hideous air cleaner is going to trap a lot of heat at the carb!
My 69 camaro with a quadrajet has a return line to the tank from the factory. GM had this issue in the 60s and quadrajets are very sensitive to it. If someone wants to stay original this is the easiest solution. Just add a fuel filter with a return line and a 1/4" line to the tank and use a sending unit with a return line on it or tap in a fitting to the tank.
Yep, a ton old old cars suffered this and its been cured simply and quickly a billion times and suddenly its new tech with a complex and expensive cure 🤣🙄
One of those filters with 3 fingers (Wix 33041), a return line to the tank, insulate the feed line in the engine bay to the carburetor with ceramic fire insulation wrapped in foil tape, get rid of mechanical fuel pump and replace with an electric, a phenolic carb spacer.......fixed my vapor lock....even on 100F days in Colorado altitude on 89 octane ethanol gas. Find a sender with an inlet along with the outlet and switch it out. Don't cut a hole in the tank.
Hey Eric, great video. I restore old Thunderbirds and have had to deal with the vapor lock problem quite a bit lately mostly because of the crappy gasoline that is available today. I live at 7000 ft altitude so this altitude just adds insult to injury with regards to vapor lock. The problem you describe in the video, "not being able to restart the car after shutting it off," I have found more attributable to the gasoline boiling or evaporating out of the carburetor while it is sitting there. For example, you go into the market and your car is sitting outside for 20 minutes or so and as the engine heats up from being shut off and no more cooling system action, the gas in the carb starts to boil and evaporates. When you go to restart it you have a "too rich" issue because of the excessive fuel vapors and the heat. I push the gas pedal to the floor and crank it until it starts, works every time. I do not pump the gas pedal. Pushing the gas pedal down to the floor and leaving it there until it starts opens up the throttle plates in the carb and allows air to rush in creating a lean mixture and allowing the car to restart. The vapor lock problems I have experienced with the Thunderbird while driving is (390 or 428 FE engines), loosing power, bucking and surging, acting like it is running out of gas, not being able to reach speeds higher than about 40 mph, and all of the above when going up any kind of an incline. For me and my Thunderbirds, its never a restarting problem, its always a "while driving" problem. The cure was exactly what you did in your video with a few exceptions. You put an in tank fuel pump which Holley recommended as the number 1 fix. On a 1966 Thunderbird for example, the gas tank rest against the trunk floor on the top and back side. The fuel sender is on the front side facing the diff. Holley said that you need 3" of clearance between the tank and trunk floor to use their in tank fuel pump so that was not an option for me. The next best thing was to use an inline electric fuel pump as close to the gas tank as possible and level with the bottom of the gas tank. So I installed the electric fuel pump right next to the gas tank and level with the bottom and I ran a return line from the front of the car back to the gas tank via a Holley supplied regulator, and used the original fuel source fitting on the sending unit as the return. From the regulator back, I used steel fuel line because it does not warm up there like in the engine compartment, there is nothing to heat the lines up. In the engine compartment, I used fuel hose and I insulated it with thick foam insulation, the same stuff you see around water heater pipes. I eliminated the mechanical fuel pump completely. This worked out great and cured any vapor lock issues. The customer drove the car over the Rockies on Interstate 70 and went through the Eisenhower tunnel at 11,000 feet with no issues while using 91 octane pump gas with 10% ethanol. They also drove around Utah, Nevada and California in 100 degree weather with the AC on the entire time. They had no issues what so ever. You can view the video I made on how I did it here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uGaLuywsU0Y.html. Thanks again for a very informative video.
I used the Unc's tip. An AMC style inline filter with a small return nipple out the side. Fuel keeps circulating back to supply, giving less chance of heating up
Damn that’s a lot of work. I fixed vapor lock in my 62 impala for about $50. Purchased return hose and 3nipple fuel filter before the carburetor. Also used some heat shield wrap over the fuel lines in the engine. I drilled into the filler neck so I didn’t have to clean up or mess with the gas tank at all. I live in texas with 100+ degrees all week. I drive my old school every single day:) after I did that fix my car never had any problems after that. I even went to car shows driving for 4+ hours with the car on and sitting in the summer :)
@@cal30m1 are you mad that someone figured out a way to do the same result in less than 1/10th the time and using 1/10th the money. You must be stupid to pay that much for it. Im sure you pay $130 for an oil change too, but I don’t go out of my way try to look down on you for it.
Yep he fixes it with a wix filter 33040 with a 3rd outlet back to the tank using the vent hose line. The filter has an inlet and an outlet ( as normal ) and a smaller diameter outlet with a small hole ( in the outlet ) ( for back pressure inside the carburetor area )) , running back to the tank
Yeah, this is a $400+ football bat of an approach. Uncle Tony didn't just throw money at the problem. I know which solution MY clients will appreciate, and it'll still leave them with their rent money!
cut out the center with a hole saw upside down so minimal shavings get in the tank...........then use a die grinder and sanding roll right side up. 🤦♂️😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I know this video came out in 2016 but Here's another tip i picked up back in the day in a issue of hot rod magazine: 101 tech tips. If you have a metal gas tank prep the metal surface for primer / paint . Used high temp header primer and paint with the ceramic in VHT or dupli color . But use the header aluminum paint. It will insulate the tank from heat coming off of the motor / car / pavement and keep the gas cooler. Also if you use a mechanical or electric fuel pump always use a vapor return line to get rid of a lot or all of vapor lock.
Yep go to uncle Tobys garage channel, he fixes it with a wix filter 33040 ? ( just get a 3 outlet fuel filter with a small hole for back pressure in the run outlet to the tank ) and with the third smaller outlet on top or north of the filter run a line back to the tank, sometimes the tank has the hole in it at the connection for the return line, where did the idea of running fuel line to the carburetor only come from ?
Save your self some $$ and just keep the stock mechanical pump in place and "tee" it back to the tank with a return loop. Don't even have to drop the tank or "shim" it up! Simplicity holds much merit even today!
so the tee would go on the pressure side before or after the fuel regulator? This wouldn't effect fuel flow to the carb? sending it back to the tank as well? thanks.
I wonder if fuel pressure regulators make any difference. One guy I know fitted one to his seventies coupe to cure the hot starting problem where fuel surges in and floods a hot engine after it's turned off. I know you can buy cheap 'n' cheerful regulators on EBay from China or a pay a couple of hundred for a quality one from Edelbrock or somewhere. But I won't go to the trouble of installing one unless I know it makes a difference.
The idea of a clear tube is excellent to show *how the problem manifests itself* but your video does not explain *where the problem occurs*. Furthermore, it is not always feasible (nor desirable) to fit a system such as the one described. Rather, how can I fix the problem on a vintage car with "vintage good ideas"? THAT was my expectation in the viedo, but sadly did not find it :(
Seems like a lot of money and work for something that can be fixed for about $25. Get a fuel filter for an 89 Grand Wagoneer and install it between the carb and pump. Run a line (preferably steel) back to the tank and attach it wherever you want on the tank. Many different ways this can be done. I daily drive a slant six dart with a mechanical pump on normal 87 octane ethanol crap and never have problems. And if you know where the fuel pump is on a slant and how the fuel line is run on one, you know the pump sees zero air flow and the line is less than 1" from the exhaust manifold. No destroying a good fuel tank, no regulators, no easy to puncture hoses and no electric pump with shoddy wiring to fail. Works every time.
I'm not a super duper mechanic with multiple sexy cars in my garage, but I have taken care of vapor lock by insulating fuel lines before.... maybe it would have worked in this application instead of a fuel system overhaul?
Yeah, but they end up charging more for parts and manhours. It IS a business you know. They're not going to sell you the best option, but the one with the biggest profit margin for them.
I have lit'l toyota pick up. Never had problems with the mechanical fuel pump but I was driving it & then it just dies on me. Dissconnected the fuel line that goes into carb & there was no fuel going into the carb. So I bought a new one & it does the same thing. It does this after 10-15 min. of driving. It'll turn back on after like 10 min. But then it dies again. I'm kinda stummped never had vapor lock before & i've driven it in 90-100° weather before never had this issue before. It barly started down this & the weather about 35°-50° rite now. Any one else have this problem & if so what cud make the mechinical pump do this. Thinking of going with electric fuel pump. But kinda iffy on those.
Hi, I wonder if I can use a fuel pressure regulator with 2 fittings as a return line for vapor lock this way: One fitting going to the carburetor, since I am using only one carb setup I need only one line, the other fitting going back to the fuel tank as the return line..Thanks
“We turned the tank upside down to minimize metal shavings into the tank” … continued by all the next drill and grinding work and cutting work with the tank upside up lol
I've asked some fuel additive companies if they help out with the Reid Vapor Pressure problem and they say no. Most of the liquid in the additive bottle is diesel fuel which has a lower vapor pressure but you are not adding very much to your tank.
What are the part numbers of the system you used in this video? You had more parts on the table then we saw installed. Are they used somewhere along the fuel line?
yes... crude or refined fuels have a boil point where they turn to a gas. depends on the car, but 115, is where my car is no longer happy. .. im installing a cool can in the back to see if i can curb some heat issues myself
why would you say that? a competent mechanic will re- create the situation the customer describes so that they can make analysis... a backyard bozo, will just start guessing and have the car in 1000 pieces, buy a bunch of parts and still not figure out the root cause. Id say these folks went about it in the right fashion
So running e85 will keep this from happening because it’s a much cooler fuel and I can attest to this because my car is fuel Injected and I’m currently breaking in a new motor and I’m running on 93 octane fuel. 93 has a low vapor/flash point so my cars big turbo would create heat and my fuel rails would vaporize and I couldn’t get the car to start for a while and it would shut off while driving on the highway. I got a partial tune and running e85 now and it has helped a lot.
Yeah well that's a shit load of work. I sorta fixed it by installing a new fan clutch so the fan runs faster like it's supposed to. And if it's still too hot I just hold a higher RPM at the stop light to get more airflow.
So Erik what we really need is some fkn fuel formulas changed . We are paying 3to 4 times in price for SHITTY Fuel!!!!! To bad we can't put a TIGER in our tank any more. Exxon old days fuel. 104 octane now that's how you fix it!!! Let's face it we are getting screwed!!!!!!!
You got to be freaking kidding me ! This is a Aeromotive commercial......Drop the fuel tank put in an $800 fuel pump do this do that fancy see through hose is all bullshit ( we know what boiling fuel looks like ) Forget any of this you just saw in this video go watch uncle Tony’s video about vapor lock, like I did it to my Camaro it works perfect.... uncle Tony will show you how to do it...Oh and by the way you guys can drop stupid music in the background.....
I would think you guys are liable and should be fixing this for customers at no charge if it happened after they spent tons of money to restore a car at your shop. You admit fault but still make the customer pay.
To be fair its not just the oil manufacturers who are to blame. The government itself should bear the brunt due to passing idiotic emissions regulations which, in part, forced the hands of the oil industry. Regardless, I'm certainly no fan of ethanol fuel to begin with due to the performance and fuel mileage dampening.
You know, that's pretty stupid trying to minimize metal shavings in the tank while cutting the main hole then using a drill and finish grinder to cut the remaining pattern out, FILLING the take up with shit piles of shavings! :D
the video doesn't show it, but i would guess they stuffed a towel in the tank once they had a hole.. ive done exactly the same thing, but used a water soaked towel to "catch dust and droppings from my holes and sanding... any leavings were blown with pressurized air, with a shop vac sucking dust out at the same time, then some high pressure wash downs and some fill and dumps and i felt good about the tank i was working on.
No but we will shortly. If you are interested in all the components we can certainly send you a quote for all the items. We just never established a kit number for them yet
Here's a cheaper way : buy 3/8 racing aluminum fuel line and vinyl coated fuel line clamps that screw into the frame . Make as little ups and downs and bends as possible in the line. Buy a factory replacement fuel filter that came out on emission controled vehicles 70-80's like jeep cherokees or dodge truck/cars That have the 3 ports! 2 on the one side of the filter one on the other side . The smaller port is a fuel/vapor return port . Hook a fuel hose up to the 3rd port and run it back to the tank or the vent port on the fill neck . Vapor lock solved
the gasoline flash point is -45 degrees. meaning at -45 degrees in an open cup gas will flame if you pass a flame over the top of it. DO NOTE that MINUS 45 degrees F.
