[NoVa-Corvairs] Fuel Problem

[Puglisi, Michael]

Hi All,

Last week I told you about a fuel delivery problem I'm having with my
'61.  Basically the car runs for a few minutes, stalls, then restarts
only after it rests for a few minutes.

Darrin and I did find some debris in the filter stones but nothing much
in the carbs.  Replacing the filter stones had no effect on the problem.
We also added one of those clear plastic in-line fuel filters which also
had no effect of the problem.

Suggestions for the source of the problem were possible cracks in the
rubber fuel lines, a clogged gas tank filter screen, and the 45 year old
fuel pump itself.

This past weekend I checked the rubber lines and they seem fine.  I'll
replace them anyway, but I don't think they're the problem.

I now wonder whether water might have gotten into my tank.  First of
all, I discovered that my fairly high-end car cover doesn't keep the car
very dry.  I opened my trunk yesterday and a good amount of water made
its way in there over the past week or two.  Then I started wondering if
water might have filled the area around the gas cap and poured into the
tank.  I checked the drain hole below the gas cap and it was totally
clogged.  By the way, the gasket on my gas cap is probably useless
(again 45 years old).  I'm sure it isn't sealing anything (in or out).  

So my questions are:

Would water in the gas possibly cause my symptoms?
If so, how do I fix it?  Just add one of those "dry gas" additives?
Empty the tank and get new gas?  Anything else?

I did disconnect the short rubber fuel line from the gas tank to the
metal line to see what the gas looked like.  I should have at least 5
gallons in there but only a little dripped out.  Is that normal?  I was
expecting a steady stream so now I'm thinking the filter screen in the
tank could be the problem.  Any thoughts?

The next time I get a chance, I'm planning to run the engine off an
auxiliary gas can to try to narrow down the problem.

Any advice would be appreciated . Thanks.

Mike