<VV> Re: A question or two (vapor lock or not??)

[Roger Gault]

Hi, Kerry,
This is a pretty good match for the symptoms in my old (old, old, old) '54
Buick (first car).  I carried a bottle of gasoline in the back seat to pour
down the carb when the fuel pump decided to quit pumping.  Once it
restarted, it was fine until next time.

You're sucking the carb bowls dry and refilling them with the electric pump.
Air leaks, pinched lines, clogged socks.....  All secondary possibilities.
95% chance it's a wimpy mechanical fuel pump.  Pump can't keep up with the
required flow, so the carbs go dry.  Since it barely pumps at low rpm, it
takes longer than you're willing to crank to fill the bowls back up to start
again.  Classic weak pump symptoms.

As for measuring the throw of the pump cam, pull the pump, stick a piece of
dowel rod or something down agains the pushrod and turn the crank through
360 degrees.  You'll be able to feel/see the dowel move up/down.  Stop the
crank when the dowel is all the way "up" and reinstall the pump.  Be sure
you have to press it down some to line up the setscrew.  That way you know
it's being pumped.

Roger

PS:  No Corvair - My wife's car used to be a '92 Olds.  We'd drive it down
to see my dad every couple of months - about a 4 hour drive.  About 3 hours
into the trip, it would start to miss under power/speed, getting worse and
worse until I finally limped home.  Go inside, pee, refill, go out to
troubleshoot - no problem.  Never a problem on a shorter trip.  Drove me
nuts for over a year.  One day one of my engineer buddies at work said,
"It's the fuel pump.  When the gas level gets low in the tank, the pump is
un-cooled.  It heats up and loses pressure until finally the injectors go to
full duty cycle and can't keep up."  Changed the pump out (PITA) and the
problem was cured.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kerry and jan B" <deaconone at teleweb.net>
To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2007 6:25 AM
Subject: <VV> Re: A question or two (vapor lock or not??)


> Hi again,
>
> Thanks to all who took the time to respond to my previous questions. You
> guys are the best!
>
> I guess I should have been a little more careful in describing the
> symptoms. When driving over 55-60, the car simply shut down. Previous to
> that it had issues similar to starving for gas when taking off from a
> light. It would hesitate big time then run ok etc. When the car died at
> speed the first time I coasted to the side of the road with the car in
> gear hoping it would take off again. It didn't!. Once parked I tried to
> restart it with no luck. Cranked fine, nothing else. At that point
> activated the electric fuel pump for about 20 seconds, tried the car and
> it started right up.  Headed back out and once again at 50-60 the car
> shut down again. This time, while coasting, I turned on the electric
> fuel pump and the car restarted. Staying below 50 seemed to eliminate
> the problem and that's how I got it home.  All this started after the
> car had been running for some time. Outside temp was around 65°, engine
> temp normal.
>
>  The fuel pump, new at the end of last season, is an after market
> purchased locally, though the brand escapes me at the moment.
>
> Along the lines of the eccentric and/or pump rod. Does anyone know how
> to measure the 'throw' (up down motion??) that the rod should have?
>
> I'd like to get this resolved if at all possible. Having the car die at
> 60mph, in the left hand lane, in heavy traffic was more than a bit
> scary! Especially since there was no shoulder for the left lane! Trying
> to navigate all the way to the right side, across three lanes of
> traffic, with a dead engine was an experience I'd rather NOT have again!
> (lol)
>
> I'm giving some serious thought to using the electric fuel pump full
> time though since I didn't install it I don't know if it's designed for
> that and there is no 'safety switch' so I guess I would have to address
> that too.  Right now it's setup with a momentary switch as a sort of
> push and pray operation. (grin)
>
> Somewhere I read that someone had converted a stock fuel pump into a
> 'dummy' one for use with an electric pump to maintain the 'original
> look' instead of installing a plug into the block. Has anyone heard of
> this and know where to buy it?
>
> My thanks in advance to anyone to anyone willing to add any helpful
> thoughts to this posting.
>
> Kerry B.  63/64 Spyder convertible that seems intent on driving me to
> the poorhouse this year...
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