Unfreakingbelievable

[supercrackerbox]

So I've slowly been tinkering with my Regal here and there, mainly trying to get it to stay running under its own power for more than a few minutes at a time. The car just can't seem to keep the fuel pumping. For starters, the original carb was badly in need of a rebuild, but rather than do that, I swapped on the rebuilt one that I kept from old Sport Coupe. I had already installed a new fuel pump last fall before I trailered it home. We put in a few gallons of fresh fuel since the car had been sitting for over 7 years, filled the bowl on the carb, made sure the float wasn't stuck, and she kicked over and ran beautifully . . . For about three minutes. Wouldn't start again without filling the carb again.

So I'm thinking, this is a 31 year old, all original car that spent it's life in the rust belt, and sat outside on a farm for the last 7 years. That's 8 years older and a year longer than my Charger sat when it was abandoned, and the Charger's fuel system had to be completely gone through. The fuel sock on the Regal is probably just gummed up with varnish, or worse yet, buried in a layer of rust. So I made plans to drop the tank, clean it out with acid, install some fuel tank sealer, and put in a new sending unit- Just like I had to with the Charger. Call me a masochist, but I was in fact looking forward to it.

So last night, I got off work early, got some beer and a few friends together, and started tearing into the car. First thing that suprised me was that the bolts for the straps put up almost no fight at all. Once I got the remnants of the rotted exhaust out of the way, I probably had the tank out in ten minutes. Knocked out the lock ring and pulled out the sending unit, and the thing looks brand new. Not a speck of rust on the tubes, no evidence of anything plugging the sock, and the float moves smooth and free its full range of travel. Shined a light inside the tank, and could not believe how clean it was. The fuel was perfectly clear, and the tank was clean and shiny throughout. Unbelieveable.

I'm going to pump some CLR through the lines followed by a rinse of fresh gasoline just to be sure they're not plugged, and put on a new fuel sock since I have it out anyway, but I'm thinking the fuel pump might be defective.

I've also taken a ton of pics even for the minor amount of work done so far, so I'll be starting a work log on the car as soon as I get around to uploading them.

Just wanted to share.

 

[midwestls]

Yeah sounds to me like a pump. Keep us updated.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Sounds to me like you could have a pinhole in the fuel line somewhere.

 

[supercrackerbox]

Sounds to me like you could have a pinhole in the fuel line somewhere.

. . . Leaving the pump sucking air. Makes sense. When I flush the lines, I'll pinch the return hose to pressurize the system and see if she starts spurting anywhere.

I've done fuel hardline replacement before. Not fun.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Sounds to me like you could have a pinhole in the fuel line somewhere.

. . . Leaving the pump sucking air. Makes sense. When I flush the lines, I'll pinch the return hose to pressurize the system and see if she starts spurting anywhere.

I've done fuel hardline replacement before. Not fun.

Yeah, it ranks up there with differential calculus on my list of things I love to do. If it is bad, the car may idle, but like a crack in a straw once you get any amount of load on it it will starve the engine for fuel and die. I would be sure to replace all the rubber hoses while you are in there, just in case. Also, instead of pinching, why not stick a 3/8 bolt in the hose on one end and clamp it, then put a blow gun in the other and clamp it. That way, you can go under the car and listen for the whistle if it is there. I would also try smelling the oil to see if it has gas in it. It is rare, but fuel pumps sometimes fail and leak inside the engine. It is possible it needs a new pump, but checking the lines is a good idea on a car this old from up north. I would also do a thorough inspection of the brake lines and hoses while you are at it.

 

[supercrackerbox]

Lol, we're getting ahead of ourselves here. Brake system is next on the list, and WILL get a thorough overhaul. Right now they just flat don't work, and I know it. Oil change is also on the list, all the supplies are piled on the hood (which is on the roof, lol).

I've thought about compressed air, but I don't have an air compressor. The plan to flush the lines will be exactly like I did in the Charger: Loop the system in the back with some fuel hose so the return line links directly to the feed line. Then in the engine bay, I'll plumb a 12v electric fuel pump to the return line (since the pump I have is 5/16" feed) and drop it in a bucket with some more hose on the feed line going back into the bucket. Fill the bucket with CLR, hook it to power, and let it run until chunks stop coming out. Pinching the hose returning the fluid to the bucket will pressurize it enough to know if/where it is leaking. If it passes this test, I'll follow with a rinse of fresh gasoline and put it all back together. And of course, new hose will be installed throughout.

And just because I have them, here's some pics of when I did this to the Charger:

In this first pic, you can see the badly rusted sending unit on the newspaper in front of me. Unlike our G-bodies, these sending units are not available through any known source, so I was forced to clean and re-use it. I actually had to drill some of the blockage from the return line.

You may notice that the fuel pump appears to be fizzing. The lines on this car were so badly plugged that CLR just wasn't cutting it. I had to use Muratic Acid to clear them, and since that of course destroyed the pump, I had to pump the gasoline rinse with a small hand pump. Good times.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

That Shelby Charger is an unusual find these days. Looks like it's not in bad shape though. For a compressor, have you checked Craigslist for a used one? They really come in handy for a lot of things.