Vapor lock will cause the fuel bowl to be empty.
1) The next time it dies on you, remove the air cleaner, climb in the engine bay so that you can look down the carburetor and work the the throttle lever swiftly and watch for a squirt of gas. If no squirt, you have a fuel delivery issue.
2) If you have determined that you have a fuel delivery issue from the no-squirt test above, put your hands on the fuel line. If you can hold it without any discomfort, your fuel delivery issue is not vapor lock. The fuel temperature needs to be approaching the boiling point for vapor lock to occur.
That's enough for now.
Get back to us after you have performed these tests.
BTW, the only way one of these old trucks can become a reliable daily driver for you, is for you to become a Stovebolt guru. They are not highly complex, but they do require regularly scheduled maintenance, and you will need to learn how to troubleshoot problems as they arise.
I remember when I dove into this game many years ago. The thought of traveling far from home made me as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs filled with Texans looking to gauge the size of the draft under the door to see if a cat could be throwed through it.
Now, when I have any issues with the truck, I can find it and fix it pretty quick. There is a learning curve, but it will put a smile on your face when you become able to handle anything she throws at you.
Carl
Last edited by 52Carl; 11/13/2016 2:49 AM.
