When I purchased my 1956 Cadillac in 2001 it still had its original fuel pump. It worked perfectly until ethanol was mandated by the Feds in 2007 to curb Atlanta's smog problem.

Within 2 months the original fuel pump diaphragm expanded in size and only pumped half the required fuel. This was due to ethanol exposure. A new, Advance Auto fuel pump failed almost immediately because it was not ethanol resistant. The next one was.

I have not had further ethanol-related problems with that car because I drive it regularly and the fuel gets used up within a couple weeks or less.

When I began working on this 1950 3100, its fuel system was completely ruined by both ethanol and rust. The original fuel pump was completely sludged with yellow goo. Fortunately the carburetor had stayed dry and was usable for about a year until I rebuilt it recently.

The fuel tank and fuel line to the pump were full of rust.


1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy)

1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe |1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1969 Pontiac GTO (The Dishpit) I 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)