I’d like to here from some of yous guy livin’ in the tropics or other wise known as the Sun Belt. Just how typical is vapor lock in your 216 with the stock single action fuel pump and fuel line routing?
The temps are just now getting into the 90’s around here, I know, I know, that’s sweater weather for you guys out there in Phoenix, but twice now I have experienced the truck feeling like it is running out of gas. It wants to go on its nose when I step on the accelerator and I have to nurse it up to speed and it seems better once I’m up to cruising speed and she will run right along at 50-55 mph but still acts like it’s running lean. When I stand on the pedal. A little choke helps it accelerate better. I prayed to make it home before she shut down, just can’t afford those charges for the car hauler.
When I got back in the garage yesterday, I checked and cleaned both the fuel filters, the glass one on the pump, which had a little sediment, but nothing on the filter screen and the AC sediment filter just before the carburetor, which had no sediment in it at all. I checked all the vacuum lines, cap, rotor, points (right at .018” dead nuts) they are all new parts with in the past 2k or so, I checked all the primary and secondary wiring, it’s new also and intact, nothing is broken, corroded or loose.
My fuel is standard 87octain 10% alcohol which probably will vapor lock quicker than a straight non-alcoholic fuel or a higher-octane fuel with a higher vapor pressure.
When I first pulled into the garage I popped the hood and noticed that there was a steady trail of small bubbles rising up the side of the glass bowl on the fuel pump. It looked like from under the gasket on the passenger side of the bowl, i.e., directly opposite the block. This continued for quite a while after the engine was shut down.
So, have any of you warm weather pilots experienced vapor lock problems?
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
