Fuel System: vapor lock?

[sadiegirl11]

I have a 49 champion regal with a rebuilt original flat head.Problem is when i drive it after about twenty miles or so it spits and sputters like its running out of gas it seems to clear up then after a couple of miles does it again clears again then after a few more miles it dies usually takes five or six hours before it will start again i have brought it too three different places nobody seems to know what to do.HELP lately it takes till the next day before it will start.

[karterfred88]

I'm surprised your 2 or three places couldn't figure it out--avoid them at all costs in the future. The need to wait 5 or 6 hours for it to restart, meaning it needs to be absolutely cold, would indicate to me it's not a fuel problem. Usually even bad vapor lock clears in a short time. I would do some basic checks yourself. Remove the air cleaner when it stalls, look inside the carb and see if when you move the throttle linkage a stream or spray of fuel shows up as you do that. If you get either, the carb has gas. If it has gas, get in the car, push gas pedal to the floor and leave it there for 10 to 15 minutes. Let go and try again-if it tries to start and starts but dies, it is flooding out and carb work is in order. If it starts runs for a while then tries to shut down, it could be a vacuum leak due to heat warping something. If no fuel sprays at all you have a supply problem, either a fuel pump problem, a fuel line problem. If you have fuel but it won't refire after sitting with the carb open to dry out the intake, you'll need to diagnose the electrical side of things. You can check for no spark pretty easily by pulling a plug wire, sticking a screw driver in the plug contact of the wire, holding it near the block while someone cranks it over, no spark---no start. Since it does recover eventually I would suspect the coil or external ignition resistor. Coils can work until hot and then die, only to recover when cold. All these are very basic steps and other things can cause your problems but this is a start. If you are not going to do repairs yourself, I suggest you contact a local SDC member for recommendations. Welcome to the forum, join the club get all the manuals for your car from a vendor even if you won't do the repairs, as a decent mechanic will have everything he/she needs to fix it. Hopefully it is one of these simple fixes.

[sadiegirl11]

Thanks do you know of anyone in connecticut that i could bring it to?

[karterfred88]

Thanks do you know of anyone in connecticut that i could bring it to?

No but I see a member, "private messaged" you on your second post-he's in CT and I'm sure be of more help than I here in DE

[Warren Webb]

Sadie, there should be a heat shield over your fuel pump. Studebaker installed them back in the day to help prevent vapor lock. It may be that sometime in it's past the fuel pump was replaced & the shield discarded thinking it didn't serve a purpose. See ad # 16693 here in the "Studebaker Swap" page in the july ads. Here is the link http://www.studebakerswap.com/swap/showads.php

[altair]

Check your heat riser that it has free movement. If it is stuck closed it will boil your gas. Dave

[TWChamp]

My 1950 Champion was having similar problems, and it turned out to be the tank liner someone put in 22 years ago was peeling off and blocking the gas tank pickup tube. I removed the tank and finished stripping off all the liner, and that took care of my fuel supply problems. I would never line a tank.
Do you know if someone ever lined the tank?

Do all the checks karterfred88 mentioned. The closest good mechanic out east that I know of is in Philadelphia.

[63r2]

It sounds like the typical symptoms of a blocked fuel tank/line.
When it has time to sit the fuel seeps though the blockage and when you drive it you use up the fuel and then it starts starving.
It wouldn't hurt to check.
pb

[doofus]

sadiegirl an excellent tool for clearing/cleaning the tank pickup is a length of choke cable hoiusing without core wire. it's flexible and can be spun with drill then tube can be flushed out. the metal line on the frame if suspect needs replacing. they can be cleaned but replacing better option. Luck Doofus

[Skip Lackie]

Karterfred mentioned fuel line problems. A pin hole in a fuel line (often under a clamp where it can't be seen) can cause the same symptoms as a plugged fuel line. As the fuel warms up, it becomes less dense and more air is sucked into the line by the fuel pump.

[Lynn]

Do Studebakers have a "sock" type filter on the fuel pick up in the tank?

Being relatively new to the Studebaker world, I don't know the answer. While it could be any of the things Fred suggested, my first thought was a collapsed sock, but then most of my antique car experience is with GM cars.

[jclary]

Do Studebakers have a "sock" type filter on the fuel pick up in the tank?

Being relatively new to the Studebaker world, I don't know the answer. While it could be any of the things Fred suggested, my first thought was a collapsed sock, but then most of my antique car experience is with GM cars.

This is a good point. One very often overlooked. Not all these symptoms can be blamed on "vapor lock." Besides an occasional screen wire like filter on the end of a pick-up tube, some carburetors have a tiny screen wire like wafer at the inlet fitting. Besides a collapse, as you indicate, over time, gas tanks can accumulate debris that settles to the bottom just like water logged stuff does in a stream. Then...under the vibration and jostling of driving down the road, this stuff will get stirred up, and sucked against the pick-up screen, or even around the element of a fuel filter, finally cutting off fuel flow. Usually, this happens once you have driven too far to walk back home. It is a problem not reserved for antique cars. I've had it happen on modern cars too. After sitting for a little while, the stuff that had stopped up your fuel flow, will settle back down to the bottom, and you can drive for a few miles, until you cause enough motion for the crap to, once again, stop up the filter. This is a very frustrating problem, that will continue to repeat until corrected.

Another similar condition is a very small amount of water in the fuel tank or carburetor bowl. Most carburetors have tiny cavities below the jets, that will allow a small amount of contaminants to accumulate between rebuilds. Since water is heavier than gas, it will sink to the bottom, However, just like solid debris, under the vibration of movement, it will eventually get sucked into the jets, and shut down an engine.

Another problem that can occur, is for a tiny piece of trash to clog up the needle valve seat in the carburetor. If that needle valve is prevented from closing, it will mimic the symptoms of a sunken float, thereby flooding the engine. Another condition, leading to an engine shutdown, is a set of spark plugs that have accumulated a lot of carbon soot and deposits around the center electrode. If that gunk gets too much oil, and gas soaked...it can become so conductive, that instead of the electrical spark "jumping" as a crisp spark across an air-gap...it grounds directly through the conductive crap and no spark...thus not firing the plug.

There are a few other simple things that can cause these symptoms, but I think I've given enough to absorb for now. It is just a few of the things that can drive the smartest among us "NUTS."

Of course, if we weren't already a bit nuts...we'd probably not mess with these things at all.

[JoeHall]

What is the temp gauge telling you? With a new rebuild, to OEM specs of .0015" piston clearance, it is a prime candidate for overheating. If the temp gauge is accurate, and says it is running hot, you likely have a heat problem to address.

[TWChamp]

Do Studebakers have a "sock" type filter on the fuel pick up in the tank?

Being relatively new to the Studebaker world, I don't know the answer. While it could be any of the things Fred suggested, my first thought was a collapsed sock, but then most of my antique car experience is with GM cars.

All the tanks I worked on before had pickup socks to filter the junk, but Studebaker just has an open tube sticking close to the bottom of the tank.
At least my 1952 and older Studebakers do. I don't know if any later Studebakers ever had tank filters.

[doofus]

All the tank pick up lines that come the front edge are simple tubes, no socks. the last 1/4 inch is flattened and spot welded to bottom center of tank. here lately i have had to cut open several for repairs. line is cut 3/4 way through at end and flattened when spot welded, most likely before tank halves are welded together. it's common to have a tank with perfect bottom and absolutely crusty, rusty upper since that's where condensation collects. if sender is removed and a finger is poked in and the underside of tank felt, it'll usually come out filthy with rust. a thin layer is one thing but lumps and bubbles of rust are looking to stop up something. a length of light chain let into the removed tank with 2 tireless helpers tipping it side to side up side down is good way to clean up "Roof" of tank but it will need coating with something that's everything proof these day's. Luck Doofus