Hot fuel! What to do?

Hey all,
Now that the '53 Special is running again, it' 80+ degrees out. The car's boiling its fuel so badly that it's dripping out the throttle shafts (they don't seem excessively worn)...what do you all do to keep the fuel cool? Heat shields? Fuel line wrap? Push it into a river? Any help's appreciated, as always! I hate modern gas!!! It is VERY hot under the hood of those old Buicks though...

 

Wooden clothes pins.

 

hah! that's exactly what I was gonna say!

or the fiireproof nasty orange fuel line cover stuff-it works really,really well.

but somehow,the clothespins work!

 

no doubt man! my buick hates the heat too. when it's hot, like 100+ yesterday my electric fuel pump rattles away like crazy! i'm not to sure about your buick but my lines are metal all the way back. i'm thinking of switching it out to a rubber line, oh, and i've tried the clothespin thing=doesn't work. hopes this helps

_T

 

Have you tried a cool can.

 

Are you sure your problem isn't a high float level?

Or a stuck needle valve?

 

Not sure what carb you have or if this is the same problem, but I have an Edelbrock carb and aluminum intake on the 327 in my Chevy. The fuel would boil inside once I parked after driving on a warm day and then it wouldn't start. I talked to an Edelbrock rep and he suggested a heat shield between the carb and intake. He recommended a Mr. Gasket which he said is better than their own. It has a few layers of aluminum with gasket material in between. I haven't had a problem since (15 years and 75,000 km)

 

I concur with C9's observation.

I had the same situation, reset my float levels for less gas in the float bowl. Todays gas is much more volitile (expands and evaporates easier) than the old stuff. When its hot, unser the hood the gas in the bowl acts as a heat sink. The gas expands, bubbles over, lowers the float, opens the valve, and starts all over again. Set the float/s to shut the needle at a lower level. Hopefully your problem will abate. Hard starting when hot is from flooding by the fuel being washed into the intake manifold.

Oh and by the way, change your oil!!! Gas has notoriously poor lubricating properties.

 

All great ideas guys...please excuse the ignorance of the next couple of questions...1st--What's a cool can? 2nd--what's the orange stuff for the fuel lines and where can I get it? 3rd--is the clothes line to pinch off the rubber line to shut off the fuel (if so, that's something I'd actually do! 4th--I just rebuilt the fuel pump, added a regulator, and rebuilt the carb because it was flooding itself while running (that was another headache). I was wondering if I should lower the float level from specs to keep it from boiling over. That should help, but I can literally hear the fuel boiling and my metel lines are hot to the touch, so I'm guessing that's a problem!

 

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=115+303813&D=303813

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=115+314959&D=314959

heres two i found in summit. you can also connect a small radiator to your fuel line just as you would a ****** cooler.

 

That Moroso one has some kinda heat sink. My friend's '55 Chevy in high school had one on it, was just a aluminum can with fuel line circling the inside a few times, and you dropped ice in the center of it, or so he told me at least. Maybe you don't need to have the ice.

 

If you're running the stock exh. manifold, make sure the heat riser is opening.

 

the heat riser is a valve on the exhaust manifold, which runs exhaust gas thru a special p***age in the intake to warm the carb when its' cold out. Find the valve, should have a counterweight sticking out right above where the pipe connects to the exhaust manifold. make sure the weight moves, shoudl turn about a quarter turn, and be spring loaded when the engine is cool, and the spring relaxes as the engine warms up.

 

I put a NOS heat riser on there because the old body was cracked and wasn't sealing...it works good...it moves from closed to open as the engine heats up...I think the way the straight 8 is, the fuel line and carb on the driver's side are above the intake/exhaust manifold, and the intake is actually connected to the exhaust, so on hot days it just boils that fuel...thanks for all the ideas--keep em coming...

 

I put a little 1 inch black hard plastic riser thingy under my carb cuz I was having the same issues. I think it cost $25 at the local speed shop. That was 5 years ago this weekend and haven't had an issue since.

One hint though when you go to instal it, as soon as you take your carb partially off make sure you duck tape the top of the manifold. I learned from someone's mistake.

 

Make a wooden carb spacer,cant beat em.

 

cool can i put in the van works GREAT. i also insulated my fuel line.

 

no one has mentioned it yet.....check to see if any of the fuel lines are close to any source of heat , like exhaust manifolds , exhaust pipes..or even close to the engine block. reroute them if need to

 

Is the motor running hot as well? You could try getting that underhood temp down - flush cooling system (there was a thread last week concerning flushing with vinegar?), louvers, water wetter.

Not strictly traditional but if on you're running 12v a good electric fan on a thermostat can bring down underhood ambient temp fast.

 

Engine temp is only slightly warmer than normal, but still normal on the gauge (I just bought a new one from Bob's Automobilia)...After I figure out the problem with the charging system (yeah, other problems too)...I'm going to insulate the fuel line, lower the float level, use a different spacer (can't go too much taller because of my air cleaner design) or an aluminum heat shield, and see how it does. If I'm still running into problems, then I'm on to the cool can and /or rerouting lines FAR away from the heat. I'll keep everyone posted when I get back to working on it (probably next week, I'm a teacher and it's the last week of school)....

 

Run an electric fuel pump close to the tank.
Run your fuel line as far as feasible from exhaust.
Eliminate the mechanical fuel pump.
Plumb a fuel pressure reg @ 3-4 psi close to the carb.
Run a T at the carb with a line going back to tank for return.
At the T, restrict the flow in the line back to tank with a plug drilled out 1/16th" or so. This will help eliminate vapor lock.

Josh

BTW: you put the clothespins on the hardline to the carb. The trick does work to a certain extent.

 

Hey all,
Thought I'd update you...I lowered the float 1/4 inch and it helped a lot...it's not quite cured, but better...I'll probably insulate the fuel line next and see if that helps more...thanks for all your help!

 

Is this an original style carb? single pot style? If so and your leaking out the throttle connecting rod it may be the leather seal inside the carb. You said you rebuilt it but I know from experience that seal is a spot for leaks. Just double check that too...