Fuel Problem, Took Duster for a Shake-down Cruise

[19 Again..]

Well I got the Duster out and decided to take it for a shake down.. I wound up pushing it home the last 100 yards.. Boy was I PO'd.. Here's what happened.. Ran great, got up to temp no stutter, hesitation, everything was good. Cruised around for about 4 miles (in town). On my way home I sorta punched it and it almost stalled, then it picked up and I got up to speed quick. (good thing cause thats what got me within 100 yds of my house, coasting) Then it just died... So while coasting I put it neutral and started it, started right up.. then stuttered, fluttered, and died again. The sound of the starter reminded me of the sound my Dad's old "C" bodies he had would make when they vapor locked..
Got it in the garage and yanked the breather off, looked down the carb pushed the linkage and no gas.. Took a fan and put it on the engine bay and waited about 30 min, came back and it fired -up for about 15 seconds then died again. So I looked down the carb pushed the linkage and no gas.. The engine is brand new rebuilt warmed up 318 (323 technically), the carb is a new Holley 600, just for information sake.
Now I ran the car out of gas (by accident, gas guage doesn't work) while tinkering with it after the engine was rebuilt. It has a new steel fuel filter, not plastic see thru, I'm wondering if it could be plugged because of my little incident of running it completely empty, or if the tank is just nasty and it's filling the filter. It is the original tank, I was going to hold off and replace next year with a new one, or the brand new fuel pump just ain't suck'in right, or maybe it is vapor locked, or just maybe all 4, in which case that would really suck...no pun intended.
The fuel line from the filter is a rubber line that runs up through the alt bracket and lays against the water pump/timing chain housing into the carb, the fuel filter is actually below the alt pointing straight up on a piece of steel line bent like a "J" so it's atraight shot. And I forgot to mention the fuel line coming from the tank is like 1-1/2" from my passenger side header, stock position.. So I guess my question is, Ya think it might be a combo of everything? I'm gonna change the filter see if that makes any difference, I was always taught start with the simple and obvious first before R/R'ng everything and not troubleshoot it..
I'm open to any suggestions and experiences.. I don't feel like pushing this car anymore..(I hope! LOL!!!)

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[rumblefish360]

Good choices in the filter idea. It is very possible that it could be clogged. If you have a gas can, fill it. Run spare rubber hose (Fuel line) into the can from the fuel pump to find out if the pump works.

2 out of 4 check points down.

I would certainly run the fuel line as far from heat as possible. A metal line bent in front of the engine would be ideal. *I think* this is a item you can purchase new if you can not or dare not bend new line yourself.

 

[pettybludart]

Rumble,s right with the fuel filter possibly being clogged.Also a piece may have gotten past and plugged a jet.I,d pull the filter,check it for lots of crap inside.If it,s full I,d pull the bowls and jets from carb and clean.JMO

 

[Bad Sport]

Well if you are going to replace the filter, do yourself a quick cut and look on the old filter. Cut it in half and see what's in it. That will answer one question for you.

It could be the sock on the pickup in the tank plugging up. It could also be a venting issue, if your gas cap isn't vented that's a problem. Have you ever noticed a whoosh of air when you take your cap off?

 

[cwatts]

Check that your rubber lines are ok, sometimes when they get hot they will collapse on themselves if they are old.

 

[Bulldozer]

could be a crappy fuel pump, or you are sucking air from somewhere.

like rumble said, run it off a 2 gallon gas can for a while and see if it acts up. you can drive it with the gas cap off to see if its a vent issue

 

[19 Again..]

Thanks Guys..! Thats why I love this site.. There are so many on here that have so much knowledge.. I figured I was going to get a "ribbing" over pushing rather than riding in it..LMAO.. Thank You All! for the different directions to go.. I was already thinking about a steel line, the rubber line was brand new, which really doesn't mean much, I've seen problems with new line as well.. The kick is , I am going to be out of pocket over the weekend so I guess I'll jump on this Monday.. But if anyone else wants to add their $.02 feel free...
Thanks again Everyone!!!!!

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[RustyRatRod]

If you've never had the tank out, that's probably your culprit. Years of crap and rust, dead bodies, nuclear waste, bad politicians and all kinda bad stuff are probably scummed up in the bottom of the tank. I would remove it and clean it out good. Until you fix the source, the problem will likely persist.

 

[Bulldozer]

lol SS

id rather push my duster than drive brand X

 

[19 Again..]

Looks like a new tank and a sending unit and a filter, along with a steel line to the carb.. From what I can tell the carb is clean and the fuel pump is good.. Just to update you all..
What a pain,huh.. however I should be able to tell when I run out of gas now.. LOL~!!

 

[19 Again..]

Alrighty then..
Little update and a question... First off the fuel filter was plugged with rust and anything else you can find in a tank.. So I have the new tank and I dropped the old tank.. I found the reason why my sending unit never worked since I've owned the car.. Pictures show just a tad bit of the reason..
Is that sad or what? No sock, and no float (that I haven't found yet).My question is this, I have put the new tank sending unit in the new tank and I used the old seal and added the new one as well. I've heard some horror stories here on leaks and frustrations when one seal just won't work, so that's why I used two. .. But now my question is..... Have I seated the lock ring far enough? It"s like it only goes just a small way then stops. I hope the picture shows you what I mean.. (picture 3) Can anyone verify if that's as far as it needs to go, or do I have another 1/4 or so turn to go... Any comments are welcome...

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[mullinax95]

I went through the exact same ordeal. The float was still attached to the sending unit but someone had tie wired it to the sending uint arm. My sending uint filter was clogged as well. New sending unit and tank took care of the problem.

 

[mopar head]

You need to remove that extra gasket to rotate the ring to snap in the proper place. then test

 

[OldmanRick]

You need to remove that extra gasket to rotate the ring to snap in the proper place. then test

X2......Just use the new seal and turn it all the way to the stops. The way it is now when those seals settle that baby could vibrate right outta' there.

 

[19 Again..]

Thanks "mopar head & OldmanRick" I had a gut feeling I wasn't done.. but also I knew it wasn't quite right. I did find my vent line "rubber hose" was split at the top and my rubber line to the sending unit from the fuel pump was kinked at the bend where it comes down. I know rust and the old tank unit was 90% of the problem, but add the other two rubber hose problems it makes for a good combo for a problem..
Thanks again, and anyone else who wants put their comments in please do!!

19..

 

[OldmanRick]

One of the last things people want to mess with is a tank and the fuel supply. Can't blame anyone, it's heavy, dirty and under the car....lol. Your going to have a nice clean system that you wont have to worry about for a long time. Congrats:thumbrig:

P.S. really nice Duster.

 

[19 Again..]

Well another update....Woo WHooo! I finally snaked the old line out and got the new in place. I don't know which is more gratifying? both were a real pain in the @$$... However another small bit of info; When I disconnected the the rubber line from the fuel pump I found that it actually was split right where the clamp was. So that would account for it sucking air.. And second the rubber line must have been original because of the crimp on clamp at the end of the steel fuel line. So even though I didn't really look close at the rubber line at the pump and the rust in the filter prompted me to replace the tank forward I'm so glad I did. If I didn't I would have had carb problems and fuel pump problems down the road...and been pushing her down the road yet again.. I'll keep you' all up dated as I go along..
Thanks for the compliment OldmanRick. It's been a labor of Love!..

19...

 

[19 Again..]

Final update:
The new lines are in, new tank is in, new filter installed, and new steel line from the filter to the carb. Curiousity got the best of me and I cut the old tank in half just to see if I could find the float and sock. (and so I could put it in the trash). I really didin.t think all the rust in the tank would be that bad. I was wrong again. I used a standard sandwich baggie and poured not scooped and brushed all the rust that was in the tank into the baggie for some perspective. I'll let everyone be the judge. I will say this to anyone trying to decide whether to clean the tank or replace it in a 40 year old car. Just replace it for peace of mind. I don't think cleaning it will hold up as well as a new one.. Judge for yourselves when you look at these last few pictures..
Thank you all who have given me the guidance to get this done. It really isn't big deal to change out everything, it's knowing help is only a few keystrokes away..

19 ..

 

[BrianT]

Looks good, except that bag of rust!! You'll be glad in the long run that you fixed it right.

Did you get the sending unit to seal properly? I am one of the guys that had a horror story trying to get a new tank and sending unit to seal. What a nightmare!

 

[19 Again..]

I did and glad I listened to those who said how to do it.. But i did keep the original locking ring for a just in case!

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