- Joined
- Mar 20, 2005
- Location
- Morganton NC
Gremlins in the Van!
I will start by giving you a history as I know it, what was there, and what has been done.
I bought the Van in Level Cross NC. I drove it home about 130 miles. On the way home, while pulling a hill on I-40, it stammered some on me. Kind of like cutting out. My first thought was it’s out of gas, so I exited the first chance and filled it up. I wasn’t sure the range or capacity of the fuel tank. It didn’t hold much. I know it would hold more, since I had put more that that in it as I left Level Cross.
I got it home and begin to re-vamp it. I was told it had been sitting a while, so I was doing all I could to insure dependability. I installed new plugs, gapped at .040. New plug wires, new rotor button and distributor cap. I also put a new clutch on the cooling fan. While changing the oil, I noticed it was thin, with a quick smell I figured out it had gas in the oil. So, I figured diaphragm in fuel pump was bad. I changed the fuel pump with a new one.
The Temp gage didn’t work, so I put one in here I had(new) so I could monitor engine temp. Also the Amp Meter didn’t work, so I wired in an AC plug and inserted a digital volt meter that I had. With the volt meter it gives you two AC outlets.
The previous owner had removed the aux Fuel tank. He said he did it to drain all the old gas out of it. I reinstalled the tank. When I was in the process of hooking it all back up, I noticed there was an electric fuel pump installed. I checked and this was not a factory pump. Also, while I was re-installing the switching solenoid for the two tanks, I couldn’t find the hot wire for the solenoid. I finally figured out that the power wire for the fuel pump was actually the hot wire to activate the solenoid. So I took out the fuel pump, put the hot on the solenoid and was all plumbed, and wired up. I drove to the store and filled the aux tank. I pulled out of the gas station and flipped the switch to the aux tank. (Note: the fuel gage works for the aux tank, but not the main tank) I drove about a mile, and it spit, sputtered, and died. After sitting there a while and switching back to the main tank, it finally cranked back up. I drove it maybe 25 miles, and then back home. I pulled the fuel lines that were connected to all of the solenoid and so on, and the aux tank wasn’t full of gas, while the main lines were. I assumed since the aux tank was bone dry, it couldn’t pull the gas up it because of lack of prime. I hooked it all back up and switched to the aux tank and it ran fine. ( Keep in mind that the electric fuel pump is not on it) .
I loaded it all up, and headed to Harland County Kentucky. I started out on the aux tank and ran it till the first gas stop. It held 13 gallons on 102 miles. Back on the road, it stammered again after 30 miles or so. So, I quickly switched to the main tank, and it picked back up. This was while starting off on an uphill grade, pulling hard. It did it to me several other times, every time on an uphill grade. Once I thought it may be out or low on fuel, so I pulled in a station and filled up. It only held six gallons. I had to back it out into the street to get out of the station, and was at a red light. When my light turned green I got started and it died again. It wouldn’t crank back. There I was blocking one whole land of the on coming traffic. At this point I was thinking it was a fuel issue. So I got out and luckily I had brought the electric fuel pump with me. I layed down in the middle of the highway and took the aux tank off line. I hooked the electric fuel pump up as it was when I bought it, bypassing the switching solenoid. I put the switch to the aux tank which powered the Electric fuel pump. Got in, and it started right up. Away I was. This happened in the town of Harlan, and I drove on into Evarts KY.
I had no issues with the running of it until I got back to Asheville NC. Id did it again. I stopped and looked for anything out of the ordinary and all seemed fine. At this point I was thinking something electrical. I thought maybe the coil, or the electronic ignition box. I let it cool for a while and took off again. Five miles or so down the road, it did it again. I pushed the petal down, and it popped a few times and I could smell raw fuel. So it was getting fuel, but not firing. I stitched electric fuel pump off, and it immediately picked back up, and ran smooth the last fifty miles home.
So, all you trouble shooting guru’s, let me know what you think! I need ideas.
The Van is a 78 Ford E 250 with a 460, and C-6. Carbureted.
I will start by giving you a history as I know it, what was there, and what has been done.
I bought the Van in Level Cross NC. I drove it home about 130 miles. On the way home, while pulling a hill on I-40, it stammered some on me. Kind of like cutting out. My first thought was it’s out of gas, so I exited the first chance and filled it up. I wasn’t sure the range or capacity of the fuel tank. It didn’t hold much. I know it would hold more, since I had put more that that in it as I left Level Cross.
I got it home and begin to re-vamp it. I was told it had been sitting a while, so I was doing all I could to insure dependability. I installed new plugs, gapped at .040. New plug wires, new rotor button and distributor cap. I also put a new clutch on the cooling fan. While changing the oil, I noticed it was thin, with a quick smell I figured out it had gas in the oil. So, I figured diaphragm in fuel pump was bad. I changed the fuel pump with a new one.
The Temp gage didn’t work, so I put one in here I had(new) so I could monitor engine temp. Also the Amp Meter didn’t work, so I wired in an AC plug and inserted a digital volt meter that I had. With the volt meter it gives you two AC outlets.
The previous owner had removed the aux Fuel tank. He said he did it to drain all the old gas out of it. I reinstalled the tank. When I was in the process of hooking it all back up, I noticed there was an electric fuel pump installed. I checked and this was not a factory pump. Also, while I was re-installing the switching solenoid for the two tanks, I couldn’t find the hot wire for the solenoid. I finally figured out that the power wire for the fuel pump was actually the hot wire to activate the solenoid. So I took out the fuel pump, put the hot on the solenoid and was all plumbed, and wired up. I drove to the store and filled the aux tank. I pulled out of the gas station and flipped the switch to the aux tank. (Note: the fuel gage works for the aux tank, but not the main tank) I drove about a mile, and it spit, sputtered, and died. After sitting there a while and switching back to the main tank, it finally cranked back up. I drove it maybe 25 miles, and then back home. I pulled the fuel lines that were connected to all of the solenoid and so on, and the aux tank wasn’t full of gas, while the main lines were. I assumed since the aux tank was bone dry, it couldn’t pull the gas up it because of lack of prime. I hooked it all back up and switched to the aux tank and it ran fine. ( Keep in mind that the electric fuel pump is not on it) .
I loaded it all up, and headed to Harland County Kentucky. I started out on the aux tank and ran it till the first gas stop. It held 13 gallons on 102 miles. Back on the road, it stammered again after 30 miles or so. So, I quickly switched to the main tank, and it picked back up. This was while starting off on an uphill grade, pulling hard. It did it to me several other times, every time on an uphill grade. Once I thought it may be out or low on fuel, so I pulled in a station and filled up. It only held six gallons. I had to back it out into the street to get out of the station, and was at a red light. When my light turned green I got started and it died again. It wouldn’t crank back. There I was blocking one whole land of the on coming traffic. At this point I was thinking it was a fuel issue. So I got out and luckily I had brought the electric fuel pump with me. I layed down in the middle of the highway and took the aux tank off line. I hooked the electric fuel pump up as it was when I bought it, bypassing the switching solenoid. I put the switch to the aux tank which powered the Electric fuel pump. Got in, and it started right up. Away I was. This happened in the town of Harlan, and I drove on into Evarts KY.
I had no issues with the running of it until I got back to Asheville NC. Id did it again. I stopped and looked for anything out of the ordinary and all seemed fine. At this point I was thinking something electrical. I thought maybe the coil, or the electronic ignition box. I let it cool for a while and took off again. Five miles or so down the road, it did it again. I pushed the petal down, and it popped a few times and I could smell raw fuel. So it was getting fuel, but not firing. I stitched electric fuel pump off, and it immediately picked back up, and ran smooth the last fifty miles home.
So, all you trouble shooting guru’s, let me know what you think! I need ideas.
The Van is a 78 Ford E 250 with a 460, and C-6. Carbureted.
