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This is a long-winded way of asking about ethanol and boiling fuel...
Preface: Every time this has happened, I haven't been in a position to do the normal things to test for spark, etc.
The Setup: Recent hot weather, and the addition of "up to" 10% ethanol in our gas.
The Vehicle: 1976 Spitfire 1500, all stock with NOS OPUS ignition on the car for 2 years.
The Story: A couple of weeks ago, I drove to work, then ran an errand at lunch that required a drive of ~8 miles each way, with a two minute stop to perform the errand. On the way back to the station, the car quit, as if the ignition had been switched off, but the red and green lights were illuminated. I coasted to the side, opened the hood, and poked and jiggled the wires, then got in and it cranked up. "Easy," I said, "a wiring problem." A few miles later, I stop for lunch and the car sits for 20 minutes. After eating, I get about three miles, and the problem repeats. This time, no amount of jiggling gets it going, so I check fuel...pull the hose, and nothing is pumping. after opening the cap and blowing back through the lines, still no flow. "Easy," I said, "dead fuel pump." I get towed home and pull the pump. I got the pumps off the parts cars and compared, the long arm pump worked best, but I drive a short arm car...I took apart the spare short arm pump and cleaned it, and it worked. Then I took the dead pump apart and cleaned it, and it worked again, so I installed it and put the working spare in the trunk.
Fast forward a week or so to another hot day on the way home from work, I stopped at a friend's house to swap some parts...drove about five miles there, and sat for an hour. On the way home, got about three miles, and dead again. This time I have begun to suspect vapor lock and, getting a jug of water from a passing farmer, I pour it over the pump and carb. After 30 seconds of cranking, the car starts and I head home.
Another week passes before I drive it again. It's another 90+ day so this time, I carry a bottle of water. Drive four miles to a friend's house to see his new garage. Spend an hour gawking, and drive home via the grocery store. I only get two miles, and sure enough, it quits. This time I'm not on the gas when it dies, and it seems to lose power a little slower, instead of like being switched off. "I'm a genius,' I think, "I brought water for just this problem." I felt the carb body and the pump before I doused them, both were not particularly hot - I could hold my hand tightly on them without discomfort. But I doused them anyway, and after a bit of cranking, it started up and I drove off...got almost a quarter of a mile. By now there's a rain shower approaching, and I'm tired of fooling around. I call my Lovely Bride and ask her to bring the truck and the tow rope. She arrives five minutes later, and I hook up. She's not an experienced tower, so as she's pulling me across the parking lot, I switch on and after being dragged a hundred feet in second, it cranks up. I unhook the rope, and drive the three miles home...
The Question: I haven't been able to successfully check the spark since my arms aren't long enough, but I think all signs point to a fuel problem...it always seems to happen after it gets warmed up, then hot-soaks for a period of time. Is it possible that the new gasoline formula is boiling faster in the lines, pump or carb and causing it to vapor lock? I've driven this car in hot weather before, without any problem. I suppose the OPUS unit could be failing, but the fact that when it restarts with an extended period of cranking, I feel it's because the bowl is filling after having been emptied.
I suppose my next move would be to bring some ether or a gas can and refill the bowl immediately after it fails and see if it restarts, or bring a passenger to help check for a spark. But finding a volunteer to go for a "Ride to Failure" on a hot day may prove difficult.
Ultimately, I'm curious to see what the group's experience has been with ethanol in gas. I've also noticed that when cold, the car seems harder to start and sometimes runs like a John Deere 620 until it warms up a bit. These could be gasoline-related, or related to the real problem that I only blame on the gasoline...
Any opinions?
Preface: Every time this has happened, I haven't been in a position to do the normal things to test for spark, etc.
The Setup: Recent hot weather, and the addition of "up to" 10% ethanol in our gas.
The Vehicle: 1976 Spitfire 1500, all stock with NOS OPUS ignition on the car for 2 years.
The Story: A couple of weeks ago, I drove to work, then ran an errand at lunch that required a drive of ~8 miles each way, with a two minute stop to perform the errand. On the way back to the station, the car quit, as if the ignition had been switched off, but the red and green lights were illuminated. I coasted to the side, opened the hood, and poked and jiggled the wires, then got in and it cranked up. "Easy," I said, "a wiring problem." A few miles later, I stop for lunch and the car sits for 20 minutes. After eating, I get about three miles, and the problem repeats. This time, no amount of jiggling gets it going, so I check fuel...pull the hose, and nothing is pumping. after opening the cap and blowing back through the lines, still no flow. "Easy," I said, "dead fuel pump." I get towed home and pull the pump. I got the pumps off the parts cars and compared, the long arm pump worked best, but I drive a short arm car...I took apart the spare short arm pump and cleaned it, and it worked. Then I took the dead pump apart and cleaned it, and it worked again, so I installed it and put the working spare in the trunk.
Fast forward a week or so to another hot day on the way home from work, I stopped at a friend's house to swap some parts...drove about five miles there, and sat for an hour. On the way home, got about three miles, and dead again. This time I have begun to suspect vapor lock and, getting a jug of water from a passing farmer, I pour it over the pump and carb. After 30 seconds of cranking, the car starts and I head home.
Another week passes before I drive it again. It's another 90+ day so this time, I carry a bottle of water. Drive four miles to a friend's house to see his new garage. Spend an hour gawking, and drive home via the grocery store. I only get two miles, and sure enough, it quits. This time I'm not on the gas when it dies, and it seems to lose power a little slower, instead of like being switched off. "I'm a genius,' I think, "I brought water for just this problem." I felt the carb body and the pump before I doused them, both were not particularly hot - I could hold my hand tightly on them without discomfort. But I doused them anyway, and after a bit of cranking, it started up and I drove off...got almost a quarter of a mile. By now there's a rain shower approaching, and I'm tired of fooling around. I call my Lovely Bride and ask her to bring the truck and the tow rope. She arrives five minutes later, and I hook up. She's not an experienced tower, so as she's pulling me across the parking lot, I switch on and after being dragged a hundred feet in second, it cranks up. I unhook the rope, and drive the three miles home...
The Question: I haven't been able to successfully check the spark since my arms aren't long enough, but I think all signs point to a fuel problem...it always seems to happen after it gets warmed up, then hot-soaks for a period of time. Is it possible that the new gasoline formula is boiling faster in the lines, pump or carb and causing it to vapor lock? I've driven this car in hot weather before, without any problem. I suppose the OPUS unit could be failing, but the fact that when it restarts with an extended period of cranking, I feel it's because the bowl is filling after having been emptied.
I suppose my next move would be to bring some ether or a gas can and refill the bowl immediately after it fails and see if it restarts, or bring a passenger to help check for a spark. But finding a volunteer to go for a "Ride to Failure" on a hot day may prove difficult.
Ultimately, I'm curious to see what the group's experience has been with ethanol in gas. I've also noticed that when cold, the car seems harder to start and sometimes runs like a John Deere 620 until it warms up a bit. These could be gasoline-related, or related to the real problem that I only blame on the gasoline...
Any opinions?
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