Fuel flow rate for a 1928 Model A.

[Jay Wolf]

I drove my 28 Model A to work this morning and on the High way it started leaning out and back firing.

It was cold so I just pulled the choke a little and made it to town no problems.

At lunch it ran fine till I was on a road with a 2 mile stretch of 45 mph It leaned down a basically ran out of gas. I coasted in a parking lot and after it sat it started right up. I drove to my first stop without any more problems. Right before I got to my second stop it leaned out again and a coasted in the parking lot.

After shopping it started right up and I drove to the highway and it ran out of gas again.

I let it sit, it started up and but I only made it ½ mile and it sputtered again.

First I check gas ½ tank. Then I pulled to plug out of the bottom of the carb and gas just dribbled out.

So I pulled the line for the carb and gas just dribbled out.

I removed the gas cap to check for a plugged vent, no differences.

I removed the glass sediment bowl and gas just dribbled out.

I put it back together and drove it home letting it set, driving about a ½ mile costing to a stop ,starting it up and driving and other ½ mile all the way home.

Before I tear in to the gas tank I wanted to know what kind of a flow rate should be flowing at the sediment bowl.

Should it have a good flow or just a trickle.

If it should be just a trickle I need to look elsewhere for my problem.

Thanks

[MCHinson]

It should be a good flow. I suspect you have rust or other sediment plugging the inlet to the gas valve under the gas tank. The fix is to remove the valve (with a bucket and/or hose to a large gas can to catch the gas), clean out the valve and the tank as good as you can, install a strainer in the inlet side of the gas valve, reinstall the valve and get bakc to driving.

[Jay Wolf]

Thanks I'm new to Model As so I havea lot to learn.

The car had set for 7 years before I got it, so I would guess your right.

[Guest chrysler28]

Jay had same problen a few years back, got dirt in the carburator, cleaned out carb and put screen in fuel line, problem solved

1931 Model A Roadster

1928 Chrysler Model '52'

[MCHinson]

OK, for a minute I thought I was crazy. I just knew I answered this earlier, but thought I must have forgotten to hit the "submit" button. Now I see that it was posted in two different places. If fuel just dribbles out when you remove the fuel line from the carburetor, it points to the fuel supply rather than the carburetor. (The carburetor might also have issues, and you also need to check both of the fuel lines too. They might be partially stopped up too. A little compressed air works wonders.)

While it does not really solve the problem, a temporary fix is to use your air compressor to blow the junk back into the fuel tank by blowing back into the fuel line from the carburetor fitting.

[Jay Wolf]

Thanks. I disconnected the line at the carb and put a rubber hose on it into a can.

Hopefully by tomorrow (drip, drip)it will have drained the gas out so I can clean the tank screen.

I am pretty sure this is what it is be cause a while ago it leaned out at about a 1/4 tank then was fine when I fill it up. and now it leaned at 1/2 tank.

[MCHinson]

OK, you said it had 1/2 tank. Make sure you are draining it into at least a 5 gallon gas can.

[Guest mercman86]

I had the same problem with my ranchero yesterday. Rust clogged my fuel filters and caused the same thing that happened to you and ive seen it on all sorts of cars that have sat for a while. Clean out the tank and blow out the lines. Model A's rely on good fuel flow because they are gravity fed fuel so when you open the valve fuel should come out pretty fast.

[A by the sea]

Rust is probably piled up at the valve.

Blow back into the tank. This will clear the pile and then let the fuel drain out.

Take off the valve and put a ball valve in.

Put something you feel safe with in the tank and slosh. Drain rapidly, strain out junk and repeat.

Put short piece of pipe in valve (usually a 1/4" copper fits). This will prevent the rust from falling into and clogging the valve, but will allow it to flow down into the filter.

Be sure the original (no do not use any modern filters!) filter screens are in good shape on both the firewall and the carb. These filters will prevent most all the crude from getting to the carb.

Remember, the original systems were designed to work with dirt and crud!!!

Drive a lot! You should catch a lot of crud at first. Then you will notice the crud catching rate dropping off.

Once the tank has self cleaned pull the pipe off the valve so you can use all the gas in the tank.