Vacuum tank for '25 Dodge Bros

[Guest]

I'm new to the list and own a '25 Dodge Bros Business Sedan. Recently the vacuum tank valves apparently fail to close, and gas is sucked into the manifold through the vacuum line. (I installed a clear vac line to be sure of this.) This is an intermittent problem. The car will sometimes go 25 miles without a problem, and then act up repeatedly. I looked in old DB club magazines and found Hotchkiss Vacuum Tank Service, but the phone number doesn't work. Does anyone have a current phone number? Would to recommend anyone else to rebuild a vacuum tank?

Thanks for your help,

Larry Pletcher

[Guest leadfoot]

Hey Larry welcome to the DF -

Ben Hotchkiss passed away about 18 months ago and no one, that I know of, took over his service. He restored two tanks for me and did great work.

If you look in the back issues of the DB Club magazine from about 1985 to the early 90s, there are some vacuum tank restoration articles. Also the back issues of Skinned Knuckles have great articles on restoration. After reading the articles some years ago, I will try to restore my next vacuum tank. Also, you might try ROMAR in PA. I believe that he can get these Stewart tanks restored. Good Luck <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[Jan Arnett]

Larry: There are two springs on the tank. Make sure one of them hasn't broken. A vac tank is very simple to work on and if it works some times but not others I would make sure that you didn't have dirt of some foreign substance under the valves. There is a valve called a suction valves which closes off the intake vac line from the mainifold when the tank is full. That is what is malfuncting. Also check the float and make sure that it does not have a hole in it which will cause it to sink.

Hope this helps, Jan <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Jan

[Guest]

I think I located the problem. I did read the articles you mentioned, but had been reluctant to take the tank apart. Today I decided to pretend I knew what I was doing and dive in. First I found a broken spring. One end had fallen past the float and was down in the drain. I took it out and replaced it from the innards of another tank.

I also found that the suction valve seat was loose. As the float went down and the needle dropped, the valve seat dropped too. While it's trapped by the needle, it did slip sideways enough to stop everything from moving. It held the suction open and caused gas to be pulled into the intake.

After it went together, I went on a test drive. Things seemed good, but I may not have gone far enough to recycle the tank. We'll see.

Thanks for your advice. I saved the DB club magazines. They belonged to my father-in-law. He who restored the car back in '63.

Regards,

Larry

[Jan Arnett]

Larry: Glad you go got it running. Romar sells the springs and I would replace both of them with new ones. They are cheap and it saves breaking down on the highway again. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

[JB-ed]

also check the flapper valve at the bottom of the inner tank. It must have clean seating surfaces. Check by gently holding that valve closed and fill upper tank with gas while holding in your hand. The flapper should seal with very little pressure. If it drips it's dirty. You'll have fun putting the upper thank back into the lower one, but this and the seat-work you already did is about all there is to vacuum tank "rebuilding."