Fuemer Device

[Joao46]

Hi. My tuning instructions for my Stromberg DD3 carb in my 31 Chrysler Imperial mentions a ‘fuemer’.

what is that?

[hchris]

A fuel vaporisation preventer, ie meant to reduce carb boiling which creates vaporisation problems.

 

How effective it would be with today's  fuels is debatable. 

[hook]

A fuemer is an electrical device that is usually attached to the bottom of an updraft carb that heats the gasoline and creates fuel vapors during starting. DON'T USE IT. Disconnect the power wire to it. With today's gasoline it can start a fire very easily.

[PFitz]

Stromberg's fuemers were an electric coil fuel heating primer. Used to vaporize early lower octane gasoline during cold weather startup.

 

The first picture is a 1930 Stromberg U-3 fuemer. The wire terminal on the bottom had a heavy wire that went to the starter motor terminal to energize the fuemer  During full choke cold start some gas flooded into the fuemer's heating coil.

 

The second picture is a 1931 U-3 with the deluxe fuemer that had a solenoid valve and a fuel line tee-ed off the fuel inlet fitting to provide fuel under pressure directly into the fuemer's heating coil when the starter motor was energized.

 

In the early 30's Stromberg stopped using them as higher-octane gasoline became available. Some manufactures, such as Franklin, did not offer replacements fuemers after 1931, substituting a block-off kit instead.

 

The fuemer is not needed with modern more-volatile gasoline and actually risks a carb fire if energized during start up. 

 

Paul 

[Joao46]

Thanks for the info. Very interesting.

[28anut]

Thanks from me too.  I knew what it did, just wasn't aware it was such a fire hazard.

[37_Roadmaster_C]

This was an interesting thread. I had never heard of a fuemer, but understand what the engineers were thinking in the 20's. Thanks for the education. This thread also makes me wonder what the members here would think about a "Safety Forum" where things like this could be reposted to. There have been many things from the past that have proven hazardous or become unsafe with modern applications. It may be nice if there was a place for new owners as well as us antique antique owners to gain a bit of knowledge to keep out hobby safer.

[hook]

8 hours ago, 37_Roadmaster_C said:

This was an interesting thread. I had never heard of a fuemer, but understand what the engineers were thinking in the 20's. Thanks for the education. This thread also makes me wonder what the members here would think about a "Safety Forum" where things like this could be reposted to. There have been many things from the past that have proven hazardous or become unsafe with modern applications. It may be nice if there was a place for new owners as well as us antique antique owners to gain a bit of knowledge to keep out hobby safer.

There's good and bad with your idea. Just consider the only time an antique car is safe is when it's sitting still, not running, and you are just looking at it. But we love them and use them just the same. But maybe a safety forum is worth a try. However, you will run into repeated items over and over again and many opinions on whether or not it's safe or dangerous.

 

Bill

[37_Roadmaster_C]

@hook   I agree with you and would hope that our members would refrain from the endless rants on things like "single chamber master cylinders". I suppose I am dreaming, but if it saved one person or one car it would be worth it.

[hook]

On 5/29/2024 at 2:49 AM, 37_Roadmaster_C said:

@hook   I agree with you and would hope that our members would refrain from the endless rants on things like "single chamber master cylinders". I suppose I am dreaming, but if it saved one person or one car it would be worth it.

I'm with you there............now let see, how do I attach this air bag to a 1903 olds? 

[mikewest]

I have my single chamber master cylinder and fuemer still in place on my 1929 Franklin . I'm not going to change them. And I'm not worried about them.

[hook]

44 minutes ago, mikewest said:

I have my single chamber master cylinder and fuemer still in place on my 1929 Franklin . I'm not going to change them. And I'm not worried about them.

We all had single chamber master cylinders up to the late sixties and they worked out fine. Nothing wrong with the fuemer in place, I just wouldn't suggest wiring it up.

[Walt G]

On 5/29/2024 at 2:49 AM, 37_Roadmaster_C said:

I agree with you and would hope that our members would refrain from the endless rants on things

This will never happen, things are mentioned here that the same person would never ever say in person to anyone, here they are not looking the person in the face so can go on ad nauseam. Everyday is National Opinion Day.

It is why I stopped contributing period images and photographs, to much critical messages aimed at me and nothing to add to the image or photo taken decades ago. All my collection will go back into hibernation .

[Joao46]

On 5/14/2024 at 3:22 AM, hchris said:

A fuel vaporisation preventer, ie meant to reduce carb boiling which creates vaporisation problems.

 

How effective it would be with today's  fuels is debatable. 

Preventer? Everyone here seems to say it’s a vaporization enhancer to help startup on cold weather.

[ABear]

On 5/14/2024 at 3:22 AM, hchris said:

A fuel vaporisation preventer, ie meant to reduce carb boiling which creates vaporisation problems.

 

How effective it would be with today's  fuels is debatable. 

The device in question isn't to prevent vaporization, it was to preheat the fuel in order to get the fuel to vaporize more readily.

 

You have to think back to the time period of the vehicle and what the fuels available were like. In the 1930s the gasoline that was available would have been crudely refined unlike the versions we have today. There would have been heavier crude byproducts in the gas you bought that were not easily vaporized at cool temperatures, sort of like trying to vaporize kerosene or diesel fuel. Not to mention back then, wasn't unusual to have items like tractors that could run gas and kerosene, start it on gas and switch to kerosene when engine is hot enough. Kerosene was cheaper than gasoline so it wouldn't surprise me if kerosene was used by some stations to cut the gasoline.

 

With today's gasoline which is being cut with 10% or more alcohol there isn't a need for such a device as the alcohol has no issue vaporizing.. For that reason a preheater would not be needed and could become a fire hazard if it is used.

[hook]

2 hours ago, Joao46 said:

Preventer? Everyone here seems to say it’s a vaporization enhancer to help startup on cold weather.

A fuemer device is a vaporization enhancer, not a preventer. You can't prevent carb boiling by adding heat to it. Besides that, the fuemer device is only powered when the starter is engaged.