Gas tank pick up tube stopped up

[Guest car crank]

The gas pickup tube in my 48 Packard gas tank is stopped up and I have not been able to unstop it. Does anyone know how it is made? I have tried to blow it open with 120# air pressure and taken a piece of old speedometer cable and inserted it in 18 inches without any luck getting it unstopped. Any ideas how to unstop it would be appreciated.

[Guest dave327]

The tank on my 56 Clipper had a similar problem. Apparently deposits collect in the bend of that tube that goes into the tank. The shop ended up cutting a hole in the tank to be able to unplug the tube from the other side and then welded it up. It's been fine for years like that now.

[mrpushbutton]

try a length of coat hanger wire, it's stiffer. If that doesn't work, you may have to cut a hole as suggested.

[Guest imported_PackardV8]

It.s probably rust which means that the inside of the tank is a looser. My Executive tank looks like brand new from the outside but like it was filled with sea water on the inside.

Try the coat hanger after letting some carb cleaner soak in the tube. NOT the spray stuff in a can but rather some highly caustic soaking carb cleaner .

Rig up a gas cap with a fitting on it so u can connect a vacuum pump or the intake manifold of another car. --+*+-- CAUTION --=*=-- DO NOT to allow too much vacuum in tank (it will caollapse and raher quickly) and make sure it is empty. At the same time apply air pressure to the line.

I'm guessing that if the line is plugged that bad then the tank is shot anyway.

[Guest Albert]

or use an old speedo cable sharpened at one end and the other end connected to a drill..

[RO]

My '56 Clipper Custom pickup tube was never able to be unplugged. I used 120 psi, speedo cable, stiff wire, Kroil soaking, even acid at the radiator/gas tank shop and we never got it unplugged. The tank was/is clean. I just ended up going from the drain plug but put a filter close to the back to keep a watch on it. After a few hundred miles, the filter stays clean. Have no idea what has it plugged like that but it is right at the curve. I recall a story from a few years ago about someone else dealing with this and they had stated they hooked up 120 psi and let it sit on the line and after a while "something" blew out but they never found it, but the tube was cleared. Pretty durn tough dirt dobber nest I'd say.

[Guest imported_Speedster]

There is also the posibility that it's Not pluged up at all, but has a hole or leak at top of pickup tube, which would cause the pump to pull air from above the gasoline and not from the bottom of tank, as it should. That's happened on a couple of cars I've had, so I did as RO did and put a (T) in the drain-plug and pulled the gas from there. The other side of the (T) is used as the drain, with a cap on it.