Running out of gas

[billmod12]

Joe, The 49 may not have that sediment bulb. Most of my Kaiser experience is with 51 & 52. Cheers! Bill

[84RabbitGTI]

A few thoughts from my experience.  Make SURE all the fuel line joints are tight and don't leak.  Any air getting into the system or lack of pressure due to a fuel leak may cause this problem.   
Another possibility s that there is crud preventing the proper sealing of the diaphragms in the fuel pump. (Probably doesn't explain why it stops after it get hot, though).
Have you checked the water temp with another gauge?  I have one of those laser ones that you can get at Harbor Freight, cheap and effective.  The other one to have is a meat thermometer.  Also cheap but effective.  I use both to ensure accuracy.  The one on the dash of my car is not accurate anymore.  The water in my radiator stays around 170-180, even on hot days.

[JoeKeys2010]

The gas tank nor lines leak gas. The fuel pump is new. I have not verified engine temp but the car does not boil over so I would guess it is not running hot.

Even though I cleaned the tank completely, there is rust dust forming in the roof of the tank. I will drop it again and see if the tank can be lined to prevent rust.

It may be that there is settlement in the tank that is causing my problem. I thought this to be impossible since I dropped and cleaned the tank recently but yesterday removed the sending unit and discovered rust bloom on the inside roof of the tank.

Keep in mind the car once ran fine and only recently started giving me problems. While the exhaust damper moves freely I dint think the thermostat spring is installed correctly since when it gets hot it does not move the damper. (See the third picture I posted).

[billmod12]

The reason I suggested running it out of a gallon jug was to eliminate all the old stuff, tank, gas line, etc. If it runs OK you will know it is some of the old stuff at fault. If it still runs bad you will know it is from the fuel pump to the carb. Then hang a tank from an old lawnmower or something, from the hood latch and gravity feed it directly to the carb. This will isolate it from the fuel pump and all manifold heat. If it still runs as you have described then it is either the carb(unlikely) or the exhaust is stopped up. One of these procedures will isolate the problem. The object here is to get it running good again then work backwards. I promise, do this and you will isolate the problem. Cheers! and keep us posted! Bill

[billmod12]

Now to deal with the rust particles if any.  Get a GOOD magnet like those used in transmission pans (Chrysler). They are about as big around as a quarter and about a 1/4" thick. Remove the sending unit from the tank drop the magnet in the tank. Should it fall next to the end of the pick up tube, take something (stick, yard stick, etc) and position the magnet away from the end of the pick up tube it will stay there. As you drive and bounce around it will capture the rust particles. One of these magnets will hold a ball of rust the size of half a tennis ball. It want hurt to leave it there and if it gets full drop another one in.  Cheers! Bill

[JoeKeys2010]

I may have solved the gas problem.  I did put a magnet in the tank but it did not seem to pick up anything.  There was no collection tube on the side of the motor.  I did buy some additional gas line and moved the line going from the pump to the carburetor away from the exhaust and closer to the radiator.  I changed the filter between the carb and the pump and started the car.  Let it run for 30 minutes and saw the gas level of the filter between the carb and pump begin to drop.  Shut the car off and changed the filter between the tank and the pump and noticed that it was really nasty dirty.  I dumped some of it out on a bench and ran a magnet across is to see if there was metal there but nothing stuck to the magnet.  I cranked the car and let it run for 45 minutes and did not see a drop in the fuel level in the filter that runs between the pump and the carb.

I am guessing that the sludge in the filter must have been in the gas lines, as I did not flush them out when I dropped the tank.  I don't understand why it only ran out of gas when the engine was hot if in fact the fuel filters were clogged.  At any rate it seems to have solved the problem so I will take it out for a spin and see what happens.  I'll also keep an eye on the filters.

[retired wrench]

   Dont trust a new fuel pump. The suppliers are not selling dozens of these a day so they may sit around for years and they will go bad.

[JoeKeys2010]

I took her out for a spin and no troubles with the gas!  A month long problem has been solved...i hope.

[JoeKeys2010]

Update.  Before taking the car out of service I changed an inline filter I had installed just before the pump to find it really dirty.  Changed the filer and had no more problems.  Then I got to thinking why did the filter get so clogged when I dropped the tank and cleaned it out real good. Took a look at the tank and found orange rust all over the inside.  Very disappointing.

I sent the tank to a nearby radiator shop and had it vatted and then lined.  I likewise changed all of the steel gas lines from the tank to the fuel pump and even ran a steel line from the fuel pump to the carbonator.  I took my time bending the lines and they look just like the original ones; even fit into the same clams/brackets along the frame. 

I have not driven it much since then so I'll let you know what happens.  I don't think it was vapor lock though, I think it was simply rust in the gas that eventually clogged the fuel filters.