47-55.1 55 years ago I was given this USAF 54 3100

[vintovka]

Wonder if current "administration" is messing with ethanol levels to stretch national reserves causing stuff to disintegrate. Hose is 5/16" and placement does not get very much vibration. Side effect of filter cartridge coming loose in the cannister is that it can partially ( or completely) block flow to carb. Am going to replace it with metal and forego being able to see gas flow. This is the second time this type of filter has failed for me and wonder if there isn't a big recall of these on the horizon.

[VWNate1]

I agree, it's probably the ethanol .

I use WIX branded filters to avoid this problem .

O'Reilly's A.P. stores have them in stock .

[vintovka]

Was curious as mine started running rough at idle so i dried out the bad filter put some tubing on and just blew through it. I could feel resistance that changed when i shook it at same time. Took last unused one and compared. Big difference. The bad one was blocking at least 15-25% of air flow. All are going in the trash.

[VWNate1]

DO NOT ever run an engine without filters, fuel air and if applicable oil .

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

DO NOT ever run an engine without filters, fuel air and if applicable oil .

Agreed. Luckily the filter at the tank and the one at the carb took turns crapping out. Both are being replaced before driving again. One really good reason for having 2 filters.

[VWNate1]

Also why you should only use clear fuel filters .

My '49 3100 I lucked into an original glass bowl one in the box, installed it and sweet .

In general I use WIX (brand) clear plastic filters, they never have any problems .

Those who claim plastic filters leak & cause fires etc. are lazy guys who never replace it, I replace any time the paper media inside goes from yellow to tan or if the plastic turns any color other than glass like .

No one ever admits they screwed up .

[vintovka]

Interesting note from the engine forum"

"Originally Posted by cadillac_al View Post
If that was a steel filter then you wouldn't know if the filter was floating around in there and there would be no worries. It's nice to see what is going on inside."

"Too true and maybe downright scary for most folks Maybe a simple no filter "sight glass" is needed? Again blowing thru the failed one had significant resistance and almost total blockage if the loose cartridge moved"

Also this:

"Auto parts place pulled all theirs off the shelf after i showed them mine. They also said edelbrock no longer supplies them with their new carbs. So much for product quality and problem announcements. Got an email from a guy in snow country saying that additives like stabil or heet may cause almost immediate failures."

[VWNate1]

Thank you for proving my point .

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

Thank you for proving my point .

Your welcome.

FWIW still toying with cheap Chinese electronic doodads that actually work. Relocated both the $23, 7" full touchscreen with backup cam up 2" higher so that i can see the $14, auxiliary clock/indoor outdoor thermometer/voltmeter underneath it and the $6 button control panel array below. The latter has an ice warning feature that has come in handy a couple time so far. Also remounted the $5 standalone GPS speedometer up on the windshield just above the defroster trim so it gets reasonable satellite reception. Will post pics later today is any cares to see my fascination with cheap Chinese crap.

[VWNate1]

Please do ! .

I use it too, maybe not as much on my oldies but once you discover what you like and what works, you're off and running .

I have a GARMIN for each vehicle and I was well pleased to discover they worlk fine on 6 volts too .

[vintovka]

Gps speedo is up on top and works great. 7" screen is now 2" higher, easier to see and allows visibility and access to switch's below. Not high quality but they work for me.

[vintovka]

Made it halfway thru the veterans day parade. It was a huge one this year. Here's the start but had to duck out a mile in. Seems the 40 amp fan and the 30 amp circuit breaker had a bit of a disagreement. Made it home ok and swapping out the breakers for bigger ones. In the process discovered that my "professional pot head rebuilders" used undersized solid house wire as main lead from battery to fuse box. For fun they added 3 (count em) taped up splices as correct measurement was apparently beyond them. Replacing them with 8 gauge now.

[VWNate1]

I thought you'd had all that crappy wiring yanked out .

An 8 Ga. feed lead should work well .

Remember to work backwards replacing the circuit breakers until they pop then go back up -one- size.....

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

I thought you'd had all that crappy wiring yanked out .

An 8 Ga. feed lead should work well .

Remember to work backwards replacing the circuit breakers until they pop then go back up -one- size.....

Me too but the drug addled vermin hid this one in the flex conduit. Number 12 house wire!! Now going thru whole wiring harness and found DIRECT hot to fuse box with circuit breaker after. No fuse or breaker before.

[VWNate1]

I once had a 1952 VW come in the shop that also used house wiring, the owner was frustrated that nothing electrical worked properly and flat refused to let me replace the harness .

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

I once had a 1952 VW come in the shop that also used house wiring, the owner was frustrated that nothing electrical worked properly and flat refused to let me replace the harness .

Last night found that they also used chinese house wire from fuse box to distributor. It too had 2 taped splices over crimped connectors. What really hurts is knowing i paid for this.

Tore it all out now running #8 stranded from battery to new breaker and then to fuse box. Also using #8 to a separate breaker for big spal fan circuit. Will replace existing distributor wire from fuse box with new #10 stranded copper automotive wire. Everything else looks right.

[dsraven]

some people just simply don't know better and think it is done correctly because it worked when they were done. you would shudder at some of the messes I have had to repair over the years as a heavy duty mechanic. off road equipment that gets tractor lights wired with whatever is handy, highway trucks and trailers wired with the cheapest parts from the truck stop, good thing for cheap electrical tape, lol.

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by dsraven

some people just simply don't know better and think it is done correctly because it worked when they were done. you would shudder at some of the messes I have had to repair over the years as a heavy duty mechanic. off road equipment that gets tractor lights wired with whatever is handy, highway trucks and trailers wired with the cheapest parts from the truck stop, good thing for cheap electrical tape, lol.

Never seen solid core house wire used in car repair. I know wire nuts are a definite no-no. Since posting on this forum i have been made aware of "repair/restoration" horror stories that exceed belief. The ones out of the rust belt are the worst.

[dsraven]

yeah, some of the backyard bodywork is pretty spectacular, from both sides of the fence-done right or wrong.

[vintovka]

Just some updates. Now that its monsoon season here on the coast its time to attend to other issues. The new breakers finally arrived and await install. Hopefully the new 8 gauge wiring and these higher amperage (50A) will stand up to the 40-45 amp Spal Fan draw. Nothing like being halfway thru a cruise and having the voltmeter go to zero and the temp gauge try to peg. Oddly engine kept running!?!?

FWIW The Chinese filter makers (like 99% of all filters available) have redesigned the latest clear ones with plastic supports to hold the filter cartridge against the outflow end. Not sure if glue is being used anymore. I dislike the metal cans but distrust the clear ones even more.

Will post pics of both issues soon.

[VWNate1]

If you're willing to go the E-Bay route there are top quality fuel filters being made in Israel, I buy them by the handful and always keep at least *one* spare in the glove box .

Ask me for P/N's if you want .

There's something seriously amiss with that fan if it draws that much current ~ give the blades a twirl with your finger when it's off, it *must* turn easily . if it comes to a quick stop it's bad, doesn't matter if new or used, that's not okay .

In any case the fan & relay should have it's own dedicated 15 ampere breaker / fuse that's wired to be live at all times .

Whenever the fan quits or the engine begins to heat up, turn the HEATER ON FULL BLAST . ? you don't have a heater ? silly boy .

I hope your holiday today is a nice quiet one .

[vintovka]

Amps do seem high but heres the specs:

Spal 30102113 Puller Fan (16In High Performance Race ; Curved Blade; For Use W/ 40Amp Fuse at 13V), 1 Pack

The 30 amp breaker would tolerate the draw for short periods and then pop ( at THE most inopportune times btw)

I went with the wix all metal filters and they seem okso far thanks for the offer.

I remember the heater trick from 5 decades + ago. The issue here is when the single circuit breaker went that was it for any power to heater. Now rewiring so fan is separate breaker. Not sure why engine kept running after breaker went. Pot head wiring again?

Off topic but the legality of all drugs seems to be reaping rewards in Vancouver
.
Now off to turkey and all the fixins Happy Thanksgiving!!

[VWNate1]

For safety reasons the ignition circuit is never, ever fused .

I still can't see a 40 ampere draw, we used to us FORD e-fans on our street sweepers and they never had any high draw like this and drew less than 20 amps at surge .

[vintovka]

For better or worse its a fact. Ammeter says its true so heads up on Spal 30102113 Puller Fans. In its defense it will drop temps fast and usually doesn't have to run for long except for extended slow speed cruising. Bumping up the breakers hopefully will be the cure. BTW i bought the fan 2 years ago and current price is a whopping $60 more thanks to inflation. Why when asked about AD restoration costs my standard answer is "FUGGETABOUTIT".

[vintovka]

Not sure this is news but yet ANOTHER Chinese part has joined the growing scrap pile. This time it was the HEI module in my Asian wonder distributor. After the Alternator change the engine would run for minute and quit. Then it wouldn't start at all. Serious On line searches came up with HEI module failure. When researching best one it seems almost all currently available replacement modules may fail unexpectantly and in very, very short order. Best choices for me were a partial Accel distributor for $220, a whole new distributor by MSD at Oreillys for $175, The MSD HEI replacement module from summit for $170 or a NAPA TS45 module for $40. It Seems 95% of all the modules on the net are made in China and have have horrible reviews or high prices or both. Even those with fancy names. After some study I chose the NAPA TS45. It was the winner as being stamped as US made, locally available - returnable , has a 5 yr warranty and comes with the dielectric compound. It works, So far so good, Still don't fully trust NAPA but it is what it is. FWIW HEI have made it to the number one GM ignition problem with many bloggers recommending carrying a spare. Again your mileage may vary.