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Starting to believe I have a hole in my gas tank
https://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45680		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Nongan [ Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Starting to believe I have a hole in my gas tank
So I was looking over some receipts from getting gas this past month and I am putting in 30 bucks at 3.75-3.80 a gallon (so about 8 gallons a fill) worth every two days :shock: so in one week I spend roughly 105 dollars a week driving 30 mile round trip commutes to work, 5 days a week :x . Can someone tell me if this is reasonable numbers? Its a pretty flat drive (Oregon guys its 213 from silverton to molalla) and I keep it at about 60 MPH the whole way and tend to not get on it. I'm going to start keeping a mileage log whenever I fill up. Hopefully I provided enough information.

Thanks,
Seth
Author:  Ross [ Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:46 pm ]
Post subject: 
Well if you are going what, roughly 120 for two days worth of driving, and putting in 8 gallons, you'd be getting 15mph, which is what I get. Dang it's 3.75 down there? It's 3.59 here :lol:

Cody
Author:  Nongan [ Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:46 pm ]
Post subject: 
it would be more like 60 miles, because its 15 miles each way and I typically only go both ways once a day, unless I pick up and drop off my girl friend, in which case its another 30 miles. that is what concerns me is that I would be getting less than a pick up for gas mileage. Also I can get gas in Molalla for 3.69 - my safeway discount so like $3.60, but the problem is that I forget about it until I'm back in silverton and I have to get gas or else I wont make it to work the next day.
Author:  Slanted Opinion [ Fri Jul 22, 2011 2:58 am ]
Post subject: 
15 is not great... you should be on the high side of 20, driving at those speeds.

Is the choke opening fully? How is this vehicle modified from stock?
Author:  Ross [ Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:13 am ]
Post subject: 
My bad. I was thinking wrong. My thought was 30 miles one way in your round trip so 120 in two days when you fill up. If you're going 60 miles on 8 gallons you're getting 7.5 mpg. Something is definantley wrong. Try maybe putting something underneath the car when you park it at home for the night, then in the morning check to see if your gas is on that or if it smells like gas. Or something on your carb isn't right. I gave up on that 1920, couldn't figure why it would never run right so i fixed my old one. Runs great but the plugs are all fouled now so it misfires bad. I know how you feel If it isn't one thing it's another.

Oh and slanted opinion are you talking to me?

Cody
Author:  Brussell [ Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:26 am ]
Post subject: 
Had issues before where my fuel line was leaking at the carb (not as bad as you say) but still. I think if you leave the car running for a long period and see if anything appears under the car and keep watch on the engine bay.
Author:  player1up [ Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:48 am ]
Post subject: 
My tank was leaking where the vent tube goes into the top of the tank. took me forever to find it because it would leak while driving ( gas sloshing ) and by the time I'd get under there to look, the gas would evaporate...
I found it by pulling into the driveway a little fast one afternoon and smelling gas when I got out. I immediately checked, and there it was. I could see it leaking down the front, and I could still hear the gas sloshing around in the tank.
Anyway, The point is that it could be leaking enough to give you crappy gas mileage and not leave anything on the ground for you to find, especially in the *ahem* warm weather we are having
Author:  Rug_Trucker [ Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:35 am ]
Post subject: 
Reformulated gas and ethanol blends evaporate so fast I have problems reading the wooden measuring stick that I dip customer's tanks with.!

Ethanol shrinks our "O" rings in our fittings and hoses.

It will rot your fuel line from the inside out!

Get fuel injection hose to replace it.

Check the grommit or "O" ring around where your sending unit goes into the tank.
Author:  ESP47 [ Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:19 am ]
Post subject: 
Do you get black stuff coming out the tail pipe? If you have a Holley 1920, one of the check balls might have fallen out inside the fuel bowl. It'll just allow fuel to flow in there unrestricted. I was getting 10mpg a few years ago when this happened to me.
Author:  THOR [ Fri Jul 22, 2011 12:04 pm ]
Post subject: 
Carburetor definitely needs to be checked. I would also recommend checking for timing chain stretch. Take the distributor cap off, rotate the engine until the damper mark is on the timing tab, and the rotate the crank from side to side. See how many degrees it takes before the rotor starts to move.

Does the car smell like fuel at all?

~RDE~
Author:  Nongan [ Sun Jul 31, 2011 9:48 pm ]
Post subject: 
An update on this post, after much logging at the pump, I am getting 10-11mpg with 50/50 city/highway driving. :shock: :( This was over 3 fill ups. So tomorrow I'm going to pull the distributor cap and check for timing chain slop. What else should I look at? And my car only shoots black smoke in the morning. I had the fuel bowl cover off and I didn't see any check balls in it. I could rebuild one of the other 1920s of my shelf and rebuild it and try it.

Thanks,
Seth
Author:  Ross [ Sun Jul 31, 2011 9:58 pm ]
Post subject: 
This is just a thought to be thrown out there im not sure if it would cause this. But either my ignition module or coil on my hei ignition is going out so when i start up (most of the time it takes a few minutes before it starts :shock: ) itll shoot out black smoke and im talking diesel black smoke :shock:

just my .02
Cody

oh and seth it'll be a bit before i can make it down there to get another 1920 from you. I dont have the gas right now or time. Maybe next weekend.
Author:  Nongan [ Sun Jul 31, 2011 10:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
alright, I just replaced my coil, wires and plugs a couple weeks ago, I haven't done cap or rotor yet. And that's fine, just let me know when your headed my way. I'll be at Willamette dirt track next Saturday, but Sunday would work, or the weekend after I'll be at woodburn drag strip.

I have a second "brain" for my electronic ignition, maybe I'll try swapping it out and see what happens.
Author:  Ross [ Sun Jul 31, 2011 10:25 pm ]
Post subject: 
When i replaced my cap and rotor with blue streak stuff. The center contact on the inside of the cap for the coil broke off, i didnt know it except for lack of power till i looked at it and saw what had happened. so maybe something happend inside the cap or the rotor isnt making full contact with the contact point and its arcing?

Cody
Author:  Nongan [ Sun Jul 31, 2011 10:29 pm ]
Post subject: 
Its a very good possibility, that I will look into, especially since almost everything in the bay is slowly getting replaced might as well do it.
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