Good Morning, Gents!

I've been lurking off and on for a few months, and figured I'd pop up and seek my first bit of sage advice from the old-timers and gearheads on this fine forum.

I've got an '80 D150 base model that was somewhat modified by her previous owner. Basically, so far as I can tell, if it broke, he replaced it as cheaply as possible with the crappiest universal parts he could find. My tail lights and instrument cluster still operate on the original switch, but the headlights are on a flip toggle. I have a stereo mounted into a bit of plywood under the dash, and the plywood is covered with a bit of brown glued-on bathroom towel. The original instrument cluster and bezel are gone; they were replaced with the three-gauge type from a later eighties model, with PART of the bezel that came with them stuffed into the dash (most of it appears to have been SAWED off). She was originally brown, but now has delightful yellow accents, including the grille, bumpers, and the differential, which has a half-rusted-off smiley face painted on it. She was a dual tank, but the rear was removed for some unfathomable reason. She ran when I got her, but the original Holley 1945 crapped out shortly after, and I replaced her with a Weber 32/36, which I'm about to rebuild and am working on tuning.

I hope that first part was entertaining, and I can assure you, it's ALL true (I'll get some pics up at some point), but I'm having an interesting issue: The side tank is a 20 gallon, I believe, but I'm having a pressure issue of some sort. Whenever I go to fill her up, the pump keeps clicking off, and at around 11 gallons, fuel starts seeping out from somewhere on the top of the tank and running onto the ground. She's also trying to stall a lot when I come to a stop or slow down fast (I have to keep the idle speed too high right now to prevent the stalling), and I'm only getting between 8 or 9 miles to the gallon, which is, shockingly, slightly better than she WAS doing previously. I've checked the vent coming up to the top of the neck, and that's clear, and it looks like he disconnected a hose from the EVAP canister, so I have to figure out where the heck that line is going to. I'm thinking I'm going to drop the tank tomorrow and try to see what's up. Any suggestions, besides finding another vehicle? Too broke at the moment, I'm afraid, and I was in an accident last week and lost my ancient Probe...

Thanks in advance!

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My 1980 Dodge D150

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Sounds like you found yourself a nice backwoods restomod. The good news is, parts for this truck are going to come cheap. Drop the tank and take a real good look at the lines and how the sending unit is sealed. That should be the first thing you fix, safety wise.

As far as stalling, the first thing I would check is if you have a vacuum leak. A lot of the time you can't hear them very well. I wrote up a quick check in this thread. You can also use carb cleaner and spray it around the leak areas but its not as fool proof.

http://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php ... 8&start=15

Haha, thank you, and I think the vacuum leak is VERY likely. Let me preface this by stating that I'm by far still a learner and new to carbs. I'm currently running tlrol's old 32/36 jetting scheme, but the main gasket under the lid of the carb has a split on the secondary intake (cheap old cardboard, amirite?) and there are probably other flaws. I have a rebuild kit, but I didn't want to throw it on until I cleaned up the tank and checked the fuel lines. I'm afraid I don't have a compressor, but I *DO* have some canned air, so I'll probably save it and do the vac check as soon as I put on the rebuild kit.

That being said, what's the best way for a broke person to check/clean the fuel lines? I've got a can of carb cleaner somewhere, and the canned air, and a bottle of acetone, and I've completely never done this before :/

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My 1980 Dodge D150

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Mod, I have the same year D150 with dual tanks and have expierenced identical problems. First of all, you will most likely find that the poly tanks have developed splits on the topside where the tank contacts the frame crossmembers.

Left unrepaired,the sides od the split will curl inward and create a hole. I could stick my fist in the hole in the top of my rear tank.

I repaired my side tank by dropping it, drilling 3/16" holes at the end of each split (acts as a stopping point to it doesn't continue), roughing up the poly and applying a fiberglass patch 3" larger than the split in all directions.

Good time to clean the tank out really well, and reinstall. I used closed cell seam sealer (sold in rolls at Lowes) as a pad where the tank contacts the crossmembers and where the tank straps go under the tank.

5 years with no problems!

You will have problems finding replacement tanks. 15 years ago, they were available. Now, I cant find a supplier.

Dave

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1980 D-150 Slant

I just had a fun suprise with a side tank. If you filled it too full it would leak out on the ground. Fast forward 10 years and the truck had been sitting a while. I put gas in it and it ran out as fast as it went in. Looked under and it had about a 1 inch hole in the bottom. Looked up through the hole and the whole top of the tank was gone. Evedently the problem 10 years ago was a small rust hole near the top...

Also had the problem with the rear tank. If I filled it to the top it would leak until I drove it long enough to get the level down. It turned out to be two big cracks in the fuel line going to the front. That was FULL to the top though. If yours leaks with $11 worth in it I'd say you have a hole in the side.

None of that explains your not being able to fill it with gas. That sounds more like a vent stopped up. Air has to come out as the gas goes in or the gas won't go in. If you have a large hose and a smaller hose from fill hole to the tank, check that the smaller hose isn't stopped up with dirt-dobbers or something.

I've heard of later cars (Toyota), and my daughter has one, with the same problem. It is caused by the Evap system being stopped up somewhere. Usually bugs and just needs cleaned out. With yourEvap hose un-hooked, I'd check where it's supposed to hook to see if it's plugged up.

A hole in the tank means rust in the tank and it will play havoc with the carburetor and filter causing all the weird running problems.

Danny

(EDIT) AVD_D and I must have posted at the same time. I didn't realize it was a plastic tank. If it is you won't have much problem with rust...

No, no rust, but it can definitely still split I was definitely thinking the same about the EVAP hose, as the other one is definitely clear (I even ran a long zip tie down the pipe on top of the tank; no obstruction, and it was covered in gas all the way). I'm wondering, too, if bad gas is heavier than fresh fuel, because I know it sat awhile before I picked it up, and maybe it had half a tank or so that sat too long. It's about to the level where it normally 'runs out', so I guess I'll find out shortly. I'll probably be heading out in an hour or so to try and undo the straps. I WD-40'd the hell out of the bolts a couple hours ago.

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I'm a stupid newb, sorry!



My 1980 Dodge D150

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Be sure you siphon that baby out! Even a couple of gallons of gas can be toutously heavy as you carefully lower the tank down. A transmission jack is useful here. Good luck!

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1980 D-150 Slant

Yeah, I should have, but I didn't Frankly, though, the weight wasn't a huge problem the way I got it down (*ahem* a pillow and a wheel ramp), but there WAS a stud that I couldn't get the nut off of on the rear strap, as the stud was loose, and I couldn't get a wrench to it. I ended up drilling it out, which worked pretty well (cheap studs, much?). It's sitting in the truck bed at the moment with probably around 10 gallons or less still in it. There is a small crack with three or four ends, but the whole thing is less than 3 inches across. Definitely leaking, though (It's on the top, thankfully). SO: Tomorrow, cleaning and figuring out how to check the lines. Someone mentioned fiberglass patch-stuff to fill the crack; anyone have a recommendation that can be had at AAP/Autozone? Also, any input on checking/cleaning the lines?

Thanks!

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My 1980 Dodge D150

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If the tank is steel take it to a radiator shop, they can fix the crack.

Richard

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Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Nah, it's plastic

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I'm a stupid newb, sorry!



My 1980 Dodge D150

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if you want to consider plastic welding to repair the crack ,
see the info at this link

http://ddubstoys.com/plastic_welding_a_gas_tank.htm

urethanesupply.com has the materials,, and information on how to determine what kind of plastic the tank is made from,, as you will need to use the correct plastic rod... I heard that HF also has some of the hardware..

some body shop also have plastic welding equipment,, used to repair plastic bumper covers that are damaged in accidents...

good luck

I have seen some plastic tank repair kits. And line is cheap. I would consider just replacing it. Other then the tank this sounds just like the boat i'm in. A 1980 D150 that had a few problems. I changed the voltage regulator, plugs, wires, cap and rotor and coil. air filter, oil and filter and throttle return springs. Also run the truck around for a bit to wake it up.

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I have seen some plastic tank repair kits. And line is cheap. I would consider just replacing it. Other then the tank this sounds just like the boat i'm in. A 1980 D150 that had a few problems. I changed the voltage regulator, plugs, wires, cap and rotor and coil. air filter, oil and filter and throttle return springs. Also run the truck around for a bit to wake it up.

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believe me,, there is not a "solvent glue" that will work on the polypropylene-polyethelnene series of plastics,, be them fuel tanks or milk jugs,,, they comprise the plastics that house either chemicals or food,, and there is a reason for that,, and that is,, they don't react. Ever notice that the gas in a gas tank will rot before the plastic tank is affected by the gas....its because the tank is inert to solvents

Well, so we patched it... We first melted the cracks together some using a flathead to spread the plastic, then made a 'patch' out of a square of polyethylene from a gas can (how's THAT for juryrigged?), then topped it off by coating it all with liquid electrical tape, which is some AWESOME stuff... We'll see how long it holds, but it was pretty solid, and had more material there than was ORIGINALLY there

The EVAP vent nozzle on the tank was a bit icky, so we cleaned it out with some carb cleaner. I was finally able to put gas in without the pump clicking off every 2-3 seconds this time!

Now, to see about some further carb adjustment and such. I'd love to put in a new tank, but unfortunately, it seems they don't make them anymore. The thing doesn't have baffles, so that's *ahem* wonderful. Sending unit was shot, but they make cheap universals, so I can probably saw a hole at a later date and throw that in. I did the rebuild on the carb today too, but I've still got to clear up any vacuum issues. There are some likely candidates, as the emissions system has been mostly gutted, and a few hoses are plugged with nails and bolts. I don't even get that, as vacuum caps come in cheap assortment packs at Advance...

_________________
I'm a stupid newb, sorry!



My 1980 Dodge D150

http://www.leosbargains.com
The best place for labels!