$8 Cure For Vapor Lock

Installing a Vapor Separator Gas Filter is a quick, easy, cheap fix for ninety percent of the fuel related issues on your Classic Car.

[petebach]

“Let’s talk about fuel systems.” He says with a lit cigarette in his hand. Love this guy. Such a wealth of knowledge.

[paulforester]

I like tips like this. No BS, and easy to understand what's going on.
Thanks

[freakin]

Thanks uncle tony for clarifying this common issue. I’m so privileged to be able to learn from you. As a union shop mechanic I have a lot of respect for the “old head” tricks of the trade. Thanks for not being a crusty old bastard and sharing your knowledge with us “young punks” 🙏🤘🏻👍🏻😉

[Rhah-]

Jesus. If I had known it was this simple to fix I would have done this AGES ago. I've got an '87 Wrangler and I've been fighting vapor lock for years. You're a saint!

[Eric-rfxc]

This is the type of stuff you don't learn in a book, I'll be ordering my shirt today!

[MrTheHillfolk]

The 3 people that disliked the video are sitting in a parking lot with a vapor locked carb and a dead battery from trying to start it.

[MrHuntertaylor]

As a younger tech who's been only learning new school computer controlled systems you've helped me along! I greatly appreciate your content please keep it coming!

[SweatyFatGuy]

You started showing up in my feed recently. I'm an old guy too, build carbs, engines, transmissions, entire cars, plus I do EFI and other modern tech, often putting it in my 40+ year old cars. daily driver is a 65 GTO with a 455 that runs solely on E85 and E100 in it. I make E100 from tree sap and cattails, 10 cents a gallon lets me run my huge V8s with 13:1 around on the street all summer. Here is more info on the modern gas.


The reason why it is boiling over far easier than it used to has to do with the multiple components that make up gasoline, the stuff that comes from oil. Ethanol has a 173F boiling point at sea level, it goes up with pressure like most other boiling points, but that is not what is causing the problem. Ethanol is somewhat counter intuitive if you know gasoline, its very different but raises octane considerably.


That 10% ethanol they mix in raises the octane from 60/70 in the base gasoline to 87/93, depending on the mix of the gasoline components. The boiling points for what constitutes ethanol free gasoline has boiling points that range from 80F to 450F, flash points are equally varied and all over the place. Octane for each component tends to go up with boiling and flash points. So what they can do now is mix in the very light parts of gasoline that have a naturally low octane, and get it to run without knocking by adding 10% vodka to it. So that stuff boils in the lines or tank on a hot enough day.


Where I live its rarely above 80F, so we get the really crappy stuff up here, and they charge us a fortune for it. That is the reason I got into making vodka to run my cars, because 87 octane gas was $5 a gallon until 2015, and now its nearly $3 a gallon for 87, and I am not even close to California. The gas you buy in Georgia or Texas is different than the gas we get in the far northern reaches of Michigan. We get the light crap, you get the slightly heavier stuff, but its all lighter than it used to be. They can sell you the worse crap because ethanol improves is so much.


They used to use tetraethyl lead to raise octane, and that just might be why the boomers and their parents have such a huge problem with Alzheimers. Though nobody will look into it because the class action would kill the oil companies. That caused cancer and all kinds of other problems, so it was discontinued when I was a little kid. Then they tried MTBE, and that too was very carcinogenic and harmful.


Meanwhile ethanol is consumed by millions world wide daily, used in de-icers and to remove water from fuel systems, so its harmless as long as you aren't addicted to it or drink too much and pray to the porcelain god the next morning. It cleans the hell out of your fuel system, removes all the varnish gasoline leaves behind, also it allows you to burn any water that condenses in the fuel tank rather than sitting on the bottom, causing corrosion and then making the engine not want to run when it gets sucked into the pick up. Ethanol when burned only makes Co2 and H2O, runs cooler, and can handle more compression or boost than gasoline can, all the while making more power. Its fun stuff in your car in high percentages, essentially a race fuel for the street.


I have almost 1000 miles on the oil change in the 65 this year, and it is still clean. That engine has never been run on pump gas since I rebuilt it back in 2011. I have to run a 195 thermostat in it to get it warm enough even cruising around Nebraska in 105F weather. Nothing special in the engine and fuel system, its all basic parts store stuff and 1967 vintage 72cc 400 heads on a flat top 455 with an additional .04 stroke, and my Qjets run great on it, the FiTech EFI did very well too. No problems with vapor lock, even with mechanical pumps, here in Michigan or in Nebraska where my family lives. Yeah I road trip the thing too and have other cars I run on E85/E100.


When they found they can sell the really low boiling/flash point stuff for profit, they took advantage of it. I do not blame them, but where I take issue is how they then blame ethanol for the problems the gasoline is actually causing. Business is business though, you do what you must to make a buck. I don't think its the companies themselves spreading that, but people who simply do not know much about it.


Before 2007 I was building everything to run pump gas, race gas got too expensive in 2005 so I dropped compression in most of them. Then when gas got to where 87 was $5 I looked into making my own fuel just so I could drive my cars and not be stuck in a modern appliance. I got quite adept at tuning for pump gas, getting 20mpg from one of my 455s on a 1500 mile road trip, 2004R, 2.93 gears, 27" tall tires, Qjet, and enough wheaties to push that 4100lb GTO into the high 12s with the stock converter and those gears, on 87 octane with 8.8:1 compression. It was an engine I spent all of $1900 rebuilding with cast pistons and a mild cam. I love 455s. Cars that quick have a hard time getting a mechanical pump to feed them, so most of my 400 and 455 powered vehicles have electric pumps by the tank. That really helps with vapor lock, and I never had a problem with it.

[WhatsOnTheTube]

Man i needed something like this for the Ex Wife i swear she had Vapor Lock all the time..

[rumrunner]

You should have 100K subscribers. Always a lesson to take away, no matter what the subject of the video. Your fleet is mopar heaven and no trailer queens in the bunch, just honest cars. 👍☮️

[hughbarton]

Great, clear explanation of the concept of the fix: explaining "why", so we can figure out "how". Always a pleasure. Subscribed today.

[HDESM]

As a society we sooo much need to return these basic all mechanical days. Please, no more computer modules or touch screen garbage. We Need OLD SCHOOL.

[phillcarter]

Thank you for the great videos. As a broadcaster the term "Vapor Lock" was used by the electrical engineers when they couldn't figure out why the station was off the air. Wow. It's a real thing.

[twinturbocoyoteftw]

Smart guy Mr Tony! I have the same talk with customers on corrosion and failure due to ethanol. Keep up the good work educating people who otherwise would deal with these terrible drivability issues due to ethanol.

[dennisscott]

I want to say thank you!! You saved my 1980 Mastercraft Stars and Stripes boat. I’ve been through everything then I seen your video. I’ve had wix vapor separator for a month and it is awesome. Easy starting and never dies anymore. Thank you!!!

[rccrx]

Everyone has a uncle in the family like this man, can fix anything, smokes while pumping gas and talking to your mom about granny getting arrested at the 8 liner

[mattbauckman]

I put a 3/4” phenolic spacer under my Edelbrock carb along with blocked crossover intake gaskets and that did the trick for me. Another great tip, thanks Tony. 👍

[richdiscoveries]

A while back one of my buddies brought his old New Yorker into the shop for stalling and not restarting when it got hot. So I'm just looking around under the hood following lines and whatnot, and he ran his fuel line under and through the headers!! Lol
Another great video, thank you for all that you do. These are quick, to the point, and very informative!!

[kanob]

I know this is an old video but I just wanted to say you're not a mechanic, you're a scientist. And your knowledge is very appreciated. I'm 29 and trying to keep up with two old Buicks that I don't want to sell, and your videos help a lot.

[alexanderrosales]

Thanks for this tip, you are a lifesaver. The mechanic I took my car to told me my carb needed to be rebuilt. My 1980 Land Cruiser did this all the time, its now cured:)