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Old 08-05-2019, 11:51 AM   #1
DannL
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Default Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Had this 1930 model A for about a month. Put 11 gallons in her the day I drove her home. That day drove 25 miles. The guage was between full and 3/4 full. Since then drove her about 6 miles total. I can now see the 0 under the 1/4 mark. Very interesting..
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Old 08-05-2019, 11:57 AM   #2
ryanheacox
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

What you said equates to about 3MPG. I’m gonna say you either have a leak or the gauge is wrong. How did the car run on your 25 mile drive?
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Old 08-05-2019, 11:57 AM   #3
Bob C
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Have you looked in the tank, maybe float is sinking.


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Old 08-05-2019, 12:36 PM   #4
Bill G
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Make sure to turn off the fuel valve when parked, especially if your carb. needle & seat valve leak. If you garage your car, you would have noticed gas on the floor, so maybe that's not the case. It is still considered "best practice" to turn off the fuel valve on any Model A when parked for any length of time. Especially overnight.
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Old 08-05-2019, 01:02 PM   #5
Dick M
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Sounds like the float is gas-logged. You will need to replace the float. Be sure to use a neoprene float as a replacement. It will not get gas-logged...
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Old 08-05-2019, 04:03 PM   #6
Mad Mac
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

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Next time you have a full tank, place your finger on the underside of the tank near the steering column support bracket and see if its leaking. And try not to get into the habit of pulling on the steering wheel when you get in the car.
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Old 08-05-2019, 05:03 PM   #7
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

did you fill it back up to actually see how much it used?
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Old 08-05-2019, 06:10 PM   #8
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Mac View Post
Next time you have a full tank, place your finger on the underside of the tank near the steering column support bracket and see if its leaking. And try not to get into the habit of pulling on the steering wheel when you get in the car.
Haha... If he lost ~½ a tank of gas in the interior of the car I would guess he could smell it?? But if that is a concern, install the late '31 steering column support.
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Old 08-05-2019, 07:24 PM   #9
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Do you have a teenager with their own car? Or was that just me? I think as someone mentioned, fill the tank back up and see what you have. Gauge could be bad.
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Old 08-05-2019, 07:54 PM   #10
Gary WA
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Bad float!
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Old 08-05-2019, 09:26 PM   #11
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Magicbox51 View Post
Make sure to turn off the fuel valve when parked, especially if your carb. needle & seat valve leak. If you garage your car, you would have noticed gas on the floor, so maybe that's not the case. It is still considered "best practice" to turn off the fuel valve on any Model A when parked for any length of time. Especially overnight.
DITTO !!!

Club member had gas valve go bad AND at same time the carburetor float hung up and he had an entire tank of gasoline leak onto the kitty litter-filled drip pan! He walked into his garage and was bowled over with the smell of gasoline.
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Old 08-05-2019, 09:30 PM   #12
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Thanks for all the ideas. The car is running fine. . . in my opinion. Starts right up first or second crank (starter). The only leak I have is when the throttle and or shut-off valve are left open. then it will drip a drop every few seconds from the carburetor. Only a very weak smell of gas around the carburetor after driving. The float seems okay. I looked in the tank and the float is floating. Added two gallons today and it came up to 1/4 tank. The float is a brass type bulb, and floats like a cork, at present. The exhaust appears clear . . . no smoke. I guess I'll need to get more analytical about this. I think she is about 50 years overdue for a carburetor rebuild. I'll definitely let everyone know if I locate the source of this anomaly. I was expecting to have at least a half tank left. Gremlins siphoning gas from my car?. :-)


PS. Measured the gas in the tank with a stick before adding two gallons. There was about 1.25 inches. The float was floating on the gas then, and after adding more gas. I'll start her up in the morn. when there's plenty of light. Can't recall examining the carburetor for dripping when the engine was running.

Last edited by DannL; 08-05-2019 at 09:39 PM.
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Old 08-05-2019, 10:41 PM   #13
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

If this car has a downdraft carb, check the oil level. That may be where the gas went and could be bad news if you run the engine with the sump half full of fuel.
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Old 08-05-2019, 10:45 PM   #14
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

That’s a lot of gas to lose...hard to believe no sign of it, and a good float.....
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Old 08-05-2019, 10:48 PM   #15
DannL
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Here's what I'm working with . . .
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File Type: jpg carb.jpg (124.5 KB, 113 views)
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Old 08-06-2019, 06:52 AM   #16
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Your brass gas tank float may be partially full of gas? A dripping carb won’t dump that much gas and still run as well as you say, I just can’t believe that.
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Old 08-06-2019, 07:24 AM   #17
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

There is an old joke where your friends siphon gas to drive you crazy.
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Old 08-06-2019, 12:52 PM   #18
1931 flamingo
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

If the gas was leaking I'd think you would have smelled it if you think you've lost that much. JMO
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Old 08-06-2019, 04:01 PM   #19
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Check around possibly you will find the siphon hose that was used!!
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Old 08-06-2019, 05:33 PM   #20
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

When I was a kid dad was a cop, came home in the cruiser all the time. I would suck out about five gallons so I could tool around in my car...funny, he never said anything about that, wonder if if ever knew, he's dead now so I'll never know.
Do you have kids?
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Old 08-06-2019, 09:18 PM   #21
DannL
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Went and put 7.2 gallons in the tank . . . which on top of what was already in there comes to exactly 7 inches of gas in the tank. Reads full on the fuel gauge. Will monitor this and see how quickly the gas vanishes. ;-)


Started another thread to address this carburetor leak I found.

Last edited by DannL; 08-07-2019 at 07:14 AM.
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Old 08-06-2019, 11:22 PM   #22
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

I may have found part of this problem. I just learned that I have been running the choke mixture adjust on the full open side . . . instead of partially open. Yikes! A copy of the manual that I just viewed online says (paraphrasing) to turn the adjust fully to the "right" until it seats, and then back a 1/4 turn. Will have to experiment with this.


This may also answer as to why there are carbon spats (droplets) on the concrete drive directly behind the exhaust where I always park. Mixture too rich?

Last edited by DannL; 08-06-2019 at 11:39 PM.
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Old 08-06-2019, 11:56 PM   #23
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

If you’ve been running it that rich you might want to pull & clean your spark plugs.
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Old 08-07-2019, 03:43 AM   #24
Tom Wesenberg
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Both my tank valve and carb needle has a slight seep when I first bought my 29 Tudor, so over the first winter I lost a full tank of gas with no driving. I lapped both vales with toothpaste, and they both still hold fine 25 years later.
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Old 08-07-2019, 10:19 PM   #25
DannL
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

Since this is a hobby for me (hope that's not a bad word "hobby") I'm going to tackle each of these "suspects" one at a time. No hurry, as it's not my primary vehicle. You'll soon notice that I prefer to take the long "educational" route in fix stuff. Ordered a carburetor rebuild kit. And ordered a crank, as the car didn't come with one, so I can try the timing adjust the old fashion way.



How would it go over if I convert the car to "all electric"? Like a lead balloon? ;-)
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Old 08-21-2019, 09:28 PM   #26
DannL
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Well, it looks like the carburetor had little to do with this gas consumption problem. Replaced it with a Zenith 2, which the car has "not" taken a liking to. The big culprit was the retarded timing. So, to those who suggested "timing" . . . you was right. Now with the timing fixed (TDC) there's no more soot coming from the tail pipe and gas consumption has gone way down. The engine now sounds somewhat "clankier", but I suspect I need to get accustomed to this. Also noticed that it's much more difficult to start the engine now. But, we're working through each problem, one at a time.
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Old 08-22-2019, 07:48 AM   #27
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Default Re: Where oh where has all the gas gone?

I read a funny story about a guy who bought a newer economy car. The guys he worked with were tired of his gas milage boasting, so they started adding a few gallons of fuel to his car each week. They really enjoyed the stories about his milage improving each week!
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