Fuel line routing and vapor lock


IHC in the early to mid-fifties.

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Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

Posts: 135

Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 11:54 am

Post Wed Feb 26, 2020 11:28 pm

Fuel line routing and vapor lock

Anyone here experience vapor lock? I’ve attached a photo of my fuel line routing, which is just as it was when I tore the truck down for restoration. I’m thinking either a heat deflector on the corner of the manifold or an electric pump below the manual one.

Any help is appreciated.

DD638F3B-05F2-4CE5-8B37-ACBD1F13A42B.jpeg

Yard Art
Yard Art

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Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 3:56 am

Location: Beaverton, OR

Post Thu Feb 27, 2020 12:06 am

Re: Fuel line routing and vapor lock

That looks accurate. On my S132 a previous owner took a piece of rubber hose and slit it and put it over the steel line where it wraps around the valve cover in the front. I have never bothered to remove it. I have also never had a vapor lock issue. You can look at my posts, I know I loaded a picture of that here. I would guess some sort of heat shield/line insulation would solver your vapor lock issue.
56 S-120 4x4 started the whole mess.
S-132 dually longbed,
S-120 4x4 Travelall,
S144 Forestry truck,
S160 Holmes tow

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Location: Canada's left Coast

Post Thu Feb 27, 2020 12:24 am

Re: Fuel line routing and vapor lock

Side story.
Back in the early 1960s, my brother and I bought an NSU Prinz tiny car. This car was plagued with vapour-lock. Our simple fix was a few shop rags wired around the fuel line and we fed water to the rag with a windshield washer pump from a Lincoln.
The Prinz were sold in Calgary for a few hundred dollars and when they gave some trouble, the owners parked them. At one time we had 15 of them in my parents back yard and shop. We often got parked Prinz for free. We became a go-to for repairs. My favorite Prinz was a sport model.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSU_Prinz
I would rather have tools I do not need than to need tools I do not have
Thinking risks being controversial and possibly being offensive

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Location: Northern New Mexico

Post Thu Feb 27, 2020 7:53 am

Re: Fuel line routing and vapor lock

Same routing, no vapor lock here.
56 S120 4x4,
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Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2015 11:14 am

Post Thu Feb 27, 2020 11:22 am

Re: Fuel line routing and vapor lock

I cut up and used the glass fiber from an old welding blanket over wrapped with 3m glass tape to hold it in place.
Worked for me.


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Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

Posts: 135

Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 11:54 am

Post Thu Feb 27, 2020 12:50 pm

Re: Fuel line routing and vapor lock

Thanks all.

When I replaced the radiator the old shroud didn’t fit, and I haven’t had engine overheating issues. I might pull it out and take a look and what needs to be done to make it fit. I’ll take a piece of fuel line and wrap to see if vapor look is even my problem.

Need to get Edith back on the road!

83F9ABD3-B3BB-456C-A6B4-5DF04308F9D9.jpeg

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Location: Canada's left Coast

Post Thu Feb 27, 2020 1:35 pm

Re: Fuel line routing and vapor lock

If a person wants to get fancy and cure the vapor-lock, on of these residual bypass regulators with a return line to the tank may be the best way. If done neatly and correctly it has a professional look and best of all it works. The fuel over pressure is bypassed and returns to the tank. This way the fuel in the line never has the opportunity to overheat.
It works, I did this on my restored and stock R120
https://www.manciniracing.com/hocabystfupr.html
I would rather have tools I do not need than to need tools I do not have
Thinking risks being controversial and possibly being offensive

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 6:32 am

Location: Minnesota

Post Thu Feb 27, 2020 3:38 pm

Re: Fuel line routing and vapor lock

Desert Toad wrote:Thanks all.
To make the shroud fit, if you have your old radiator, match the holes with the new one, should be good to go. It looks like a Champion radiator, they were not drilled correct from the factory.

When I replaced the radiator the old shroud didn’t fit, and I haven’t had engine overheating issues. I might pull it out and take a look and what needs to be done to make it fit. I’ll take a piece of fuel line and wrap to see if vapor look is even my problem.

Need to get Edith back on the road!

83F9ABD3-B3BB-456C-A6B4-5DF04308F9D9.jpeg

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Location: Lyman, IA

Post Thu Feb 27, 2020 8:03 pm

Re: Fuel line routing and vapor lock

Gasoline today is formulated for fuel injected engines where rapid vaporization is key and the fuel system is pressurized from the tank to the injectors.
All this makes it less friendly to carb'd engines.
If it becomes a real problem an electric vane type pump with a return line to the tank may the only real solution.
Ford and IHC used Tolkhiem in tank pumps for their heavy duty gasoline trucks. I don't know exactly when Ford came out with their Super Duty V8's but it was in the early 60's and they always had an electric pump, IHC's LV's also used in the Tolkhiem pump.

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

Posts: 1437

Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 6:32 am

Location: Minnesota

Post Fri Feb 28, 2020 9:01 am

Re: Fuel line routing and vapor lock

Had one of these for years on the truck I sold
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Carter-P ... ,8837.html
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