I know I referenced a spacer, this guy works wonders on correcting this issue: amzn.to/37GO3rB I wanted to make this video before I correct this car as I’m sure a lot of you guys go through this. Thanks for watching 👍
If you are so into powerful, carburated, Ford, stick shifts, why do I keep seeing you towing cars with an automatic, TBI, Chevy van? Especially when you can put a cap on your 390, granny gear, Ford truck if you want to camp on a salvage site, which can tow a car so much easier? Are you looking for a floor shift towing van? or considering a floor shift for the Ford towing van you gutted?
alan6832 because the Chevy is worn out and worth nothing - I have no reservations about wearing it out further, because when it’s done it’s headed to the salvage yard. I keep it around also because I don’t drive the vintage stuff in winter - the salt destroys them.
@@ThunderHead289 soaking down all potential rust areas with the wax setting at the self serve car wash, repeatedly, is the best anti rust I have found, potentially even interior. Plus tire shine protects mufflers. Vans like that can help the homeless when sold cheap and running, though a replacement trans from a sedan wouldn't be too tough. The van trans should be okay in winter, so towing with the f250 in rust free summer would probably do.
I learned this from my dad when I was 13 or 14. It was the 1960's in Eastern Washington (hot summers). Every car I knew of back then had a carburetor. That's a nice piece of old-school Detroit iron!
A few years ago on a 100 degree day, my 66 Mustang stalled in the middle of the highway and wouldn't start. I kept cranking and pumping till the fuel percolated! Called my mechanic and he told me to wait 5 mins and how to hold my foot down. All this in the middle of the highway! Wish you'd made this video 5 years ago haha!!
I remember being a kid on a vacation to Canada and my Dad's 1976 Dodge Power Wagon did this. I remember him telling me it was vapor lock. This is the first video I've seen on how to fix that. Thanks, Luke. Also, Seat Cover shouldn't be hiding from the camera. She's cute as a bug.
I think sometimes I watch your videos because I am homesick for the midwest, those green leaves and fields, the little old bridges and muddy rivers...native MN guy living down in southeast Georgia.
Great information. I've almost been stranded at sea with an engine that won't start, never even heard of heat soak before but I'm sure now that's what my problem was. Drive around for a bit, stop and do some fishing, go to fire up and I'm like, what the hell, it should be warm enough to fire without choke! Crank for a bit, give it a shot of accelerator pump to enrichen the mix, still no go, try to choke it, crank a bunch more until I'm like, oh no, maybe it's not cold, but FUBAR! Took a lot of cranking with it wide open to finally clear it and get it going, lucky I had good batteries or I'd be using the paddles.
Great tip Luke, so simple yet I never knew this. I’d always turned the car over with no throttle till it started in the end. Never thought through the science of it till now 👍
That is common knowledge for if you think that your engine is flooded, but who would of thought that a hot engine, 20 minutes later would be flooded! Not me.
Absolutely excellent video! The part where you explain why this happens is the most valuable. You've got some fantastic knowledge and I really value every one of these videos. Keep concentrating on the why and drop those nuggets into your content. You should have 1M subscribers for what you're doing on this channel.
Or you could keep a cooler of ice-cold beer in the trunk and a lawn chair: Open the hood, sit in the lawn chair, drink a few beers, and be one with your ride as you both cool off together...slowly.
My son has this issue with his 74, f-100, factory 460. I also have it with my 75 f-150 with a 390. When I was a teen, we would wad\wrap aluminum foil around the fuel line on top of the engine to combat this problem.
Martin I have an F-150 its a 76 that has the 390 v8 A question for you did you try this method that thunderhead did on your 75 f-150 390 and did it work did it start? I have always said that this truck runs well in the cold weather but not in the warmer weather, I never knew about this trick with the pushing down the accelerator my will just die out of no wear and I will have to pull over, typically for the first start of the day i have no issues starting it, but sure as shit as soon as it warms up and you drive it or let it idle it dies. then typically i would do the same thing it would turn over but i would do the foot feet like ya think you need to do putting more gas in there, then would have to wait a while before going to start it again. Anyway i hope to hear back from you on this i am gonna try it on my F-150 76 and see if this works, i skeptical, damn if this works I will be so happy.
I have the same engine. Put a carb spacer on and put fiberglass sleeves over all fuel lines. Not sure if it fixed the problem but haven't happen again yet.
THIS! I struggled with this for years on my '72 F100 until one day last summer at a Tractor Supply here in Tennessee an old fellow taught me this trick. My mind was blown that I had struggled for so long and it was such an easy fix. This will help a lot of folks! Thanks for posting!
@@gbodybidness787 if your engine is heat soaked and you try to restart it, and it gets flooded, press the pedal to the floor and then crank. It’ll start pretty quick, so take your foot off the gas soon as it cranks.
I have a Buick 455 with an Edelbrock intake and carb, had issue bad hot starting. Added 3/4 spacer plate and started using no-Ethanol gas and this has solved the issue.
Two tricks I have for stopping heat soak, is to double gasket the carburetor to the manifold. The second trick is to move the fuel filter to near the mechanical fuel pump, and put oversized split loom, onto the steel fuel line, tape the split loom io, dust like a wiring harness, sealing and all the splits, and fill the split loom with Great Foam insulating spray. Tightly fit a paper funnel on at one end with a cut out and tape the tube off the narrow end, in the bottom side of the entering Metal fuel line. Put a styrofoam bowl at the other end of the fuel line at the other end of the Split loom where it exits by the carburetor, spray until great foam comes out the other end, and begins to go into the styrofoam catch bowl. Wait for it to set up, remove the disposable bowl and the paper cone and pull out the Great foam can hose. Clean up any dripped Great foam while it is young and soft. Not the fuel line is well insulated and the filter is in a position where cooler air will be sucked up over the filter as the heat from the exhaust manifolds and block cause hot air to rise up over the engine and eventually out the grill through the radiator or other areas.
Had problem on 1969 390 mach 1, when headers were installed, that fuel line be heated, electric pump and rerouting fuel line fixed. And carb plates you mentioned have worked very well also, for carb fuel vaporizing
I grew up in So. Indiana (many years ago) and am familiar with this issue, but glad to see you passing along the tip for the ones that were born after this car was new, thanks. That '64 is a beauty, very nice classic.
Ha and even though my car runs fine I thought my carb tuning was off ! Live in a hot area, always the same, 'struggle' to start after driving, having to do the same thing, never knew it was the nature of the beast
Yup, similar to how to start the old piston aircraft engines, too. Even the fuel injected ones lock up, even when shut down with CHT's < 250 degrees. There is an additional twist on those though, because the fuel lines will often vapor lock, too. Best way to start then is to cut-off mixture and run the fuel pump the re-pressurize the lines, crank with cutoff mixture and throttle open, and as she fires add mixture and retard the throttle. New engines have become so easy to start and operate that all the intricacies have been completely abstracted away. In fact, sometimes passengers get nervous when the engine doesn't start right away and coughs to life and you have to explain why is is normal in laymen's terms.
I struggled for 2-3 years with my 66 Barracuda thinking i was having a heat-soak / vapor lock issue. i tried every trick in the book, but it came down to discovering the vent tube on the filler neck was kinked off. this made the pump have to pull vacuum from the tank, which fuel boils easier in a vacuum. Anyways just wanted to pass this on, and say... Make sure your tank is vented properly
I got me a 69' ford ranchero and that has been doing that to me lately and I had no idea why. Didnt do any research really and then I see you post this and that all makes sense. Appreciate the video 👌
I solved all my vapor lock issues on my 65 dodge dart with slant 6 and my 82 d150 with mildly built 318 . I used a 1982 dodge truck fuel filter with vapor port then vapor line back to the gas tank . fixed most of the issue . what completely fix it was using a brand called HP heatshield products. I bought the black braded flex sleeve to go over all the 3/8 fuel line from the carb to the filter the from the filter to the tank including 5/16 rubber vapor line . i had already installed a 4 hole plastic spacer plate under the carb. Hope this helps people
Gets pretty hot here in Florida as well. What really helped me. Was blocking the exhaust crossover under the carb! Takes just a slight bit more time to warm up. But after that no more heat soak. I did all the other tricks as well. I enjoy your channel! 👍
THIS VIDEO (had I seen it earlier) could have saved me pushing my car up a hill! Today It stranded me on the offramp of a rest stop after it fuel soaked and kid you not; 2 HOURS LATER it would not start! I think I have fuel vapor at the fuel pump because it's located in the engine compartment.
Great vid for a very common problem. I solved my Cuda vapor lock by installing a fuel filter with two outlet lines and used the top one for a return line connected to a fuel sending unit that had an inlet for a return line👍 dropped the fuel temp by 20 degrees
that is not a beater...its a able-body beauty with history and stories. exactly what I grew up with...plenty of 4 door sedans, small v8's and no a/c...prob 90% of the vehicles on the road back then. thx for all the analog tips in a digital age...keeping the long proven technology alive
Been having trouble with my 92’ s-10 vapor locking. It’s a throttle body not a carb system but the problem is still the same. Great video. Very helpful.
I actually have this issue on my 91 Jeep XJ, it has a DFI system, so even with fuel injectors, after a good drive she can get vapor locked easily. I'm not much of a car guy, so knowing what to do in those situations helps a lot, so a big thank you brother!
Huge help this explains why my 72 Ford dump doesn’t want to fire back up after it’s been running, I got to re watch the video on changing out the old dead head system, love this channel glad ur back
Hey Luke! One of my favorite vendors is in Ames Iowa. Quick Performance "QP". Good people and great customer service and great prices. Got a Yukon Grizzly Trac-Loc and races and bearings from them. Total $350. Thanks for sharing as always sir.
Had a 69 Ford F100, 300 6cyl that had this issue every summer here in N. Florida. You provide an excellent description and solution for those still running carbs. Great job!
Good advice for the average guy, but there are a lot of things that can be done to prevent "vapor lock". Like you said, it could be overheated fuel pushing open the needle valve and overflowing the bowl. In this case, set the float a bit lower, and in either case, install a cooler thermostat. I run 180 t-stats in most of my trucks, they get plenty warm in the single digit temp winters for the heater to work and I have no problem with vapor lock or heat soak in general during the 100+ degree summers. For the guys who say you should re-route the fuel lines, yeah that can work, but if you want to keep your car/truck original, just setting the float lower and running a cooler t-stat is all it really takes, and if you still have some trouble, floor it and crank it just like thunderhead showed here, it's really not that big of a deal.
@@jakefriesenjake Yes, that can work as well, but as I said, a lot of people want to keep their vintage vehicles original, which rules out electric fuel pumps.
Doing away with mechanical fuel pump will solve problem, mine puts out 3 psi and is used in airplanes , Facet brand like you said its better than OEM and no flooding engine when it fails if it ever does!@@jakefriesenjake
This is very interesting. So basically it's flooded because of fuel expansion. The other kind of vapor lock I'm familiar with is having a bubble in the fuel line that takes a while to clear. I guess better heat shielding would help both of those cases.
Never thought about people not knowing about starting carbureted motors. Ramblers/Nash were known for vaporlocking because the carburetor had a horizontal needle valve. My brother had a 4 door dark green 64 Galaxy. I had a 63 &1/2 Galaxy 500. 2 door hard top 390 with the lighter front sheet metal.. the first factory muscle car. As a kid
Pretty good video. I have a 63 falcon and it does that quite often in the summer where we live. It gets to about 115-120 in the summer in Imperial Valley, CA. I have to do that often what you showed in this video.
In 1975 my dad vapor locked our 70 Monte Carlo....he took off his underware, peed on it, and wrapped it around the fuel line.... bingo.... fired right up....but ewww
i like this vid this is something i grew up with but i wouldn't think of passing this on to the new gen of young ones who have grown up with fuel injection thanks
just went threw this with my built vortec 355,which ive been aware for many many years as i am no young pup anyways, i already prepaired for it with the 1" carb spacer and all and was hoping i would not have any issues but as soon as it hit the mid 90s sure enough it was doing it, sorta of a super easy fix for those who do not want to keep letting the fuel heatsoak and what not, get a regulator with a return port and run a return line back to the tank,even if your tank doesnt have a return port on it they make a sleeve that you can put in the middle of the filler neck with the return port on it,(all added up from Autozone was right at 70 dollars for everything needed) havnt had a issue since running the return,as a matter of fact now no matter how hot or cold it is all i have to do is barely tap the key and she is running the way its supposed to.i fouled 3 sets of spark plugs in under 4 months without the return from where the fuel was just sitting there soaking the plugs! also there is no longer the big puff of smoke when i start it from all the raw fuel that is sitting in the system.brand new motor and puffing smoke on starts sucked big time :) keep up the great info Luke!
Very good 👍 video 👌 Mr. Luke.. I like your ol 64 ford...I was going to buy one from a old man about fifteen years ago it was a 64 ford galaxie XL..it was a four door and the front seats would spin around it was factory like that..it had been sitting for about five years and the brake booster was frozen and you couldn't push it down and it had body work, Bondo in it from about twenty years ago when it had been fixed and painted.. but she had a lot of Bondo and rust. You could shut the back door and the whole quarter panel would shake .it was a fancy ol car back in the day but it had a lot of Chromecast on it..it ran good but I couldn't move it because of the brakes the old man who owned it said it was a one owner he bought it new for his mom and she drove it till she passed away and he got it back . He wanted a thousand dollars for it he said that he was the one who did the body work several years ago it was his hobby fixing up mainly mustang and ol ford trucks.. the chassis looked really pitted in the back is why I didn't buy it.. but he sold it later and he has passed away probably ten years ago or little longer...
Thanks for the tip. My ‘49 CJ vapour locks if you look at it wrong. If I don’t flip the hood up for stops longer than 10 minutes in the summer I’m done.
Fuel line is too close to either the block or exhaust, or something that gets very hot. You could carry water around with you and throw a cup of water on it when it happens. But relocating fuel line is better since youll have to do it anyways.
That you. I have a '69 Mark III and while not having had this problem it has always been in the back of my mind. That's for this video to save me from running a fuel return line.
Luke you are awesome! Always the best advice for those that don't know. My vintage daily driver has a sticker from the factory in the top corner of the windshield. "HOT START. FULLY DEPRESS THROTTLE AND CRANK TILL ENGINE FIRES. DO NOT PUMP!" Best anti-theft devices in today's modern computerised world...Manual transmission and a choke...haha!!!
When I was a younger man I drove truck. We had a 1965 international dump truck that had a gasoline engine. On hot days it would vapor lock and not want to start back up again. We put clothespins on the fuel line between the carburetor and the fuel pump and that took care of the problem.
I've got fifty year old mopars. In the owners handbook it states when engine is hot to hold throttle pedal about half way open when cranking. If what you are experiencing is actually gas boiling in carb, lines, fuel pump then that won't do a thing. Newfield is not like fifty year old fuel. In Nevada where I live I have to use the higher quality foam water line insulation found at home depot or lowes. I cover from the fuel pump to the carb inlet and my cars will start after being heat soaked in 95 plus degree weather. I'm not into driving non air conditioned cars beyond these temps. Before this simple modification my cars would vapor lock and not start for half an hour above 85 degrees. I also have a three foot loop of fuel line between frame hard line and fuel pump, not sure if that helps but can't hurt.
Happened to me after i filled up at a gas station when i was about bone dry. Vaporlocked and stalled going 40 on the highway 5 min later. Gave it some gas and stayed steady on the ignition and started right back up.
Dude!!!!...... I have owned and driven only a 1st Generation Monte Carlo since 1994, as my everyday car. Never owned anything else. I work on them myself, and all are original, down to points dist. also, have 3. All run etc. I typically drive a 350 2bbl and last summer I was having some sort of issue, was not sure what it was. I would put a kit in carb, and only last about a month, so I purchased 2 good ones from Autozone, and they'd run fine for like first 5 weeks, then have the hiccup. I also had problem with points condensor, I have never experienced in my life, and that threw me for another loop, cause a mechanic said I need to replace my dist. Well, I am not good at that, so I have been driving the 402 with a carb I got from Autozone as well, and has been fine. So before heat of summer, I am getting back to getting my everyday car going. I am getting that spacer, heatsink to put on all my cars carb, and also purchased the heat insulation (fire armor sleeve with braided fiberglass yarns, and coated with high grade silicone rubber) in 5/8 and 1"inch and we'll see how that goes. But I am impressed in a few ways of the person you are, so had to sub you our of admiration, and see what else I can learn from ya'.
You had to set the high idle on older cars like that and it would only stay set if the engine was cold. So when you first got into a cold car you would slowly press the pedal to the floor slowly release it and then start it. A heat operated spring would then release it back to slow Idol. But it won't stay set if the motors already hot
Since these old timers were meant for pure gasoline, the 10-15% ethanol in modern fuel makes the problem worse... but that's something we are stuck with. Blocking or reducing the exhaust crossover in the intake of a V8 also helps. On an inline, removing or reducing the intake manifold heat (which usually means separating the intake and exhaust manifolds) helps as well. Bear in mind that if you live in a cold climate and use your old timer in cold weather, removing or reducing intake heat can be counter-productive on cold starts.
This will come in handy for my slant six. Usually it’ll crank once and not fire, then second crank it’ll slowly rumble to life, but only after the starter is disengaged.
This is a daily thing for me here in 115 degree az. Takes alot more cranking to clear the fuel out than it did for luke here, dont be afraid to keeper crankin for awhile with that pedal pinned if she doesnt kick off right away
my classic isnt driven in the cold weather often so i actually block off the heat crossover with the correct intake gasket to do so. driven the car in 90 degree and hotter humid weather and it always starts with just the tap of the key ive never had issues with a hot start as long as that cross over is blocked
Make sure you use the phenolic spacer that holley recommends . Helps immensely. Might still be a problem in the hotnhumid south. My fox mustang was doing it bad when the weather got to about 28c...not sure why the last owner didnt use it. All good now with the spacer. Also, getting rid of the metal fuel line on the front of the block helps keep the fuel temps way down. Replace and re route it with rubber line.
Yeah my 78 f100 351w with a 750 4 barrel Edelbrock carburetor on it . Would do this alot and man that got old plus she ate me in gas too that carb for it was way to big anyways butt the truck needed other work so I ended up selling it 3 years ago but it's on my channel and man cold starts it hated too lol. Butt I miss the truck now and that sound and rubble
That's kind of weird cuz I grew up in South Florida and it was extremely hot there and I drove a 68 Roadrunner with a 440 3 Deuce set up and I never ever had a problem like that I wonder why? Very informative video as usual you definitely explain things pretty good you stay safe and stay well and as always God bless
Or if you have a 64 Ford Galaxie 500 with factory headers it might be because the exhaust has heated up the starter so that it is so hot that the windings in the starter get so hot the battery will not turn the starter because the windings are so expanded. I had a 64 that had a hotrod 406 Interceptor engine that I took out of a crashed cop car and I rebuilt it to run. Every time I would shut it off I had to wait for about an hour before the starter would cool down enough to start it. I finally made a heat shield out of some steel roofing and wrapped a short section of the pipe that went next to the starter and it fixed the problem.
I honestly never knew that. I have only driven a couple of carburated cars and they were only ever short stints. Never enough to run into this problem. Good to know though! I have a desire to do a carburated LS build one day in distant future.
You’d be surprised how many people don’t know how to cold start an engine with an electric choke. I see people pumping the gas 5-6 times. Finally to get it to start.
I'm sure it's been mentioned in the numerous comments, but the easiest way I know to prevent vapor lock is to put a couple (or few) WOODEN clothes pins on the metal fuel line as close as possible to the carb. Wood is pretty fair thermal insulator and the clothes pin form makes for a VERY fast fix. I've worked on and owned quite a few slant 6's - and they were notorious for vapor locking - wooden clothes pins worked EVERY time.
I know I referenced a spacer, this guy works wonders on correcting this issue: amzn.to/37GO3rB
I wanted to make this video before I correct this car as I’m sure a lot of you guys go through this.
Thanks for watching 👍
If you are so into powerful, carburated, Ford, stick shifts, why do I keep seeing you towing cars with an automatic, TBI, Chevy van? Especially when you can put a cap on your 390, granny gear, Ford truck if you want to camp on a salvage site, which can tow a car so much easier? Are you looking for a floor shift towing van? or considering a floor shift for the Ford towing van you gutted?
alan6832 because the Chevy is worn out and worth nothing - I have no reservations about wearing it out further, because when it’s done it’s headed to the salvage yard.
I keep it around also because I don’t drive the vintage stuff in winter - the salt destroys them.
@@ThunderHead289 soaking down all potential rust areas with the wax setting at the self serve car wash, repeatedly, is the best anti rust I have found, potentially even interior. Plus tire shine protects mufflers. Vans like that can help the homeless when sold cheap and running, though a replacement trans from a sedan wouldn't be too tough. The van trans should be okay in winter, so towing with the f250 in rust free summer would probably do.
Mustie here is a bit older and slower like me now. czcams.com/video/lFsb0QLH8I0/video.html
i was thinking of replacing the factory (early) 302 spacer, cast iron 289 four bbl, with something like this but 1" thick. any advice?
Holy crap! I just tried this on my vapor locked F100. I can’t believe it worked!! Thank you so much
I learned this from my dad when I was 13 or 14. It was the 1960's in Eastern Washington (hot summers). Every car I knew of back then had a carburetor. That's a nice piece of old-school Detroit iron!
As a guy with a carbed 4x4 in Arizona. I needed this info more than you can imagine
A few years ago on a 100 degree day, my 66 Mustang stalled in the middle of the highway and wouldn't start. I kept cranking and pumping till the fuel percolated! Called my mechanic and he told me to wait 5 mins and how to hold my foot down. All this in the middle of the highway! Wish you'd made this video 5 years ago haha!!
I remember being a kid on a vacation to Canada and my Dad's 1976 Dodge Power Wagon did this. I remember him telling me it was vapor lock. This is the first video I've seen on how to fix that. Thanks, Luke. Also, Seat Cover shouldn't be hiding from the camera. She's cute as a bug.
That is a pretty “beater”.... you should buff it out and put a nice shine on it... ; )
yeah that shine would repel some of those sun heat rays too and keep the car a degree or two cooler
How does one polish rust? Interested in doing this on my beater
@@legitdelirium3446 you don't polish rust ...
you add linseed oil and embrace it's patinaery goodness
Some people embrace the 40-50 year old original retro paint. You can't replicate those results.
Yeah get junkyard digs dad on that paint!
I think sometimes I watch your videos because I am homesick for the midwest, those green leaves and fields, the little old bridges and muddy rivers...native MN guy living down in southeast Georgia.
Great information. I've almost been stranded at sea with an engine that won't start, never even heard of heat soak before but I'm sure now that's what my problem was.
Drive around for a bit, stop and do some fishing, go to fire up and I'm like, what the hell, it should be warm enough to fire without choke!
Crank for a bit, give it a shot of accelerator pump to enrichen the mix, still no go, try to choke it, crank a bunch more until I'm like, oh no, maybe it's not cold, but FUBAR!
Took a lot of cranking with it wide open to finally clear it and get it going, lucky I had good batteries or I'd be using the paddles.
Great tip Luke, so simple yet I never knew this. I’d always turned the car over with no throttle till it started in the end. Never thought through the science of it till now 👍
That is common knowledge for if you think that your engine is flooded, but who would of thought that a hot engine, 20 minutes later would be flooded! Not me.
You did good Luke on scoring that little gem!
and the car isn't too bad either
Yes he did! She is a cutie for sure! Thats why he married her! lol
Absolutely excellent video! The part where you explain why this happens is the most valuable. You've got some fantastic knowledge and I really value every one of these videos. Keep concentrating on the why and drop those nuggets into your content. You should have 1M subscribers for what you're doing on this channel.
I agree Kevin! I have used so much of Luke's tips on various issues. They always work great and I appreciate him very much.
Now this is the Kinda CZcams I’ve been looking for
The owner's manual for our '62 Rambler said, "When starting a hot engine, or one that has been flooded, hold accelerator fully open when starting."
And don't let up at any time
Or you could keep a cooler of ice-cold beer in the trunk and a lawn chair: Open the hood, sit in the lawn chair, drink a few beers, and be one with your ride as you both cool off together...slowly.
Me currently
Or in my case weed😂
Roll a blunt, smoke, then go check the car again
100% best advice on the tube....
My son has this issue with his 74, f-100, factory 460. I also have it with my 75 f-150 with a 390. When I was a teen, we would wad\wrap aluminum foil around the fuel line on top of the engine to combat this problem.
i put a 1/2 inch edlebrock wood spacer on my 390 she fires up with just a key bump when warm.
Martin I have an F-150 its a 76 that has the 390 v8 A question for you did you try this method that thunderhead did on your 75 f-150 390 and did it work did it start? I have always said that this truck runs well in the cold weather but not in the warmer weather, I never knew about this trick with the pushing down the accelerator my will just die out of no wear and I will have to pull over, typically for the first start of the day i have no issues starting it, but sure as shit as soon as it warms up and you drive it or let it idle it dies. then typically i would do the same thing it would turn over but i would do the foot feet like ya think you need to do putting more gas in there, then would have to wait a while before going to start it again. Anyway i hope to hear back from you on this i am gonna try it on my F-150 76 and see if this works, i skeptical, damn if this works I will be so happy.
Im having the same problem.. Hope it helps.
I have the same engine. Put a carb spacer on and put fiberglass sleeves over all fuel lines. Not sure if it fixed the problem but haven't happen again yet.
I love old school fixes! My dad use to do this, deep in the heart of Texas!
THIS! I struggled with this for years on my '72 F100 until one day last summer at a Tractor Supply here in Tennessee an old fellow taught me this trick. My mind was blown that I had struggled for so long and it was such an easy fix. This will help a lot of folks! Thanks for posting!
What was the trick
@@gbodybidness787 if your engine is heat soaked and you try to restart it, and it gets flooded, press the pedal to the floor and then crank. It’ll start pretty quick, so take your foot off the gas soon as it cranks.
@theo vallas ty I will do so appreciate u sir
I have a Buick 455 with an Edelbrock intake and carb, had issue bad hot starting. Added 3/4 spacer plate and started using no-Ethanol gas and this has solved the issue.
I have a 68 Chevelle,got the same problem, just put in non-eth going see what happens
Two tricks I have for stopping heat soak, is to double gasket the carburetor to the manifold. The second trick is to move the fuel filter to near the mechanical fuel pump, and put oversized split loom, onto the steel fuel line, tape the split loom io, dust like a wiring harness, sealing and all the splits, and fill the split loom with Great Foam insulating spray. Tightly fit a paper funnel on at one end with a cut out and tape the tube off the narrow end, in the bottom side of the entering Metal fuel line. Put a styrofoam bowl at the other end of the fuel line at the other end of the Split loom where it exits by the carburetor, spray until great foam comes out the other end, and begins to go into the styrofoam catch bowl. Wait for it to set up, remove the disposable bowl and the paper cone and pull out the Great foam can hose. Clean up any dripped Great foam while it is young and soft. Not the fuel line is well insulated and the filter is in a position where cooler air will be sucked up over the filter as the heat from the exhaust manifolds and block cause hot air to rise up over the engine and eventually out the grill through the radiator or other areas.
pretty extreme, but I'll bet you never have vapor lock again! I should do this for my Midget.
I knew my 71 f100 wasn’t bad. Old 360 FE, two barrel carb. Just that darn Texas heat
This Ford is perhaps the classiest daily driver in the whole of USA. It's a time capsule. Thanks for keeping it alive and original.
Had problem on 1969 390 mach 1, when headers were installed, that fuel line be heated, electric pump and rerouting fuel line fixed. And carb plates you mentioned have worked very well also, for carb fuel vaporizing
I grew up in So. Indiana (many years ago) and am familiar with this issue, but glad to see you passing along the tip for the ones that were born after this car was new, thanks. That '64 is a beauty, very nice classic.
Good call man, same deal when they're flooded. Be safe.
Ha and even though my car runs fine I thought my carb tuning was off !
Live in a hot area, always the same, 'struggle' to start after driving, having to do the same thing, never knew it was the nature of the beast
Great video, these short form ones are a nice complement to the more detailed videos.
Yup, similar to how to start the old piston aircraft engines, too. Even the fuel injected ones lock up, even when shut down with CHT's < 250 degrees. There is an additional twist on those though, because the fuel lines will often vapor lock, too.
Best way to start then is to cut-off mixture and run the fuel pump the re-pressurize the lines, crank with cutoff mixture and throttle open, and as she fires add mixture and retard the throttle.
New engines have become so easy to start and operate that all the intricacies have been completely abstracted away.
In fact, sometimes passengers get nervous when the engine doesn't start right away and coughs to life and you have to explain why is is normal in laymen's terms.
I saw the thumbnail and thought you got married.
I struggled for 2-3 years with my 66 Barracuda thinking i was having a heat-soak / vapor lock issue. i tried every trick in the book, but it came down to discovering the vent tube on the filler neck was kinked off. this made the pump have to pull vacuum from the tank, which fuel boils easier in a vacuum. Anyways just wanted to pass this on, and say... Make sure your tank is vented properly
I got me a 69' ford ranchero and that has been doing that to me lately and I had no idea why. Didnt do any research really and then I see you post this and that all makes sense. Appreciate the video 👌
Thank you for telling us this I’m 17 and got my first car and it’s carburetor and I don’t know much about carburetor engine so thank you my man
I got lots of info on my channel for people driving classic cars daily.
Great Keep the old iron rolling. None of it should ever be scrapped. Cash for clunkers sent alot of them to the melting pot. Damn sad
I solved all my vapor lock issues on my 65 dodge dart with slant 6 and my 82 d150 with mildly built 318 . I used a 1982 dodge truck fuel filter with vapor port then vapor line back to the gas tank . fixed most of the issue . what completely fix it was using a brand called HP heatshield products. I bought the black braded flex sleeve to go over all the 3/8 fuel line from the carb to the filter the from the filter to the tank including 5/16 rubber vapor line . i had already installed a 4 hole plastic spacer plate under the carb. Hope this helps people
Gets pretty hot here in Florida as well. What really helped me. Was blocking the exhaust crossover under the carb! Takes just a slight bit more time to warm up. But after that no more heat soak. I did all the other tricks as well.
I enjoy your channel! 👍
THIS VIDEO (had I seen it earlier) could have saved me pushing my car up a hill! Today It stranded me on the offramp of a rest stop after it fuel soaked and kid you not; 2 HOURS LATER it would not start! I think I have fuel vapor at the fuel pump because it's located in the engine compartment.
Thanks again Luke. You are keeping that old ford spirit alive. That is a sweet 64.
2:47 You've got a good seat cover there. Holds the phone and everything.
😂, purty too.
Lol... I haven’t heard that one since I use to pull into truck stops with a passenger 😂👍
Man, I love that he sound of the starter when the Galaxie is cranking! Great tip too!
Great vid for a very common problem. I solved my Cuda vapor lock by installing a fuel filter with two outlet lines and used the top one for a return line connected to a fuel sending unit that had an inlet for a return line👍 dropped the fuel temp by 20 degrees
I think that's over all the best cure
I just had an issue last weekend with my 54 Chevy Belair. I’m definitely gonna try that next time.
that is not a beater...its a able-body beauty with history and stories. exactly what I grew up with...plenty of 4 door sedans, small v8's and no a/c...prob 90% of the vehicles on the road back then. thx for all the analog tips in a digital age...keeping the long proven technology alive
Been having trouble with my 92’ s-10 vapor locking. It’s a throttle body not a carb system but the problem is still the same. Great video. Very helpful.
I actually have this issue on my 91 Jeep XJ, it has a DFI system, so even with fuel injectors, after a good drive she can get vapor locked easily. I'm not much of a car guy, so knowing what to do in those situations helps a lot, so a big thank you brother!
I just got a 66' chevy c10 and i absolutely love it
Huge help this explains why my 72 Ford dump doesn’t want to fire back up after it’s been running, I got to re watch the video on changing out the old dead head system, love this channel glad ur back
Hey Luke! One of my favorite vendors is in Ames Iowa. Quick Performance "QP". Good people and great customer service and great prices. Got a Yukon Grizzly Trac-Loc and races and bearings from them. Total $350. Thanks for sharing as always sir.
Fun fact, I use this trick for any small engine that gets flooded like 2 strokes. Works perfect. Wide open and keep pulling. It will start.
lawnmowers too
Yes! Very true, I do this to the cheap wanna-be PWK carbed scooter on my channel. 2-strokes love gas AND plugs.
Great vid ThunderHead.👍🏼
Get yourself a vapor separator fuel filter...that's what I do here in southern az when we get those nice 115+ days. It helps.
I wrote the book on bypass fuel systems 👌
Had a 69 Ford F100, 300 6cyl that had this issue every summer here in N. Florida. You provide an excellent description and solution for those still running carbs. Great job!
Good advice for the average guy, but there are a lot of things that can be done to prevent "vapor lock". Like you said, it could be overheated fuel pushing open the needle valve and overflowing the bowl. In this case, set the float a bit lower, and in either case, install a cooler thermostat. I run 180 t-stats in most of my trucks, they get plenty warm in the single digit temp winters for the heater to work and I have no problem with vapor lock or heat soak in general during the 100+ degree summers. For the guys who say you should re-route the fuel lines, yeah that can work, but if you want to keep your car/truck original, just setting the float lower and running a cooler t-stat is all it really takes, and if you still have some trouble, floor it and crank it just like thunderhead showed here, it's really not that big of a deal.
What about shutting down an electric fuel pump 1 minute before the engine?
@@jakefriesenjake Yes, that can work as well, but as I said, a lot of people want to keep their vintage vehicles original, which rules out electric fuel pumps.
@@livewire2759 ok cool
Doing away with mechanical fuel pump will solve problem, mine puts out 3 psi and is used in airplanes , Facet brand like you said its better than OEM and no flooding engine when it fails if it ever does!@@jakefriesenjake
Thank you so much! This explains "to a T" what was happening with my '67 289 a few weeks ago
This is very interesting. So basically it's flooded because of fuel expansion. The other kind of vapor lock I'm familiar with is having a bubble in the fuel line that takes a while to clear. I guess better heat shielding would help both of those cases.
"Specialization is for insects" - Heinlein. This is great information to understand! Thanks!
Never thought about people not knowing about starting carbureted motors. Ramblers/Nash were known for vaporlocking because the carburetor had a horizontal needle valve. My brother had a 4 door dark green 64 Galaxy. I had a 63 &1/2 Galaxy 500. 2 door hard top 390 with the lighter front sheet metal.. the first factory muscle car. As a kid
Pretty good video. I have a 63 falcon and it does that quite often in the summer where we live. It gets to about 115-120 in the summer in Imperial Valley, CA. I have to do that often what you showed in this video.
In 1975 my dad vapor locked our 70 Monte Carlo....he took off his underware, peed on it, and wrapped it around the fuel line.... bingo.... fired right up....but ewww
HAHAHAHAHA WTF! 😂🤣😅😭 I HOPE TO GOD THIS STORY IS TRUE! EVEN IF IT ISNT IM STILL GUNNA TELL IT!
Nice vid. This is why i love carbed engines, lots of character. 👍🏻
Definitely makes things simple and easy to maintain plus no sensors to go bad or give you a hard time tracking down.
i like this vid this is something i grew up with but i wouldn't think of passing this on to the new gen of young ones who have grown up with fuel injection thanks
just went threw this with my built vortec 355,which ive been aware for many many years as i am no young pup anyways, i already prepaired for it with the 1" carb spacer and all and was hoping i would not have any issues but as soon as it hit the mid 90s sure enough it was doing it, sorta of a super easy fix for those who do not want to keep letting the fuel heatsoak and what not, get a regulator with a return port and run a return line back to the tank,even if your tank doesnt have a return port on it they make a sleeve that you can put in the middle of the filler neck with the return port on it,(all added up from Autozone was right at 70 dollars for everything needed) havnt had a issue since running the return,as a matter of fact now no matter how hot or cold it is all i have to do is barely tap the key and she is running the way its supposed to.i fouled 3 sets of spark plugs in under 4 months without the return from where the fuel was just sitting there soaking the plugs! also there is no longer the big puff of smoke when i start it from all the raw fuel that is sitting in the system.brand new motor and puffing smoke on starts sucked big time :) keep up the great info Luke!
Very good 👍 video 👌 Mr. Luke.. I like your ol 64 ford...I was going to buy one from a old man about fifteen years ago it was a 64 ford galaxie XL..it was a four door and the front seats would spin around it was factory like that..it had been sitting for about five years and the brake booster was frozen and you couldn't push it down and it had body work, Bondo in it from about twenty years ago when it had been fixed and painted.. but she had a lot of Bondo and rust. You could shut the back door and the whole quarter panel would shake .it was a fancy ol car back in the day but it had a lot of Chromecast on it..it ran good but I couldn't move it because of the brakes the old man who owned it said it was a one owner he bought it new for his mom and she drove it till she passed away and he got it back . He wanted a thousand dollars for it he said that he was the one who did the body work several years ago it was his hobby fixing up mainly mustang and ol ford trucks.. the chassis looked really pitted in the back is why I didn't buy it.. but he sold it later and he has passed away probably ten years ago or little longer...
Thanks for the tip. My ‘49 CJ vapour locks if you look at it wrong. If I don’t flip the hood up for stops longer than 10 minutes in the summer I’m done.
I deal with this with my 49 caddillac. Definitely trying this before i dig deeper
Fuel line is too close to either the block or exhaust, or something that gets very hot. You could carry water around with you and throw a cup of water on it when it happens. But relocating fuel line is better since youll have to do it anyways.
true ...but on most cars it's boiling in the fuel bowels hence why spacers work
@@alt7488 bowls? Or in the rear end 😎
@@alt7488
Spacers do work. Holley even sells a spacer that they reccomend you use.
That you. I have a '69 Mark III and while not having had this problem it has always been in the back of my mind. That's for this video to save me from running a fuel return line.
Luke you are awesome! Always the best advice for those that don't know.
My vintage daily driver has a sticker from the factory in the top corner of the windshield.
"HOT START. FULLY DEPRESS THROTTLE AND CRANK TILL ENGINE FIRES. DO NOT PUMP!"
Best anti-theft devices in today's modern computerised world...Manual transmission and a choke...haha!!!
When I was a younger man I drove truck. We had a 1965 international dump truck that had a gasoline engine. On hot days it would vapor lock and not want to start back up again. We put clothespins on the fuel line between the carburetor and the fuel pump and that took care of the problem.
I'd heard of this situation but never experienced it myself - thanks for explaining and showing it !
Do you live in Siberia or something? No way you never had this experience.
On this episode of "The Carburetor Advocate"...
I've got fifty year old mopars. In the owners handbook it states when engine is hot to hold throttle pedal about half way open when cranking. If what you are experiencing is actually gas boiling in carb, lines, fuel pump then that won't do a thing. Newfield is not like fifty year old fuel. In Nevada where I live I have to use the higher quality foam water line insulation found at home depot or lowes. I cover from the fuel pump to the carb inlet and my cars will start after being heat soaked in 95 plus degree weather. I'm not into driving non air conditioned cars beyond these temps. Before this simple modification my cars would vapor lock and not start for half an hour above 85 degrees. I also have a three foot loop of fuel line between frame hard line and fuel pump, not sure if that helps but can't hurt.
Thanks for getting to the point and not wasting time. Thanks!
Very smart and articulate guy
Happened to me after i filled up at a gas station when i was about bone dry. Vaporlocked and stalled going 40 on the highway 5 min later. Gave it some gas and stayed steady on the ignition and started right back up.
Dude!!!!......
I have owned and driven only a 1st Generation Monte Carlo since 1994, as my everyday car. Never owned anything else.
I work on them myself, and all are original, down to points dist. also, have 3. All run etc. I typically drive a 350 2bbl and last summer I was having some sort of issue, was not sure what it was. I would put a kit in carb, and only last about a month, so I purchased 2 good ones from Autozone, and they'd run fine for like first 5 weeks, then have the hiccup. I also had problem with points condensor, I have never experienced in my life, and that threw me for another loop, cause a mechanic said I need to replace my dist. Well, I am not good at that, so I have been driving the 402 with a carb I got from Autozone as well, and has been fine. So before heat of summer, I am getting back to getting my everyday car going. I am getting that spacer, heatsink to put on all my cars carb, and also purchased the heat insulation (fire armor sleeve with braided fiberglass yarns, and coated with high grade silicone rubber) in 5/8 and 1"inch and we'll see how that goes.
But I am impressed in a few ways of the person you are, so had to sub you our of admiration, and see what else I can learn from ya'.
Theres a vid of a guy reading these exact instructions off an old car manual. Thank you for reminding me
I seem to remember reading an owner's manual that said something to this effect. I can't remember what car it was, but it was a '60s or '70s car.
You had to set the high idle on older cars like that and it would only stay set if the engine was cold. So when you first got into a cold car you would slowly press the pedal to the floor slowly release it and then start it. A heat operated spring would then release it back to slow Idol. But it won't stay set if the motors already hot
Since these old timers were meant for pure gasoline, the 10-15% ethanol in modern fuel makes the problem worse... but that's something we are stuck with. Blocking or reducing the exhaust crossover in the intake of a V8 also helps. On an inline, removing or reducing the intake manifold heat (which usually means separating the intake and exhaust manifolds) helps as well. Bear in mind that if you live in a cold climate and use your old timer in cold weather, removing or reducing intake heat can be counter-productive on cold starts.
My Case SC tractor has 2 pipe plugs on the intake. If you flood it you can pull those and she fires immediately.
Yes I forgot about that. My 65 Buick was like that in the hot summer. Good ol Dad instructed me on that.
This is the stuff that no one teaches you when u buy a carburated car,thanks man
This will come in handy for my slant six. Usually it’ll crank once and not fire, then second crank it’ll slowly rumble to life, but only after the starter is disengaged.
This is a daily thing for me here in 115 degree az. Takes alot more cranking to clear the fuel out than it did for luke here, dont be afraid to keeper crankin for awhile with that pedal pinned if she doesnt kick off right away
my classic isnt driven in the cold weather often so i actually block off the heat crossover with the correct intake gasket to do so. driven the car in 90 degree and hotter humid weather and it always starts with just the tap of the key ive never had issues with a hot start as long as that cross over is blocked
Same here! 👍 not needed in Florida!
Make sure you use the phenolic spacer that holley recommends . Helps immensely. Might still be a problem in the hotnhumid south. My fox mustang was doing it bad when the weather got to about 28c...not sure why the last owner didnt use it. All good now with the spacer.
Also, getting rid of the metal fuel line on the front of the block helps keep the fuel temps way down. Replace and re route it with rubber line.
Jessica from Vice Grip Garage vapor locks and it's awesome!
Yes it is awesome!!
This was very helpful thanks for making this video!
Yup , daily drive a 77 K30 , brutal vapour lock, installed a Wix 33041 fuel filter... 100% fix for vapour lock.
Yeah my 78 f100 351w with a 750 4 barrel Edelbrock carburetor on it . Would do this alot and man that got old plus she ate me in gas too that carb for it was way to big anyways butt the truck needed other work so I ended up selling it 3 years ago but it's on my channel and man cold starts it hated too lol. Butt I miss the truck now and that sound and rubble
That's kind of weird cuz I grew up in South Florida and it was extremely hot there and I drove a 68 Roadrunner with a 440 3 Deuce set up and I never ever had a problem like that I wonder why? Very informative video as usual you definitely explain things pretty good you stay safe and stay well and as always God bless
The Reid Vapor Pressure of modern gas (alcohol or no alcohol) is higher than back in the day.
Or if you have a 64 Ford Galaxie 500 with factory headers it might be because the exhaust has heated up the starter so that it is so hot that the windings in the starter get so hot the battery will not turn the starter because the windings are so expanded. I had a 64 that had a hotrod 406 Interceptor engine that I took out of a crashed cop car and I rebuilt it to run. Every time I would shut it off I had to wait for about an hour before the starter would cool down enough to start it. I finally made a heat shield out of some steel roofing and wrapped a short section of the pipe that went next to the starter and it fixed the problem.
Thats Superb.. Will definitely try out.. Thanx a lot.
On my old 460 I used clothes pins on the fuel line. Worked every time
Wood is an insulator!
I honestly never knew that. I have only driven a couple of carburated cars and they were only ever short stints. Never enough to run into this problem. Good to know though! I have a desire to do a carburated LS build one day in distant future.
Great video, I figured out I need to do this with my truck and wasn’t really sure why but now I know.
Great video... love the old Galaxies...I have been using your method on my old '77 cj5 for years...stay safe
The old ford looks real good thanks for sharing
You’d be surprised how many people don’t know how to cold start an engine with an electric choke. I see people pumping the gas 5-6 times. Finally to get it to start.
1 little pump, to make sure that it's on the high idle cam, and you should be good!
Love the Galaxie! Built like a tank.
I'm sure it's been mentioned in the numerous comments, but the easiest way I know to prevent vapor lock is to put a couple (or few) WOODEN clothes pins on the metal fuel line as close as possible to the carb. Wood is pretty fair thermal insulator and the clothes pin form makes for a VERY fast fix. I've worked on and owned quite a few slant 6's - and they were notorious for vapor locking - wooden clothes pins worked EVERY time.
Yes, my father did this in the 60s to our rambler wagon. I remember it worked pretty good. Lol
Useful information, thank you.