HELP; gas tank replace then sputter
Thread Starter
3rd Gear
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: Grand Rapids Michigan
HELP; gas tank replace then sputter
Ok, C3 experts....need some wisdom on this one; it all started when I switched gas caps....had a non-vented then went to a vented, locking cap....then was finding gas puddles underneath the rear right fender well and gas dripping on the muffler; yikes.
Being that I've only had her several months and being 40 yrs old I decided after reading other replies here to drop the tank and replace the return lines......yep, they were shot; leaking badly...then decided to put in a new tank, sending unit, etc...
Got that all done...started right up with vented gas cap..no leaking....but, car would not get past 35 mph with severe sputtering and choking out....what the??????
removed the gas cap completely; same thing.....
Starts fine, idles fine, any acceleration over 30mph just kills it.
Everything with the carb appears fine...Q-Jet of course....appears to be original distributor, coil, wires...maybe even plugs....
Nothing really has changed except that gas cap, tank, sending unit...
Not sure where to go from here?
thoughts?
thanks much
Being that I've only had her several months and being 40 yrs old I decided after reading other replies here to drop the tank and replace the return lines......yep, they were shot; leaking badly...then decided to put in a new tank, sending unit, etc...
Got that all done...started right up with vented gas cap..no leaking....but, car would not get past 35 mph with severe sputtering and choking out....what the??????
removed the gas cap completely; same thing.....
Starts fine, idles fine, any acceleration over 30mph just kills it.
Everything with the carb appears fine...Q-Jet of course....appears to be original distributor, coil, wires...maybe even plugs....
Nothing really has changed except that gas cap, tank, sending unit...
Not sure where to go from here?
thoughts?
thanks much
Thread Starter
3rd Gear
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: Grand Rapids Michigan
For the record; I replaced the fuel filter, vacuum advance and most of the external vac lines.....made no difference. Finally decided I'd look for a non-vented gas cap....what I believe was the type I hastily discarded for a locking cap initially....after visiting five different auto parts stores and not finding a non-vented cap I came back home and put duct tape over the vent holes of the vented cap......WOOHOO! unbelievable, what a difference...started on the first turn and idled smoother and I ran it for a half hour with absolutely no sputtering at all...huge difference.
Afterwards found a post on here where someone said; if you don't have a vapor canister use a vented cap, if you do have a vapor canister use a non-vented cap. Great wisdom...I learned something for sure. The non-vented cap of course allows the pressure
to stay within the system and not looking for the weakest link to blow out of.
Hopefully this will help someone later.....
Afterwards found a post on here where someone said; if you don't have a vapor canister use a vented cap, if you do have a vapor canister use a non-vented cap. Great wisdom...I learned something for sure. The non-vented cap of course allows the pressure
to stay within the system and not looking for the weakest link to blow out of.
Hopefully this will help someone later.....
