Sock in fuel tank
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 1,668
Likes: 0
From: Very Small Town Iowa
Sock in fuel tank
Has anyone ever replaced the strainer (looks like a sock) on the fuel pick up in the gas tank. My car 72', w/350 starts good. idles good, runs cool, etc. but when I run it up to about 4500 rpm's it seems like it quits pulling. I have new fuel pump, Edelbrock Performer intake and carb. I was at a car show last night and ran into a guy that does a lot of work on older cars and he suggested replacing this sock, that they do get full of junk and the fuel has a hard time flowing enough volume at full throttle. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. :confused:
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,825
Likes: 56
From: Shawano WI
Re: Sock in fuel tank (hawki)
I just put one in my car yesterday. Took about 2 hours to drop the tank, pull the sending unit, and put everything back together. My car sat for 8 years before I got it and I wanted to replace the sock before I rebuild the carb.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 803
Likes: 0
From: South San Francisco CA
Re: Sock in fuel tank (hawki)
If you plan on replacing the sock, you might as well order a new sending unit. Yours is 30 years old and they do have a lifespan. They are under $100 and just the effort of pulling the tank makes the replacement worthwhile. I just did mine about six months ago.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 289
Likes: 0
From: Norfolk, CT
Re: Sock in fuel tank (hawki)
If you want to clean up your existing sock to be sure that is where your problem lies you can
"vacuum" it off with a syphon. When there's just a couple of gallons in the tank you can easily
see the sock from the fill opening. With a small diameter syphon tube you can suck off a good amount
of the debris. Carefully move the sock around a little with an appropriate tool (small clean stick, or
that wonderful multi-purpose tool, coat hanger wire) and vacuum out the junk under it. Just don't do what
I did -use the syphoned gas in the lawn mower by pouring it slowly into the tank so the sludge would stay in the
gas can, which it won't. Very soon after starting the mower it stopped. Guess why.
"vacuum" it off with a syphon. When there's just a couple of gallons in the tank you can easily
see the sock from the fill opening. With a small diameter syphon tube you can suck off a good amount
of the debris. Carefully move the sock around a little with an appropriate tool (small clean stick, or
that wonderful multi-purpose tool, coat hanger wire) and vacuum out the junk under it. Just don't do what
I did -use the syphoned gas in the lawn mower by pouring it slowly into the tank so the sludge would stay in the
gas can, which it won't. Very soon after starting the mower it stopped. Guess why.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 15,061
Likes: 79
From: central FL, near the beach.
Re: Sock in fuel tank ('69CoupeDude)
:lol: i feed my lawnmower crap too! i stuff a rag in the fill opening, and it loves it. yum yum
a teacher at a GM course i took explained that the sock is to keep water in the tank. fine on a new car, but for me, i'd rather have it burp a little, than rust out the tank. that's why i throw them away.
a teacher at a GM course i took explained that the sock is to keep water in the tank. fine on a new car, but for me, i'd rather have it burp a little, than rust out the tank. that's why i throw them away.
