[DeTomaso] npc fuel-line cleaning question

[Christopher Kimball]

I don't think the gas line was plugged; bits of rust were plugging the little filter at the end of the fuel pick-up tube in the gas tank.

The stuff that came out of the fuel line when I shot the carb cleaner through it was, I assume, years of accumulated gunk lining the tube through which the fuel flows and in the fuel pump.

Thanks!

Chris



Sent from my Windows Phone
________________________________
From: Charles McCall<mailto:charlesmccall at gmail.com>
Sent: ‎4/‎10/‎2016 12:28 PM
To: 'Christopher Kimball'<mailto:chrisvkimball at msn.com>; 'Pantera list serve'<mailto:detomaso at poca.com>
Subject: RE: [DeTomaso] npc fuel-line cleaning question

Chris -
Don't know what carb the mini runs, but the construction should be fairly
standard.

I wouldn't assume that the big, wide, gas line would be plugged by rust, I
would assume that small orifices like the jets in the carb would be the
first thing to be plugged by gunk.

I have to wonder if you are cleaning the right part of the system?

-----Original Message-----
From: DeTomaso [mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com] On Behalf Of Christopher
Kimball
Sent: domingo, 10 de abril de 2016 20:32
To: Pantera list serve
Subject: [DeTomaso] npc fuel-line cleaning question

Hi folks,
My son has as 1991 Mini with a 1275 motor and a regular carb.  I'm guessing
it has a regular, mechanical fuel pump, too.
The gas tank got rusty, and while it is out of the car getting de-rusted, a
mechanic friend of mine said I should get some carb leaner and clean out the
"tubes."  I gathered he meant the pipe going between the gas tank in the
trunk and the carb in the engine compartment.
I went to the store and got a spray can of carb cleaner, put a bucket in the
trunk with the gas line going into it to catch the flow,  and hooked the
spray can to the hose that I disconnected from the carb at the front of the
car.
I sealed the end of the hose in the engine compartment to the spray can with
duct tape and pushed the button.  Sure enough, all kinds of brown,
rusty-looking fluid flowed into the bucket in the trunk, demonstrating there
was gunk in the system.
Here's my question, though.  I got to thinking about it, and not being much
of a mechanic, I began to wonder if I might have damaged the fuel pump.  Is
it OK to flow carb cleaner backward through the system?  I'd hate to get the
whole thing reassembled only to find that by spraying the carb cleaner
through the fuel pump in the opposite direction of its normal flow I had
somehow messed something up.
Or am I just being paranoid?

Thanks for your help!
Chris

-------------- next part --------------
   I don't think the gas line was plugged; bits of rust were plugging the
   little filter at the end of the fuel pick-up tube in the gas tank.
   The stuff that came out of the fuel line when I shot the carb cleaner
   through it was, I assume, years of accumulated gunk lining the tube
   through which the fuel flows and in the fuel pump.
   Thanks!
   Chris
   Sent from my Windows Phone
     __________________________________________________________________

   From: [1]Charles McCall
   Sent: 4/10/2016 12:28 PM
   To: [2]'Christopher Kimball'; [3]'Pantera list serve'
   Subject: RE: [DeTomaso] npc fuel-line cleaning question

   Chris -
   Don't know what carb the mini runs, but the construction should be
   fairly
   standard.
   I wouldn't assume that the big, wide, gas line would be plugged by
   rust, I
   would assume that small orifices like the jets in the carb would be the
   first thing to be plugged by gunk.
   I have to wonder if you are cleaning the right part of the system?
   -----Original Message-----
   From: DeTomaso [[4]mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com] On Behalf Of
   Christopher
   Kimball
   Sent: domingo, 10 de abril de 2016 20:32
   To: Pantera list serve
   Subject: [DeTomaso] npc fuel-line cleaning question
   Hi folks,
   My son has as 1991 Mini with a 1275 motor and a regular carb.  I'm
   guessing
   it has a regular, mechanical fuel pump, too.
   The gas tank got rusty, and while it is out of the car getting
   de-rusted, a
   mechanic friend of mine said I should get some carb leaner and clean
   out the
   "tubes."  I gathered he meant the pipe going between the gas tank in
   the
   trunk and the carb in the engine compartment.
   I went to the store and got a spray can of carb cleaner, put a bucket
   in the
   trunk with the gas line going into it to catch the flow,  and hooked
   the
   spray can to the hose that I disconnected from the carb at the front of
   the
   car.
   I sealed the end of the hose in the engine compartment to the spray can
   with
   duct tape and pushed the button.  Sure enough, all kinds of brown,
   rusty-looking fluid flowed into the bucket in the trunk, demonstrating
   there
   was gunk in the system.
   Here's my question, though.  I got to thinking about it, and not being
   much
   of a mechanic, I began to wonder if I might have damaged the fuel
   pump.  Is
   it OK to flow carb cleaner backward through the system?  I'd hate to
   get the
   whole thing reassembled only to find that by spraying the carb cleaner
   through the fuel pump in the opposite direction of its normal flow I
   had
   somehow messed something up.
   Or am I just being paranoid?
   Thanks for your help!
   Chris

References

   1. mailto:charlesmccall at gmail.com
   2. mailto:chrisvkimball at msn.com
   3. mailto:detomaso at poca.com
   4. mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com