Re: Bad Gas in Tank

Posted by HH56 On 2016/3/29 16:34:33

Congratulations on acquiring what sounds like a nice car.

Not sure which part you are referring to as the regulator since stock cars never had anything like that. If it has an electric pump needing a regulator then that is another subject.

Some thoughts on the gas. Old gas seems to have a recurring theme of someone starting an engine with old gas, running it and shutting down. The next day they go to start the car and find the valves have stuck. On several occasions that issue of stuck valves has resulted in an engine tear down to free them. Just be aware if the gas is old enough to stink it definitely needs replacing. The old gas may not in itself be the culprit but sure seems to go hand in hand with stuck valve issues.

If the old gas is ethanol free the fuel pump may not have the ethanol resistant rubber and if it has the old rubber, that rubber will self destruct fairly quickly when ethanol hits it. I would go ahead and rebuild the mechanical pump sooner rather than later using kits containing new rubber from one of the Packard vendors or from Then and Now.http://then-now-auto.com/shop-2/ Once the mechanical pump is rebuilt then you can do what is needed to place the electric on priming duty or emergency use only.

Second point is be careful when draining the old gas from the tank. If original, the drain plug is steel and so is the fitting in tank it threads into. If it has never been --or at least a been long time since removed plug may be rusted in place. Hold the piece with the hole with large vice grips or something similar as you try to loosen the plug. If the plug is seized and rotates the entire assy that is a major repair. The assy is essentially pressed in the metal and once loosened, the tank will leak. The tank has to be removed and repaired to stop the leak and that repair is not an easy task. There are no new tanks so if it is damaged or rusty it comes down to trying to find a good used and those are getting very tight. If you do remove the old plug, suggest you replace it with a brass plug.