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Hi, I smelled gas one day after starting up my Packard and look what I found. A leak from the fuel pump. Good reason not to have an electrical pump before a mechanical fuel pump.
See video at youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=UE27jspjpkU
Wes

wesley; if you get fuel out the vent, you have a bad diaphragm more them likely. this new gas with the alcohol rots the old rubber. i would take the pump apart and see what is going on. dell

Thanks Dell, yes I will have to open it up one day and report back. For now this is a good reason not to have an electric pump feeding to a mechanical fuel pump and also if the electric fuel pump is install in the feed line to the carburetor between the mechanical fuel pump and carburetor then a one way valve should be installed keeping fuel from going to the mechanical fuel pump.
My two cents.
Wes

Just as a FYI for those of us wanting or having to use electric fuel pumps, there are reasonably priced carburetor type, non return line pressure regulators for those pumps from $15 to 35. And they work.

If you have a mechanical pump, then an option is to install an On-OFF switch for the electric pump, so it is not pushing fuel into the mechanical fuel pump when not necessary to do so. I have fitted one ($49.95 available from Clickonparts ) and intend to use it to just prime the carby and mechanical pump when necessary, or whenever the dreaded vapour lock causes fuel problems. My pump is fitted midway between the fuel tank and mechanical pump, on chassis rail under the car. It has a filter and non-return valve in it.

Over here you can still get petrol that has no Ethanol - very fortunate!