-------------- Original message --------------
From: "tdcox" <tdcox@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Thanks, Eric
>
> That is my guess, too. Since the right side of the car was excessively dirty
> with an oily slick, I am assuming that gas mixed with rain to cause the
> problem. Since the fuel pump is the most likely candidate on that side of
> the engine (other than the fuel filter), that is where I am going to start.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Eric
> Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 11:00 PM
> To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: IML: Fuel Leak
>
> Tom,
> Thank you for sharing your photos of your beautiful '56 coupe.
> http://www.imperialclub.com/Yr/1956/56Cox/index.ht m
> It's no wonder 20 people stopped for that beauty!
>
> About your fuel situation. I had a mysterious raw fuel smell with my '64
> Crown Coupe. I never saw a leak on the ground but I did notice the rubber
> hose to the fuel pump was delaminating down to it's threads. I thought this
> was the source of the fuel odor, that it may be seeping from this hose. I
> put it on my long to-do list.
>
> To make a short story more exciting, I'll explain how I learned the real
> source of the odor. I was being tailgated on a stretch of open hiway a
> couple of weeks ago. I thought I'd show the tailgater something so I floored
>
> the throttle. After losing him in a cloud of unburned hydrocarbon droplets,
> I realized he was lost in a whole lot more smoke than there should be. Then
> I heard a noise, felt a loss of power steering assist, and decided to pull
> my old smokey over to see what broke.
>
> A few days prior to this, I noted one of the twin A/C - alternator belts had
>
> a twist in it around the bottom of the crank pulley. I had planned a
> replacement of these belts soon so I left it as it was. This belt then broke
>
> when I floored the throttle, throwing it's twin off, as well as throwing the
>
> power steering belt off, answering my loss of power steering. The broken
> belt snapped apart the transmission coolant line compression fit connector
> causing transmission fluid to spray all over the compartment, explaining the
>
> large cloud of smoke.
>
> I made short work of straightning the bent transmission line, reattaching
> the compression fit connector, refilling my transmission with fluid, and
> putting back the power steering and the remaining A/C - alt belt. When I
> started the car, I let it idle and watched for leaks a t the transmission
> line fitting. It didn't leak but I did notice a substantial leak at the fuel
>
> pump. This fuel pump leak was in a spot unrelated to my snapped drive belt
> trouble and I could see that it was spewing gas onto the above mentioned
> fuel hose that had deteriorated.
>
> On one side of the fuel pump, there is a round, drilled hole right above the
>
> diaphram. Fuel was being pumped out from this hole. As an emergency roadside
>
> fix, I found a disposed of cigarette butt and compressed it into the hole.
> That butt helped, but it did let a bit of gas to be spit out, and provided a
>
> wheezing noise. We got a kick out of my bronchitis afflicted filtered fuel
> pump leak.
>
> I've not yet opened up the leaking fuel pump, but I suspect the diaphram may
>
> have ruptured long ago. I had a used fuel pump that I later replaced it with >
> and it is without this hole. Maybe this hole is an early warning mechanism
> to tell the owner that the pump is about to go? I have a new pump for a
> Slant 6 that does have a similar vent or bleed hole.
>
> Short story of it is, you may want to check your fuel pump for leaks with
> the engine idling.
>
> Hope my long mysterious leak tale helps your situation.
>
> Eric
> 1964 Crown Coupe
> ________________________________________________
> From: "tdcox"
> Subject: IML: 2,000 mile trip
> My wife and I have just returned from a nearly 2,000 mile trip in our 56
> Southampton coupe.
> ...The only odd thing that we noticed on our return trip was that our gas
> mileage dropped in half, to about 7 mpg. I was pretty sure the timing =
> was off but didn=92t expect such a decrease. When we arrived home, I washed
> the
&g t; car and found that the entire passenger side of the car had a thick oily
> substance all over it. Also, we smelled gas fumes on the last half of =
> the trip. Wonder if this could be a leaky fuel pump; the oil level was fine,
>
> so
> I assume it is fuel related.
> Thanks to the Webmonsters for adding pictures of our car to the
> 56 Imperials
>
>
>
>
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