Difficult in filling gas tank

I have a custom 1936 Ford pickup with the orginal gas tank.. To fill the gas tank I have to put the nozzle upside down and wrap in a rag. Even then it only will take about six gallon (14 gallon tank) and it takes 15 minutes. I live in California and they have a back pressure boot on the nozzle on the gas pump. Any suggestions? Thank you

 

Sounds like you have a tank vent problem.

 

What he said X2. Vent problem

 

Maybe somebody lost a rag down the fill-neck.

Kidding aside, blocking the vent-air from coming out with a rag can't help.

 

I have similar problems with my daughters 36 Chev PU and my Model A. Do you have the same problem at other gas stations? I have this problem at some stations and no problem at others.

 

You may need a new gas fill neck with the vent tube, check a Drake catalog and you will see one.

 

Yep, trying a different station with lower pressure might help. A lot of older cars need slower flow. Modern pumps pump faster.

I would, however, also figure out if the vent tube is restricted.

 

Found a tampon in a filler neck once. Had the same symptoms you describe.

 

I live in the Bay Area, have the same problem and fixed it by taking the neck off the truck, then welded in a big flat washer drilled to the same size as the pump neck, about the same depth as you see in a modern car. Fixed the problem for me. Here in the Bay Area you now have to hold the pump nozzle while filling, no more automatic shut off.

 

WTF...I didn't think a non shut off nozzle was even legal....those are supposed to be checked and repaired periodically

 

He means no lever latch to allow you to walk away.

 

I had the same problem with my old '39 Pickup, I had to put the nozzle about two thirds of the way in and only pull the handle about half way. It took forever to fill up but at least it didnt spit back all over the ground or my shoe.

 

I have this problem with almost all of my old cars depending on what station I use.

 

Same thing here an Australia. Just jam the handle with the gas cap

 

On my 33 Ford pickup, I made a new filler inlet out of tubing , increased the height by aprox 4" and curved it aprox 90 degrees from the tank..No longer a fill or splashback problem...Larry

 

Vent

 

here is the answer, this is a trick my uncle uses for his old ford truck that has the same problem. he keeps a piece of wood in the box that he drives the filler side of his truck on to angle the tank in such a direction that it allows air to escape when filling, if he doesnt do this it takes 20 minutes to put 20 bucks in his tank. other than that i have solved this problem by feeding a length of tubing down the fill tube and anchoring it at the top so air can escape as you fill.

 

an old mechanic told me to run a piece of steel gas line down the inside of the filler tube,u could jb weld it in or use panel glue

 

Bingo! even my 71 GMC with a 35 gal ss tank in the front of the box won't take gas from some stations without a fight. I think these newer pumps put out so much pressure and pump the gas so fast that a lot of tanks can't keep up with them.

 

Take the retractable snout from a small gas can, hold it to the snout of the filler so the plastic tube reaches farther into the fill neck of the tank while you fill up your car a little faster. Know what your approximate refill capacity will be before you pull the trigger. Have wipes available to remove gas smell from hands.
For entertainment value, keep some kind of cigarette in your hand holding the plastic extension and keep on asking for a light.

 

At least she didn't key the paint

 

I have the same issue on my 32 roadster. I have to pull the handle so the pump barely turns on or it will shut the pump off instantly. I will go out right now and see if my vent tube is restricted.

 

So thats what the problem is! I've got a 31 gallon tank, and with as much driving as I do in the old girl I'm at the gas station alot, usually dreading it, because it spits back and shuts off the pump unless I can find a station with low pump pressure and jam the gas cap under the lever and it will take about 15 minutes to fill up. I have a vent tube, but it's capped off about 6 inches beyond the filler assembly. Well, looks like I'll run that tube and see what happens!

 

Get a section of rubber fuel line from the parts store..maybe something like 3/8 hose or however thick you can go and still put in the gas nozzle.

Run that down your filler tube...just to about where it enters into the tank. When you fill your tank, the air will vent out that tube so you can fill with no problems.

I'm sure you have a venting problem, but this would confirm it.

A lot of modern vehicles have a rubber hose that is inside the metal filler tube. The fuel goes through the rubber hose and the tank vents through the open space in the metal tube.

 

My 55 ford panel had this problem. Long narrow tank runs along inside of frame rail. The top vent only goes back to the filler tube. Would only take 8.5 gals then puke anything else. Dropped the tank and soldered a 4" piece of 3/8 steel line to the top rear of the tank. Then made a double 3" loop of steel line attached to the crossrail and connected to the tank with short rubber line. No problem filling to the top, vents well with no fuel smell. Problem solved !!!