<VV> Mechanical fuel pumps

[shortle]

Ah the drama! As a young adult (about 21) it was not totally apparent what was happening at the time of my internally leaking fuel pump but I did figure it out quickly. I thought I had burned a piston initially based on all the smoke coming from all over the place but then seeing the engine oil level very high on the stick, seeing how thin the oil was at this point, and of course the smell of gas in it it become apparent quickly to me what was happening. You should have seen how fast this stuff drained out of the crankcase (on the side of the road if my memory is correct as the cost of a tow truck was out of the question 30 years ago). Of the 3 driving Corvairs I have today, 1 is electric fuel pump I installed (the same Rampside from 30 years ago), 1 is electric installed by previous owner ('62 Monza Wagon almost ready for pickup from Calif. Corvairs), and 1 is with the mechanical pump ('69 Monza Convert. #2891 driven last summer to Jax 4080 miles roundtrip). It seems I remember also buying a Corvair in past early years with a "blown engine" that turned out to have a crankcase full of gas and nothing more wrong. Just another fuel pump and crankcase drain and refill if my memory is correct. Those were the good old days. Ah the drama!
Timothy Shortle in (laidback) Durango Colorado
Married with children 


-----Original Message-----
>From: Smitty <vairologist at cox.net>
>Sent: Jul 24, 2010 8:48 PM
>To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
>Subject: <VV> Mechanical fuel pumps
>
>Smitty Says:  I have listened to this absolute garbage about mechanical 
>pumps filling crankcases with gasoline for the several years I have been on 
>VV.  Not that they aren't capable of doing it mind you.  Just the almost 
>panicky sounds the electric pump advocates love to make about destroying 
>engines.  In my years of using mechanical pumps (and hundresds of thousands 
>of miles) I have experienced maybe 4 pumps that added gas to my crankcase. 
>Based on that I would say one would have to be blind, stupid, or both to 
>drive such a failure to the point that the engine was damaged.  Gas in the 
>oil?  Oh me Oh my, lions and tigers and bears.  Don't ever let it out that 
>gas in oil will imediately destroy engines, or we will have to shut down 
>billions of chain saws and weed whackers.
>So yes they can fail and put gas it the oil.  So drain it out and put new 
>oil in, change the pump,  Log an engine flush in your maintenance record. 
>But please spare me the drama. 
>
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