Where did my gas go?

S

skeazle

Senior Member
I have a 1930 Tudor sedan that I keep at my In-laws garage when I'm not using it. About a month ago I took it over there and parked it there with about a quarter tank of gas and today I went over to start it up to bring it back home and it ran for maybe 1 minute then quit. I looked at the fuel gauge and it was plum empty. We know there is no foul play involved and there is no puddle on the floor so where could the gas have gone? Is it possible for it to have evaporated from the tank? The garage is not hot inside and the gas cap is on. This also happened to my sister-in-laws 1930 Woody after it was stored over the winter months. They know it had plenty of fuel when they parked it but when they went over to get it out of storage it was empty of fuel. Has anyone else ever had this happen? Lucky I only live 1 mile away so I put 1 gal.in and got it home. Jim
 
Possibly shutoff valve seeped gas to carb. The carb slowly dripped or gas evaporated slowly from carb?
No smell of gas or sighting under carb on engine pan?
I never store with any smidgen of gas in tank and run dry
 
Same thing happens to my motorcycles every year during the winter months.......always less than you had when you put it up for the winter.

However 2-3 gallons lost in a month is abnormal.

Oldbluoval above has an explanation that seems reasonable.
 
I fill mine to the top after every use from a near by 5 gallon gas container. It may help to prevent rust and does help prevent condensation - never had a problem. With the price of gas today you might revisit the foul play aspect. If still having problems check the above comments again.

John
 
I didn't want to park the car with a lot of gas cause I wanted to pull the carb and replace the large paper gasket. I only had it stored there for a month or so but the last couple gal. disappeared. Kind of a weird thing. The carb had been leaking with the tank full but when I got it out the carb was completely dry. So now if I fill it up with gas maybe it will start leaking again. I'm sure that is probably the explanation. I will change that gasket and put in a new screen while there is only a gal. in the tank.
 
Faulty shutoff valve for sure. Gas leaks to carb and float not set to shutoff & leaks on the floor and evaporates.
 
Next time you fill the tank wait a few minutes then put your finger on the tank just below where the steering column support bracket connects to the tank. A slow leak there is very common with Model A's and over time the petrol would evaporate without leaving a puddle.
 
Mad Mac said:
Next time you fill the tank wait a few minutes then put your finger on the tank just below where the steering column support bracket connects to the tank. A slow leak there is very common with Model A's and over time the petrol would evaporate without leaving a puddle.
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Seepage here may leave no puddle but does leave tracks down the tank. Smell too with the windows closed.
 
I have a 1914 Model T which has a shutoff valve at the bottom of the tank. It doesn't drip on the floor but it always has a "runny" nose! I put the car up for the winter in October with a full tank. I was astonished to find that the tank was empty the following June with no stains on the floor. That slight smell you have in the garage is a significant leak. Ed
 
Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice. I have replaced the fuel shut off valve a couple years ago and when it was new it would turn real easy but now it is really hard to turn on or off. So that might be the problem but if it was dripping on the floor and evaporating wouldn't there be a gas stain on the floor? I think I'll replace the shut off valve and hope that does the trick. thanks again, Jim
 
nkaminar said:
There is something called EZTurn which is a lubricant for use in petcocks. It does not dissolve in gasoline. You can take your petcock apart and use this product to seal it and make it easy to turn. It is also handy to seal and lubricate gaskets and other parts that are subject to gasoline. See https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/ezturnlube.php
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Hey Neil. I have used that lube in my past aircraft days and it is excellent. We
also lapped the valve with Comet kitchen cleanser. My car is still running great.

John
 
aermotor said:
We also lapped the valve with Comet kitchen cleanser. My car is still running great.

John
Click to expand...
The Comet cleanser of years ago used to have a little bit of sodium borate (aka Borax) abrasive in it. Lots of great uses for a mild abrasive like aermotor suggests. I just looked at the can of "scratch-free" Comet under my sink and alas, no sodium borate listed. Things just aint the same as in the good old days...

JayJay
 
As others have said, the fuel vavle isn't sealing off. The carb will likely be damp and will evaporate enough to not drip. Also an occasional drip will be caught by the engine pan, then evaporate from there.
 
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