Quote Originally Posted by vara4 View Post
Thanks 30_40, NTFDAY, rspears, Stovens. rspears The reason I am not going with the stock mechanical pump is I grew up out here and have had lots of experience with the heat out here and vapor locking mechanical pumps. I figure that's why they went with a electric pump in the first place, the stock pump was probably vapor locking. Sounds like Stovens has had the same problems with vapor locking in Arizona too. I am only about a hour away from Death Valley where temps have reached 134 degrees before, yep officially the hottest place on the planet. This area I live in has lots of wide open area's with nothing around for a hundred miles or so in any direction. Not a place you want to break down in, Shoshone at hwy 178 & 127 is about a half hour from where I live, That's also where Charles Manson like to hide out in caves. Since people know he hid there , they think they can hide there too. If they want to hide they probably are not good people. Breaking down is not a option out here, Nothing for miles, high heat no one around for mile and when someone does pull over are you gonna want to chance it, if they are good or not??? Yep if you grew up out here you know about mechanical pumps and vapor locking. Why chance it. Kurt
Kurt we had two identical Dodge ram 15 passenger vans, one with a bigger gas tank and trim package. The smaller tank one would consistantly leave us stranded in the high plains desert where we would sit for 30 minutes, then it would start and take us about 10 miles before the whole process would start over. We had a mechanic put in an electric fuel pump which was back by the tank, which worked for the rest of that summer, but the next year it got vapor lock started up in the high plains desert again. So the 3rd year I called the Dodge Boys and spoke with an engineer. He recommended putting a quart of transmission fluid in with each case tank fill up while driving thru the dessert. So that summer we did, and never had vapor lock. According to the engineer, it wouldn't hurt the engine, and the transmission fluid raised the vapor point of the gas to prevent it from getting vapor lock going thru the hot fuel line.
Maybe wouldn't hurt to carry a quart to drop in the tank, should the problem start while your in the middle of no where(which is exactly where it happened to us every summer, and this was in the pre cell phone days, where their was no way to call for help. Usually we'd pack up as many kids as we could into the second van and send them ahead to the next destination, and a phone booth to call for a sag wagon for the second van, needless to say I didn't like that particular van very much!