My Father in law has a 2001 S10 that he inherited that isn’t starting and asked me for help to get it ruining. I took a look at it and the problem was that it was not getting any fuel. The truck sat without being started for over a year. After throughly checking the furl system I determined that the fuel pump was not working. We ordered a new one and installed it. So far so good as the new pump is running when the key is turned and it’s delivering fuel as it should. Bad news is the fuel isn’t making it to the carb, so of course the truck won’t start.
My next course of action was to follow the fuel system from the pump towards the engine and the next logical item that could be causing a problem is the fuel filter. We purchased a new one and I attempted to install it today and this is where I’m running into problems. This truck was a northern vehicle and has the most serious rust problems I’ve ever seen on a car. The body is good, but everything on the undercarriage if completely covered in rust. The frame, the spare tire, and every exposed component is covered in rust. I’m assuming this is from years of being exposed to salted roads in the winter time (I’m a southern boy, so I have very little experience with this type of corrosion). The problem I’m running into is the connection where the fuel line from the fuel pump connects with the fuel filter is so rusted I cannot get the nut to turn to remove the filter. The fuel line is threaded and the filter has a captive nut that the line screws into. Usually this wouldn’t pose a problem. First I would soak it in penetrating oil (I did that, but it didn’t help) and if that didn’t work I would use a torch to heat the nut to expand it so it would loosen. Obviously I can’t do that since the filter is full of fuel. So I’m puzzled how to get this connection undone. I’ve thought that the best way to do this would be to use a dremel and cut a line in the captive nut to relieve the pressure. The biggest downside to that is if I should cut too deep I’ll screw the threads up on the fuel line and then I’ll have to replace it as well. So, any advice as to how to free up this connection without using heat?
FWIW, I sprayed some starting fluid into the carb and the engine briefly fired up, so it seems the starting issue is confined solely to the fuel delivery problem. I’m assuming that what has happened is that the truck sat so long that the fuel evaporated leaving behind a gummy residue that killed the fuel pump and most likely clogged the filter as well. I’m hoping that this hasn’t resulted in the fuel lines themselves becoming clogged with gummy residue.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions on how to get the filter connection undone. And I feel for owners of vehicles that live up north. The salt really does a number on your cars and trucks. I now know why my father always told me to never buy a used car that came from a northern climate.
Give the penetrating oil time to soak in. Like a couple of hours, occasionally re-applying. What kind are you using? Hopefully not WD40. I like PB Blaster, but sometimes it’s worth just trying different kinds.
Bottom line though, it’s just going to take a butt-load of force to get the fittings loose. Make sure you’ve got good quality wrenches that aren’t going to round the nuts. What you really want is a pair of good flare nut wrenches. You’re giving me flashbacks to my GM-owning days with those fuel filters. They’re always rusty and they always feel like they’re never, ever going to break loose… until they do, and then boy does that feel good!
Worst case, they do sell fuel line repair kits that would let you cut the lines on either end of the filter and splice in small sections of FI-grade rubber hose and replacement fittings, but I’d call that a very distant Plan B. The filter should come off with enough elbow grease.
Seconding GreasyJacks recommendation of PB Blaster. Soak the affected area, then wait, then repeat. For a particularity rusty or stubborn thread, I’ve let it soak in for days.
Sometimes slightly tightening the nut will break it loose as well. If you can jam one wrench against the body lightly tapping the other wrench with a small hammer will sometimes break loose the rust.
I’m using a dedicated penetrating oil, but I can’t recall the brand. It will be a week before I can get out there again, so I’ll ask him to apply the penetrating oil everyday and with any luck it will work. The flare wrenches are a good idea, I’ll try those. The biggest problem in using force is that access is somewhat limited as the filter is mounted on the frame rail and had several hard lines running around it. That makes trying to manipulate the wrenches difficult. Not to mention I’m lying in my back with limited room to move and because of the rust every time I touch the frame I’m covered in rust flakes, yummy yummy rust flakes.
As much as I enjoy the challenge of working on mechanical things I really think those who choose to be professional mechanics must be crazy. I can think of few professions that would be more frustrating to do day after day. My hat’s off to you, Mr. Professional Mechanic Guy.
Is it possible the carburetor float is stuck? A common problem with old non-fuel-injection vehicles. If I neglected to drain my motorbike in the fall, it would not want to start in the spring. A few good solid raps on the carburetor bowl might help. Happens a lot to season stuff like snowblowers and lawnmowers. Once you get it going, then some serious carburetor cleaner or something is needed in the gas.
I remember something similar many many moons ago, before I knew about this. A friend had an old Simca that sat all winter (something about a suspended license, a warning, taking the Greyhound home). We ended up driving it 30 miles through country back roads by filling a 2-litre bottle from the hose on the fuel pump while cranking the engine. The Simca had a European hood, so one guy sat on the windshield behind the hood and dribbled gas into the carburetor while another leaned out the driver’s window to see where he was driving.
I’m having a little trouble picturing exactly what the exact physical set-up looks like, but does the filter come with a new retaining nut? you are probably going to need a new one when you get the old one out, so you might want to secure the new one before you go any further.
Now, once you have the replacement nut, would it be worth just using a hacksaw to cut the head off the rusted one? There’s probably less rust deep in the threads, and you can tap out the rest of the nut.
Cutting through the lines, and just sawing the whole thing out, and then using two pieces of flexible fuel line, and four hose clamps to put the filter back in is always an option.
You said you sprayed starter fluid into the carb, but then you said it didn’t have a carburetor. I guess you mean you sprayed fluid into the throttle?
What he means is probably that he sprayed starting fluid into the throttle body that leads to the intake manifold. Looks like this in the link below, and is close enough for the average person to refer to as the carb.
No, it’s not a separate nut. There is a female thread fitting integral with the fuel filter body. A male thread fitting on the fuel line (which can spin on the line) threads into the filter. Trying to cut through the female fitting while the line is still attached will almost certainly damage the male fitting on the line.
This is a fuel injection system with relatively high fuel pressure. Hose and hose clamps will not hold.
I think you’re right, he sprayed it into the throttle body.
The nut that the fuel line screws into is a captive nut that is permanently attached to the fuel filter. It doesn’t rotate, the fuel line screw into it. A picture of one mounted on an s10 can be seen here (not my truck).
You said you sprayed starter fluid into the carb, but then you said it didn’t have a carburetor. I guess you mean you sprayed fluid into the throttle?
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The engine has a carb. I don’t recall mentioning fuel injection, but it’s the six cylinder carburated engine. Sorry for the confusion.
Here is a typical view of what the fuel filter looks like on an older Chevy and the two nuts that the OP is trying to get apart. The OP has the 2 nuts that are rusted/frozen together and so it won’t come apart as easily as in the youtube clip.
The set up is mostly the same on later GM and Ford models. The later GMs have a quicker disconnect fitting that doesn’t require much more than a small screwdriver to get the tabs to release. Fords have a little cheap connection tool that must be inserted in one end to release the connector.
You will usually find the fuel filter sitting protected up on the frame rail under the driver’s side of the car. Just did both the 2003 F150 of my wife’s and my 2002 Trans Am.
That would be quite an interesting vehicle, seeing as 1985 was the last year GM produced a carbureted S10. If it’s a 2001, it’s fuel injected, unless someone modified it, which is very hard to believe.
Gotcha on what it looks like. I’ve dealt with those before. I was a mechanic in the Army. I’ve also dealt with extremely rusted parts, because I once had a 1961 Falcon Ranchero. I used to pull my own parts for it from junkyards, because usually junkyards didn’t bother to part out cars that old when they got them. Spraying it periodically over several days with a rust remover is probably your best bet.
You might also try vise-grip pliers. If you have a soft mallet, hitting it a couple of times after it’s been soaking might help, but don’t hit it with a hammer, or anything that could bang it up and make the wrench not fit.
Yeah, if it really has a carburetor that’s not the original engine. The last carbureted car sold in the US was a 1994 Isuzu pickup. Was the fuel pump you changed in the gas tank?
If you do indeed have some sort of Franken-truck with a carburetor (and the low pressure fuel pump to match), you might as well just cut out the FI-grade fuel filter and put in a cheapo generic fuel filter with rubber hose.
