Total Rebuild of a 1979 Dodge Class C

skimask wrote:
Your fuel pump thinking is almost dead on. A leak in the diaphragm will usually dump into the crankcase and wash out the oil. A rotten 'poppet valve' (or whatever they call that thing in mechanical pumps that kinda acts like a float needle) would allow fuel to be drawn back into the tank assuming the tank was fairly close. Next time it happens, I'd pop the air cleaner and have a look down the throttle bores and see if it looks wet.
(after-thought...I never smelled gas either but I think that's because after the fuel dumps into the intake, the smell kinda stays there because the throttle plates are closed)
I think the electric fuel pump option is the best idea. I mounted mine up near the front/rear tank selector knob, which is basically under the seats and ran the carb fuel line up the back of the tranny to the carb, totally bypassing those fuel lines that run between the block and the exhaust manifolds which seems to me like they'd soak up a LOT of heat while idling in traffic or driving slowly. I added an oil pressure switch as well as a manual power switch to control power to it. Just a regular ol' 5-7psi $30 fuel pump.
My thinking is that is almost TOTALLY eliminates the possibility of vapor lock and is one less mechanical thing to fail. I can hit the switch and make sure my carb is full before even hitting the key.