80 bird with 3208 cat keeps stalling - PLEASE help

[samax8]

-I agree with everyone else that you may have contaminated fuel. But
these old cats seem to run with pretty bad fuel so try the simple
things first. I beleive you have an air leak. I had a very similar
situation with the engine stalling but running and starting with
starter fluid. Turns out a newly replaced water seperator had a bad
seal and was allowing air to be sucked in. Replaced the seperator
and everything was fine. I could see air bubbles in the glass bowl
of the water seperator. Check yours if you can keep the engine
running for a few minutes. The water seperator is located at the top
rear of the engine.

Bill
82FC33

-- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Adria Haynes"
<mrbeebody@n...> wrote:
> Gurus,
>
> I had been here for a while, took a break, but have been lurking
> again
> for a while. I NEED HELP!
>
> What I have is a Wanderlodge 35fc with a newer 3208 Cat. We just
> used it last month for a long weekend that was 2 hours away and
> everything went excellent. We started the trip with 1/4 tank,
> filled up, and had 1/2 tank when the trip was over - which how it
> has sat for the past
> month.
>
> I fired it up for a few minutes on Thursday night to make sure we
> were ready to rock for the long weekend. After getting everything
> ready to head out - it wouldn't stay running. Per advice from
> friends and family, I changed the fuel filter at the back of the
> motor with a brand new one that was FULL of fuel. I also changed
out
> the water seperator and filter under the LP compartment door. I
> removed, refilled, and reinstalled the engine bay fuel filter a
> number of times. Each time priming it with the primer.
>
> After removing the air filter, the bus would start and run if I
shot
> and kept shooting starting fluid down the intake. After a while,
it
> seemed to be able to sustain on its own. I had to keep the
throttle
> pulled back to keep it idling a little over 1200. While the tach
> indicated steady RPM's, the cloud out the back indicated
sputtering
> within. Again, after a while it would run on its own, seem to run
> well, but not for long before it would start to sputter. At that
> point, I would remove the new fuel filter and find it to be only
> about 1/4 full of fuel - making me to believe that it died when
the
> fuel filter ran out of fuel. When removing the new filter, at the
> point when the seal breaks, it gives out that "shtook" popping
sound
> as though it were under heavy suction.
>
> Another interesting thing is that after having been run, I would
> turn the valve on the water seperator. Not only would the liquids
> not just stream out - it would "burble and chug" out the bottom
but
> only do so after it looked like it sucked air IN - as though there
> were a natural vacuum.
>
> After having the vacation already wrecked, I need to focus on
> getting it back up and running again ASAP. I read a post on the
> vintagebirds.com site in which a gentleman indicated that he had an
> 81 with a 1/2 tank that acted like he was out of fuel and that he
> added more fuel and it behaved as long as he kept it above the 1/2
> tank level until he did something with a 1/4" copper line.
>
> I'm unclear as to what he did to fix it and cannot contact him.
>
> Is it a common problem for a bird such as mine to ALL OF A SUDDEN
> act like it has a heavy fuel restriction or act like its out of
> gas? My uncle seems to think its acting like it's sucking air
into
> the line or there is a restriction.
>
> Please help, I'm desperate. Any help, suggestions, or anything
> would be HUGELY appreciated.
>
> Thanks, John in Flint.