Sock for fuel draw tube

[bmohan55]

Should the fuel draw tube on an SIII have a sock on it? I'm going through an in-line fuel filter every week (about 80-100 miles, guessing as speedometer not working). I've replaced all fuel lines recently, and fuel pump. The tank looks new, when I get home from work I'll examine the sediment bowl & screen as I thought I saw some sediment in it as I lay along side the road.
Thanks

I didn't see a sock listed in the RN on-line catalog.

[Les Parker]

Yes, the pick up pipe should have a micro-guaze filter on it.
I would try the local NAPA, with pick-up tube in hand, and see if they have a generic one to fit.

[Leslie]

At least in my neck of the woods, NAPA or Advance didn't have anything close.

What I ended up doing was getting some screen and made a replacement.

I originally used a hose clamp to hold it on, then discovered that the clamp was too large to fit into the hole.

I then instead, used a bit of copper wire wrapped it around the mesh, then soldered the wire to the tube. It works.

I've since then, seen references to a better screen, being one found in a paint gun. I've not looked into it, but that might be a place to start, over near the air-compressor accessories, at the paint guns, to find something usable.

[Cosmic88]

Ditto...

I am waiting for my new fuel tank to arrive tomorrow due to a similar problem. After some very rough running and a carb (Zenith 36) overhaul... I dropped the old fuel tank and removed the sender and blank... I was very surprised to see so much sediment. The sides and bottom of the tank appeared to be "clean", in that it was mostly silver in color. No matter, there was about a tablespoon worth of rust particles and assorted sediment.

The original screen on my pick up was mostly in tact but had a 1/4 in. hole near the top (where it is soldered to the tube). I replaced this screen with a fine copper mesh and brazed the copper to the original tube. I aquired this copper mesh at a local electronics / military contract surplus store called Skycraft. It was not as fine a mesh as the original but I figured the new screen could filter large particulates and the new fuel filter (before the fuel pump) would collect the finer particles. Maybe I am now more paranoid than Ozzy Osbourne but I also have a sediment bowl in line before the carb. This also acts as a fuel resevoir so I avoid air in the fule line just before the pump jet. Clean fuel means less time cleaning the carb jets.

New tank, new pick-up screen, pre-pump filter and sediment bowl, pre-carb.... maybe I should switch to a diesel / battery hybrid.

[thixon]

http://www.finishsystems.com/spraygunfiltration.html

Leslie,

Heres what your talking about. They come in many sizes and flavors. I'm using one in my truck that came from my hvlp gun. I had to "talk it into" fitting properly, but will hopefully work well.

[Les Parker]

Yes, thats what I alluding to, thanks for the link, Travis.

[bmohan55]

thanks, I get one of those to be safe but last night I dropped the tank and it looked brand new...spotless inside with no sediment. I did notice that the fuel line from tank to pump was shot (unbelieveably I overlooked that one when replacing the others) so I'll replace all lines (again) tonight as my guess is that the deteriorated line left particals throughout the whole system.

[Donnie]

When one of my trucks was bringing up rust, It seems like the lesd additives will loosen it up...JMO. I mounted a house oel filter/ furnace filter on the frame . Why catch all the rust in your tank? Just carry a couple xtra filters and a can to put them in, coffee can works when you change them. They are quite large & hold a lot... When your buggy starts burping & skipping a beat pull off & change it...If your tank is crappy, U will plug up a in the tank sock b4 you get out of town...........

[Cosmic88]

My main reason for filtering larger particles "in" the tank first is to prevent any blockage of the pickup tube and the elbow at its top. Anything large enough to block that tube (rust flakes in tank or foreign object from filler) would restrict fuel regardless of other filters in the system. Just a precaution.