Painted Fuel Tank Vent

[peakbagger]

While diagnosing why my SEE started running out of fuel when running, I discovered that the fuel tank vent on mine is equipped with a bronze screen which was nicely painted over rendering the bronze screen useless. This vent is screwed into the top of the tank and has a hose barb sticking out the side. It has an internal ball in it that seals the vent if the tank is flipped. I am not sure if this is the only thing wrong with the fuel system but is definitely a potential contributor. There is some airflow through the barb whne its held vertical but not a lot. I am going to try to clean the screen with paint remover but have also found a replacement that is similar on order (by Velvac) but it may need a thread bushing to fit the tank thread. The paint looks like it came from the factory when the tank was originally painted.

When I rigged up a temporary fuel tank, the throttle response improved substantially, I always keep the fuel tank cover snug so the tank was under partial vacuum. It may be worth for others to see if their truck runs better with the fuel cap removed (or loose) and check to see if their vent is painted over. The tank doesn't need to come out to remove it.