1972 Bus - Fuel in Oil

[Gregory1234]

Hello there! I am a recent owner of a 1972 Campmobile! As fun as it has been, I've run into a bit of trouble, mostly concerning a troubling fuel-in-oil problem I have. Please bare with me, I am a not very experienced beginner!

The previous owner at some point converted the stock engine to a Weber 32/36 DFAV with an electric pump with only a patent number printed on it. The engine was running extremely rich, and attempting to adjust the carburetor did not seem to work at all. I was worried that the pump was pushing more than what the carburetor could handle. Sometime later, I removed the dipstick and smelled a very strong fuel smell, as well as the oil level being way too high.

I installed a Holley pressure regulator that was recommended by someone on this site. I also had the carburetor rebuilt, which was a fun experience!

I'm not sure if the pressure regulator is working, the carburetor was still not adjusting properly. After flushing the old oil out, and after running it for awhile, I noticed that the oil smelled like gas again. Go figure! I am wondering whether or not to just replace the pump as well..

If anyone has any input on this, I would greatly appreciate it! I have little knowledge what I am talking about, so I apologize if I messed some wording up. Thank you for reading!

[Jrh5r]

So I take it this is an electric pump. I would check pressure regulator with a gauge and then check and make sure the floats in the carbs aren’t stuck open and are adjusted properly as well as checking the flit needle valve and seat
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1973 1.7L Bus

[aeromech]

You must figure out the pump outlet pressure. It could be anywhere from 5 psi up to 40 psi. You are hoping for 5 and then regulate it down to about 2 1/2
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[Gregory1234]

[Gregory1234]

[busdaddy]

[sjbartnik]

[Gregory1234]

[Wildthings]

You want a gauge just for checking carburetor fuel pumps, or for checking carb fuel pumps and engine vacuum. A gauge that reads 0-40 or even 0-20 will typically be very inaccurate at the bottom end of their range.

Here is a cheapie Harbor Freight one: https://www.harborfreight.com/fuel-pump-and-vacuum-tester-62637.html

[mikedjames]

The carburettor only needs a small amount of dirt in the needle valve and it will leak despite having the correct fuel pressure.

In the worst case, it will even leak with just the pressure of fuel from the tank, if the tank is full.

I protect my progressive from leaking by putting a solenoid cutoff valve between the fuel tank and the fuel pump, so when the ignition is off, there is no fuel pressure on the carburettor.

While I have owned my bus, driving it about 90000 miles, the needle valve has worn and leaked about four times, and on two occasions, the engine has flooded and stopped when driving gently because of fuel leaking past the metering valve.

But I do not get gas in the oil.
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Ancient vehicles and vessels

1974 VW T2 : Devon Eurovette camper with 1641 DP T1 engine, Progressive carb, full flow oil cooler, EDIS crank timed ignition.
Engine 1: 40k miles (rocker shaft clip fell off), Engine 2: 30k miles (rebuild, dropped valve). Engine 3: a JK Preservation Parts "new" engine, aluminium case: 26k miles: new top end.
Gearbox rebuild 2021 by Bears.

1979 Westerly GK24 24 foot racer/cruiser yacht Forethought of Gosport.
1973 wooden Pacer sailing dinghy

[Gregory1234]

[Gregory1234]

[Wildthings]

Unfortunately most all progressive installs are quick fixes. The throttle linkage and cables are most often a low grade jury rig and the crankcase ventilation is frequently not dealt with at all but to leave a hose dangling in the engine compartment spewing an oily mix.

Note that the VW Transporter fuel system is very similar to many marine setups where the fuel tank is above the level of the carburetor so adding elements of a marine fuel system can be a plus. A marine anti siphon valve to the system can keep the fuel system from leaking through when the engine is shut down.

[Gregory1234]