Vapor seperator plugged?

[Mopar_Mudder]

Getting ready to put the vapor seprator back in the truck of a 71 Cuda. Was blowing the line out to clean them and noticed that the line that run up to the valve cover seems to be plugged. I can't blow air in or suck air out of it at all. Is their any sort of check valve or something it them. Any cut away showing what is actually inside these things?

[Barracudadan]

Try soaking it in evap-o-rust for a day or two it helped mine. Sorry I have no clue how to troubleshoot these things.

[Mopar_Mudder]

I have that tube sitting pull of brake cleaner now. Can't really soak the entire thing as it is all painted and ready to go back in the car.

I can slide a wire up in it about 8" before it stops. Want to make sure their isn't a check valve or something in their before I start jambing too hard on it to break through.

[Mopar_Mudder]

I think I have found my answer in this old thread:

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=QuestionAnswer&Number=5420650&Searchpage=1&Main=5420442&Words=vapor+%2Bseperator+%2Bplugged&topic=&Search=true#Post5420650

Evidently their is only a small pin hole at the top of that tube. I can't imagine any of these things work after a couple of year and that pin hole rusts shut......really don't want to have to take the top cap off and then resolder it back on. Guess I will start jambing some wire down it and hope I get lucky.

[Barracudadan]

The vapor separator I was talking about is a totally different looking animal than the one pictured in the Moparts link you posted. Never even seen one of those before. Glad you found a solution to your problem. I don`t think evap-o-rust will remove any paint if you have to soak it.

[burdar]

EvapoRust will remove paint if you soak it long enough.  I'd suggest filling the separator with Evaporust, then plug all but the clogged tube.  Tip it up on end so the EvapoRust can work on the clog.  Eventually, you should see the EvapoRust leaking out the tube.

[Mopar_Mudder]

EvapoRust will remove paint if you soak it long enough.  I'd suggest filling the separator with Evaporust, then plug all but the clogged tube.  Tip it up on end so the EvapoRust can work on the clog.  Eventually, you should see the EvapoRust leaking out the tube.

I will have to give that a try if I get home tonight and can't get it open using good old force 

Now that I know what it is like inside it is a little easier to deal with. like you said I can fill it with a rust desolver using the other tubes.

[Mopar_Mudder]

Wanted to update that after sitting all night with brake cleaner in the plugged tube I got no where. I rammed and jammed a stiff wire up in the pluged tube with no luck. Funny thing is I can only get about 1/2 way up the pluged tube, can't get all the way to the top where the small vent hole is suppose to be.

So last night I filled the plugged tube and the main vapor tank with Eastwood rust desolver that I had sitting around. Left it in their and will see if it has any luck at all, don't know if I will get to it tonight or not so it might sit in their for two days.

[Mopar_Mudder]

Ok 24 hours of being full of rust desolver did nothing to help.

So had to go at it the hard way and unsolder the cap that is on top, which of course burnt off the nice paint job I had on it.

Had to spread open the crimped end of the vent tube (the hole in the end wasn't plugged), stick a 1/8 steel rod down inside it and drive it through with a hammer 
A pile of rusty red/brown powered came out the other end. After lots more roding and blowing I got it all cleaned out. Soldered it back together and not it is ready for another paint job 

Moral of the story: Always check every line to make sure it is open BEFORE you go ahead and paint it and get ready to put it back together......