AMC Eagle Den Forum

Hi Everyone
Eagle comes home tomorrow to roost
driving her home tomorrow
insured--- bad brakes

I noticed in the forum that the standard fuel filter is two-eared - apparently for some sort of feedback or pressure release situation which I will thoroughly study up on ASAP
Question is - if the carb is original apparently a Carter - is it imperative to use that 2-eared filter? Dumb question eh?  probably so, why would they use it if it wasn't imperative right? Anyway-I looked today briefly when I had a friend who is a "scrapper" look at the undercarriage before I plop down the cash tomorrow- and saw that this fuel line has one of those snazzy clear filters (yeah-right-snazzy lol) - 1 inlet 1 outlet and just now saw the dog-eared standard type ffuel filter on the forum ---
So friends, how do I identify which carb is supposed to use that dog-eared filter so I can figure out if that's the set-up I need to go back to? And is it mandatory on that particular Carter carb?
I just want to get her home safely - she runs and has her fuel quirks but she should make it 50 miles
thanks in advance
SNOWMAGEDDON
"forget the tractor- she thinks my Eagle's sexy"

by two eared I am gonna guess you mean two outlet,, one goes to the carb float bowl and one is a return line back to the tank,, it looks like and is located here (http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w128/n9xvt/061111190434.jpg) while I dont find a pic I thought I had one? mine has a second filter under by the tank,, my guess is someone that had my car suffered a plugged filter and to try to keep that from happening again they added a second filter under there,,and yeah it has the carter setup with the stepper and things,,hope this helps

Yeah, as n9xvt said, the second, smaller line is the fuel return.  If they disconnected it, that was probably a band-aid fix for another issue, possibly a weak fuel pump or a return fuel line that was leaking.

All of the Eagles with the 258 had the return fuel system.  If you look closely, the steel return line will be buried somewhere on the driver side fender wall near the strut tower.  I think it was only the 4 cylinders, or possibly only the GM Iron Duke motors that didn't use the return system.  I'm not sure if it's a difference in design of the carburetors or some other reasoning behind it, but one thing I have read is that part of the return setup is that it keeps vapor bubbles from getting into the carb when the fuel becomes heated/boils within the fuel lines under the hood.  That's why the return line/filter is supposed to be installed at the 12 o'clock position, so the bubbles will rise up to the return hose and not get pulled into the carb.

When I got my 84 dodge van somebody had already taken the return system out of the loop, basically they just cut the return hose and stuck a screw in the end.  Really, everything on that van was repaired with hose clamps and sheet metal screws, it was a wonder that it ran.  But that van ran terribly rich at idle when I got it, and I think that was why, the pressure had nowhere to go was getting forced into the carb.  Although in theory, the fuel shouldn't have been able to be forced in unless the float needle wasn't seating properly.  I tried putting the return line back on.  There were 3 spots on the 15 foot long steel line that were irrigating my driveway with 87 octane, so I didn't get a chance to find out if it ran better that way.  I just leaned it out enough at idle that it wasn't loading up at lights, and left it that way.

Quote from: n9xvt on December 16, 2011, 08:49:00 PM
by two eared I am gonna guess you mean two outlet,, one goes to the carb float bowl and one is a return line back to the tank,, it looks like and is located here (http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w128/n9xvt/061111190434.jpg) while I dont find a pic I thought I had one? mine has a second filter under by the tank,, my guess is someone that had my car suffered a plugged filter and to try to keep that from happening again they added a second filter under there,,and yeah it has the carter setup with the stepper and things,,hope this helps

This one is not installed correctly. The outlet on the right should be on top, directly above the other one so that as stated any air bubbles rise up to the return line.

The fuel tank had a sock filter on the fuel pickup float. That has likely been replaced or removed already if the vehicle is able to run at all. Antique cars, especially ones that sat for any time at all, are unlikely to have the original sock filter still on the pickup tube. As a new Eagle owner you have the burden of pulling the fuel tank and finding out for sure if it had been done in the past.

All my Eagles have a plastic inline filter right outside of the fuel tank. Thats one input and one output. The sock filter is gone. That filter will need to be replaced a dozen times a year if the car has a history of sitting, and will never need to be replaced if the car has been a daily driver since it left the factory. I also put a glass housing with replaceable filter in front of the fuel pump and then a brand new filter where it belongs. The two filters in front of it keep me from worrying about the metal canister clogging without me knowing it. The first filter clogs twice or three times as fast as the second one in front of the fuel pump, but I usually replace both of those every two or three years.

I re-installed the return-line filter on both my cars after rich idle problems. One because I had to bypass a return that rusted out, the other came to me like that.

I'm not sure it's necessary, but you'd have to make sure your needle sits tight and probably lower the float level a touch to deal with the added pressure. I don't believe the BBD is as sensitive as a Weber to fuel pressure.

I put a 2 line see thru filter in the rubber hose right before the fuel pump where it's easy to see and access without crawling under the car. Then I remove the sock in the tank and only have to worry about large crud blocking the line (not likely since the tank was cleaned out at the same time)