1970 Cutlass S 350/350...


It appears at some point somebody replaced the manual fuel pump with a unit that does not have a return line to the tank. The return line was closed shut. I want to clean up the engine compartment (OCD kicking in) and eliminate the return line altogether clear back to the fuel sending unit.


Some tell me I should get the correct pump and refit the return line. Others tell me the return line is pointless anyway so eliminate it. I've never had a problem with it this way - it has never delivered too much fuel without a return line and I have never experienced vapor lock due to excessive heat. Could I have those problems in the future? Thoughts?


(I apologize in advance if this question has already been asked. I searched and only found references to the separate vapor line and that's not what I'm wondering about here.)

 

Yes, this question gets asked about once a month or so.

As I like to point out, GM was not in the habbit of installing parts that were not necessary, as their goal was to build cars as inexpensively as possible to maximize profit. The fact that you've been lucky on vapor lock and percolation so far is no guarantee that it will never happen again, especially as the quality of gasoline goes down (and ethanol content goes up). You can'e even see the return line in the engine compartment. Get the correct fuel pump, hook it up properly, and stop obsessing about it. The whole point of fuel return is to keep the fuel cooler, especially on cars with high underhood temps (high performance and A/C cars).