[CSGAS]

Every time gasoline gets reformulated for "better emissions" the result seems worse and worse for carbureted vehicles.

One of the most annoying experiences I had was when California introduced laws that resulted in alcohol and MTBE heavy formulas at the pump. alcohol evaporates after all, which means if you didn't use what you bought within a day or so your tank suddenly had 10% less fuel than you paid for and the residue left behind took the form of crystals that would clog the needle and seat. Since lobbyists drown out anyone who actually understands this, all I could do was rebuild my carb every six months when the formulas changed again.

That was years ago and to me, things are getting worse. While California discovered the flaws in their love of MTBE, many states are still encouraging it because they want to be "just like California"...uhh, California has problems! Adding more and more alcohol doesn't help either, especially if it's the kind that likes to grab loose bits of rubber on its way to the carb or absorb water before it evaporates.

I know I rambled a bit, and I may be wrong about this but it sounds like you have the same problems I faced. The solution for the moment is simply to clean and retune the same system even if the new tune isn't the same as the old (compensating for leaner fuel). The fuels billed as compensating for poor-running engines are bad for good-running engines!

Also, when you know you are going to run through a tank of gas in a reasonable amount of time (planning a trip to a far-off cruise-in?) go ahead and replace the alcohol that evaporated. "Fuel treatments" are mostly isopropyl alcohol, intended to absorb any water in your tank and carry it to the combustion chamber before it causes rust in your tank--more garbage!!!

If you add fuel filters to your system to catch any rust or garbage that may be clogging your needle and seat--I recommend NAPA part# 23002 for 5/16" lines, they are dirt cheap and clear so you can see when they are dirty--add one between the tank and fuel pump somewhere, like the hose between the tank and line, which has probably started cracking from the wonderful fuel mixtures by now anyway.

Hmmm...it must be time for my "happy pill"