![vapor lock vapor lock](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61wKbCA-MVL._SL1500_.jpg)
At the same time, it’s immersed in fuel and a lower temperature compared to the older mechanical pump located in the engine compartment. This technology allows the pump to operate at a low point in the tank. Vapor lock is less prevalent in modern engines because they use in-tank, electric fuel pumps. The problem is also common when a vehicle has been idling or turned off and then back on. Vapor lock is more common in older car models however, it became more predominant in carbureted engines with the appearance of the modern fuel injection system. When it happens, it disrupts the correct air to fuel ratio and prevents fuel from reaching the specific fuel lines, resulting in engine stops. That should fix it, Steve.Vapor lock happens when fuel overheats and turns to vapor in a fuel injector, fuel line, or carburetor. Tom: But when that doesn't work, replace the coolant-level sensor. So it's worth topping off the coolant before you try anything else. And it's possible that your coolant level is low in the radiator (even if the overflow-bottle level is OK). Ray: There is a radiator fill cap, but it might be on the engine itself, rather than on the radiator. We replace a lot of these on Fords, so that would be my first guess. Tom: I think it's your coolant-level sensor. What you have, Steve, is a sensor problem. A blockage problem is what happens when my brother eats two entire bags of Newman's Own organic pretzels in one sitting. The temperature gauge never rises above halfway. The level in the overflow tank is at the "maximum" line all the time, and unless I am totally lost there is no fill cap on the (really thin) radiator itself. My coolant-level light usually stays on, whether the engine is cool or has been running for a while. I think I have a problem with my 2001 Ford Escape. And congratulations on driving at a reasonable-enough speed so you saw the accident and reacted safely to it in the first place. Tom: So your "safety-first" instinct was the right one here, Peter. The way the cars were flying all over the highway, there was no safe place to pull off, unless I drove way past the scene and ran back. On the other hand, the safety-first instinct tells me that to stop the car in the dark, even on the grass, with my wife and two children aboard, would have been an invitation to make a bad situation worse.
VAPOR LOCK DRIVERS
The good Samaritan instinct in me tells me that I should have stopped, and even though I have no medical training, I could have at least popped a couple of flares to warn drivers coming over the hill. Moments later, we saw a police car responding to our call. My wife called 911 on the cell phone to report the accident. Off to the left and off to the right were two cars on the grass presumably, they also swerved off the road to avoid the accident. As I did this, a truck rear-ended a car that had slowed down to avoid the accident. I slowed down, swerved into the right lane and dodged a piece of accident debris. A car was stopped at an angle across the left and middle lanes. recently, we were in the middle lane as came over the crest of a slight hill. They were probably the poor folks who took his advice the day before.
![vapor lock vapor lock](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/opHKe6K_6rc/maxresdefault.jpg)
Ray: Those cars stalled by the side of the road probably weren't vapor-locked.