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Originally Posted by Rickertsen2
And what is vapor lock?
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It's when the gas ceases to flow due to the fact it got so hot it begins to boil and possibly evaporate. Without a supply of gas the engine won't continue running or won't start if it's off. Allowing it to cool down and stop boiling will allow the vehicle to run again.
Vapor lock can also happen when the gas tank can't vent and the pump is unable to draw more gas due to the vacuum being created.
For vapor lock to happen there's a problem or combination of problems to cause this. The engine has overheated or is running extremely hot, and hot weather just makes it worse. The vent hose on the fuel tank is clogged or has collapsed, or on some vehicles the fuel filler cap is no longer able to vent. The gas could also be bad.
EDIT: I should also mention that vapor lock isn't as common today as it used to be back when all cars had carburators, gas wasn't as refined, and most vehicles lacked fan shrouds. Although not as common today it's still possible it could happen if somethings wrong and the right conditions are made.