How to Make Your Car Last Forever: Avoid Expensive Repairs, Improve Fuel Economy, Understand Your Warranty, Save Money

Intake manifold: For lack of a better analogy, the manifold sat on top of the
engine and acted like a distribution center for air and fuel. The carburetor was
mounted atop the intake manifold, which acted like a funnel into which all the
fuel was poured into the engine. The manifold was usually cast out of iron or
aluminum. It had chambers through which the air-fuel mixture flowed to each
cylinder for combustion.
Mechanical fuel pump: The mechanical fuel pump was located somewhere
on the engine; it was driven by either the camshaft or by a separate drive-
mechanism. The fuel pump was connected in series in the fuel system with the
fuel tank and the carburetor (and sometimes a fuel pressure regulator). This
pump generated fuel flow to the carburetor. Problems cropped up when either
the mechanical arm (or driver) of the fuel pump wore out, or the diaphragm
within the pump wore out, resulting in loss of fuel pressure and contamination of
the crankcase with wayward fuel.