Technical Starting Engine After Car Sitting 3 Months

Hi All,

I'm guilty of neglecting my 53' Chevy (from a driving standpoint) with a SBC 350 and Edelbrock carb. It drove in late July to the garage it's in now and I've been squaring away brake system issues. Since then I started it up in late August/early September and to my surprise it fired up first try (usually it takes a couple times). I let it run for about 5 minutes then shut it off. Since then nothing has changed with the engine. It has pretty new wires, plugs, and a new HEI unit installed earlier in the summer.

I tried to start it yesterday and it would turn over but wouldn't start up. It almost would for a super short while and it would sound rough when it did. I'm guessing there is bad fuel in the system from sitting? I think I had put gas in mid/early July or late June.

The tank seemed super low from evaporation (it's a custom tank with a vent hose going to upper wheelwell) and I went to Chevron and got two gallons of Octane 89. I tried again and no luck. I also sprayed carb cleaner in the carb and then went to crank but it didn't start up.

Have any of you encountered situations like this? The obvious is to get a hand siphon pump and try remove all gas. I don't know that the two gallons of Octane 89 was a waste now. I bought starting fluid but changed my mind after reading it's better to avoid using it.

 

As bad as today's gas may be, I don't think 3 months is enough to completely spoil it. If you know the unmistakable smell of old gasoline your nose will tell you right away.

Look down the carb throat as you pump the accelerator. Do you see it squirting?
It is possible you flooded it. Try cranking it with the throttle wide open.

 

Put some of that gas in the carb, and try again

 

Thanks, I didn't smell anything unusual with the gasoline but I don't know what old gasoline would smell like. Yes when I took the air cleaner off and I turned the throttle by hand I could see the fuel squirting.

When I crank with the throttle wide open that's when it almost wants to start but has a rough sound (that could also be the glasspack exhaust I'm hearing).

 

How much do I put in? Do I open the throttle and pour some in? Sorry for asking dumb questions but I'm not experienced with carbs and would love to avoid a fire as the apartment my roommate and I live in is directly above the 1 car garage it's sitting inside of.

 

Well you don't know what you've been missing. To me, bad gas smells like old oil based paint or varnish but 100 times stronger.
DON'T DUMP GAS IN! You already proved you HAVE GAS. So try cranking it with the throttle wide open. I'd bet you flooded it the first time around.

 

Look down the carbs throat and work the accelerator linkage. See if it squirts fuel. If not after a couple of tries sounds like no fuel. No fuel means it's not being pumped to the carb. Gas that Old setting in your carb could easily clog things up. Prime the carb with fresh fuel and turn it over. If it doesn't lite up. Disconnect the fuel line add a hose and see if you can pump fuel by turning the ending over. May have a spark issue. Insure you have a hot battery. Report back with you findings.

 

Your gas wouldn't have gone bad in 3 months,try pumping the gas and make sure it's getting fuel..HRP

 

I will keep that in mind regarding the gas smell.

I let it sit overnight since yesterday. Is that typically enough time when it's flooded? I tried again an hour ago with the throttle wide open and same thing. It almost wants to start with throttle wide open.

 

Are you getting a good park,have you fooled with the timing? HRP

 

Thanks so much. I have put the battery to charge with the battery tender and it had turned to green yesterday before I tried to start it up. I also let it charge again overnight just to make sure.

When I work the accelerator linkage I saw fuel squirting. This was with the ignition turned off. How do I prime the carb with fresh fuel and not flood or add too much?

I'm a little surprised there would be a spark issue but who knows. The wires, plugs and HEI unit are pretty recent and I didn't touch any of that since last time it fired up in late Aug.

 

No, since last time it ran the only thing I've been doing is the brake system and I haven't touched anything with the engine. I can definitely hear the fuel pump running too.

 

sitting for 3 months is nothing. my 61 Dodge sat for 5 years stuck in the back of my shop needing brakes and when I drug it out it started up with little fuss.

as stated if the carb is squirting gas you don't need to prime the carb. you only prime the carb when the carb is dry and you need to run the motor until the fuel pump catches up and fills the bowl.

got points? check your points. take a look at the plugs, remove one, and ground it, turn the motor over and see what your spark looks like

 

3 months? That's practically two shakes of a lamb's tail.

 

I wonder what the heck I did then. Maybe it's flooded and I'm not waiting or starting it at the right times?

It has an HEI Streetfire unit that is pretty new and pretty recent spark plugs with low miles on them. I'll have to wait until I can find someone to help me crank it while I look at a plug.

If it almost wants to start when I have the pedal floored is it likely not a spark issue? I know it almost wants to when floored. There's a distinct difference when holding the pedal and cranking.

 

Sounds flooded....maybe the floats are stuck in the carb...so it's flooding out. Try tapping the carb near the fuel inlet...sometimes thatll make the needle and seat seal up..

 

Thanks I'll look at the carb again.

One other thing I notice is the electronic choke may not be set up right. I had adjusted it a while ago. In the current San Diego weather the choke butterfly plate is open all the way pretty quickly, around the same time I am cranking.

 

You can set the choke by hand. Push on the plate while opening the throttle. It should go close and stay closed.

 

Thanks I moved the choke butterfly to the closed position by hand and it had went back to open. This was with the ignition on. I didn't try it at the same time as opening the throttle. I need to do it simultaneously?

 

The typical routine to start a car with an automatic choke carburetor is to press the gas pedal at least once before turning the key. Pressing the gas pedal frees the choke plate from the detent (and in cold weather the spring should pull the plate down automatically) and also allows the high idle cam to engage. So, yes, if your automatic choke isn't setting automatically, then open the throttle while helping the choke plate move. Even a manual cable choke requires pressing the throttle to free the choke plate.

I figure you San Diego guys don't have a lot of choke experience like us northerners.

 

A bad HEI module will act that way.

 

you do have a fire extinguisher handy? the car is back on the ground so if there is a problem you can roll it away from the house?

 

Thanks, that would be so annoying but maybe possible. It ran fine late Aug/early Sept. Could an HEI go bad sitting? I imagine it could.

One other thing is the car sat on jackstands only on the front for about a month and a half before putting jackstands on the rear. I wonder if that messed something up in the carb.

 

Thanks, yes I have the fire extinguisher that I keep inside the car. I will pull it out. It is tough to roll the car out far as the driveway is steep in the uphill direction.

 

stick a screwdriver in the carb to hold the choke open and hold the accel pedal to the floor and carnk it, if its flooded it should try to start. if it does start and clear out you will be ok, if it has a miss after a couple minutes of running throw a set of plugs in it, you will have to set that choke or it will likely happen again.

 

Thanks. The choke plate is fully open the way it is set up right now within a short while of turning the ignition on. I should floor the pedal and crank once it is fully open?

 

I've seen the module go bad any time and for any reason, including no reason!

 

OK, starting from scratch. You want the choke CLOSED on a cold engine for a first start. The idea of the screwdriver to hold the choke open is only advised for a flooded engine, and your choke is open already.
Cold non-flooded engine:
1. Press pedal to floor and release
2. Crank
No start? Remove air filter and verify choke is closed. If not, close it by hand and then crank again.

 

Follow Mike51's suggestions. Sounds like you are starving for gas because the carb is not choking rather than flooding it.

 

Getting a lot of advise telling you to do different things, Mike51Merc's advise above is what I would follow if I were you. You said you had adjusted the choke before, and you also said it wasn't closing now, indicating to me that your adjustment might not have been spot on. On a cold engine the choke should close as Mike51Merc described. Step on the throttle one, that should allow the choke to close. However, I don't think you really need a choke to start it in the weather and temps we've been having. My A pickup doesn't have a functioning choke at all and it fires right up when cold.