Hey guys so I run into a hard starting issue when my 63 impala sits for a week. There’s like no gas in the carb and it takes several 5 second cranks for it to fire up. It’s not good for it to crank this long. Is there a way I can get it to fire up right away after it’s been sitting for a week or longer? I have starting fluid.
What's your procedure prior to turning the key to start it? Do you give it a couple pumps of the gas pedal first? Is your choke working so you can set the choke by a single push of the gas pedal to let it close? Have you removed the air cleaner before starting and worked the throttle linkage to see if it gets gas when the linkage is operated?
My heap does this. I have an electric fuel pump, so I put in a manual over ride switch to prime the carb before starting. Prime, couple pumps on the go pedal and vroom.
Valves in the fuel pump are not holding, so the gas gravity feeds back to the tank. My 52 Willys Jeep did this so I put an electric fuel pump on it back by the tank. Sometimes it sits for a month or more. Now I turn on the electric pump and wait for it to fill the carb, start the engine, and after a minute turn off the electric pump. Just make sure you get a pump that you can blow through, so after you start and turn it off the mechanical pump can pull fuel through the electric pump.
This is perfectly normal, fuel evaporates while it sits. Some Install an electric pump in a switch to fill the fuel bowls in the carb. I just crank mine.
Mine does it Evaporation? Possible Leaks? Maybe I just remove the air cleaner top and give it a sip of gas A p*** thru electric pump would help
In one week? I seriously doubt fuel would evaporate from a full bowl in a week. Until he tells us if he sees gas squirt into the carb after it sits a week, I'm not going to guess. And also need to know if the choke is closed when the engine is cold. My two hotrods can sit for months and not take much to fire off.
I have this exact same problem with my ‘40 pickup with SBC. If it sits more than a couple of days it takes an incredible amount of cranking and pumping to start. I always felt like I was going to kill the battery or the starter. The manual choke is working. I always heard that this is a common thing with Edelbrock carbs. My solution was to add a cheapy $20 Airtex electric pump inline back near the tank wired to a momentary contact switch on the dash. I’ll run the electric for 10 or 20 seconds, but I don’t think it helps much. Next step is going to be swapping the mechanical fuel pump, ***uming the issue is that it’s letting fuel run back to the carb. I’ve also heard of people putting a one way check valve after the mechanical pump.
Eth, I tip a cap full of paint thinners down the carb, and always re-install the air cleaner. By the time you re-install the air cleaner and sit in the seat to start it , the thinners have vaporized [so it won flood] Most paint thinners are 80% methanol If this becomes a regular thing, buy one of those cheap-***ed Facet fuel pumps and plumb it inline [near the tank] These pumps are "flow through" [basically a check valve] so the mechanical pump will draw through it even when switched off. For safety it is not good to continually pressurize the inlet of a mechanical pump [if the pump fails it can fill the oil-pan with fuel] You can install a push ****on to prime the fuel. OR like I did use a relay so it automatically primes but switches off when there is oil pressure [running] Our 57 Chevy does...... It has a gl*** fuel filter and I can clearly see no fuel. AND a brand new fuel pump. I just rebuilt a 327 Camaro 2GC carb for a friend [I seated the check balls etc] and it does the same after a week. Both prior and after the carb rebuild. Modern gas vaporizes more than the old gas. I had 20 liters of LL100 Avgas in my race car evaporate in 9 months [this car has dual dry-break fillers that don't seal 100%] so I now pump it out into sealed containers. Higher octane fuels are designed with a lower vapor temp [volatility] You don't want Avgas freezing at al***ude I did the same but with a relay ,as soon as the oil light goes out the pump switches off. Post # 30 to ignition switch [on the fuse box] Post # 87 to the electric pump Post # 86 is bridged to Post # 30 Post # 85 is spliced into the oil light sender I went one step further and Post # 87A to the electric choke [it doesn't cycle off until the engine is running]
The new gasoline is “****ty” at best and evaporates quickly. 3 weeks is my Fords limit. Some use a byp*** cheap electric pulse pump. I’ll crank mine over 15 seconds then pump it 4-5 times to squirt in enough from the accelerator pumps.
I drive three different old cars, my 57 and two slightly OT. The 57 has an electric fuel pump, so no problem there, but the other two might sit for a few weeks and the fuel evaporates from the carbs. I got tired of opening the hoods, removing the air cleanes and dumping in fuel to get them to start. It is a lot easier to hit the toggle switch for the flo-through electric pump, start the car and go.
I have a forbidden M word that does this. If it sits for 2-3 weeks it’s a bear to start. I pretty much just make sure I run it every weekend ish for a bit and no problems.
Did you ever resolve your previous engine issues? Do you have a fuel pressure guage? My SBC can sit for a month, mechanic pump, lites off maybe 10 seconds of cranking
@Eth727 What Carburetor? After setting a week before trying to start , Have you took air cleaner/ filter off , Look over in carburetor & work the throttle 2 or 3 times by hand @ carburetor to see if there is gas Squirting out of the accelerator squirter's ? If spray of gas , then need to look into if bowl's empty / dry. That will tell you if gas in accelerator pump, If gas does spray in , does it try to Start Run a few sec then Hard start Most accelerator pumps you will get maybe 5 squirts if fuel bowl is empty Bowl needs to start to fill up so accelerator pump works , And is this the car with adapter Like month ago ? If so Might need to pump gas more there 2-3 times to get enough gas p*** adaptor , & maybe Choke not set correct Or Lean on adjustment and enrichment screws. But first you need to See if Gas in Squirter's before trying to start by turning engine over by starter , There are steps that need to be check in a particular order to help diagnose the problem.
My twin carter W-1's can set for three or four weeks in the garage, it takes a few seconds of cranking to fill them enough to get the pumps working, then a few half throttle pumps and its off to the races. If I park it when the engine is hot, right off the road, they dry out faster, so I let it cool off outside, then drive it the garage. The inline six exhaust manifold it right under the intake, so there's plenty of heat soak after driving.
A carburetor's inlet is high enough on the bowls that they simply can't siphon or drain back into the supply lines. It might drain back until the fuel level got below the inlet, but after that it stops. It might drain into the engine if you have a carb problem, and a quick sniff of the dipstick should tell you if you're getting gas into the engine when it sits as you'll smell it.
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