Technical Freak Accident Advice

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/oops.1059150/#post-12019334

 

Back in the 70s, on those cold -30 spells in the winter, we would tow in cars that wouldn't start. Many would have heavy oil in them so they barely cranked and people would pump the accelerator flooding the engine. Standard procedure was to put the car on the hoist, heat the oil pan, drain the oil, replace the oil filter, lower the car, connect the batter charger, put fresh oil in the engine, remove the spark plugs, check the points and put a piece of plastic between them, crank the engine over to clear the combustion chambers, install new plugs, remove the plastic from the points, put the rotor and cap on and start the engine.

The owner got in a hurry and removed the drain plug before heating the pan. It blew the valve covers off the 389 Pontiac.

 

How do you get fuel to the carb to get the engine started if the pump doesn't run until there's oil pressure? An override switch?

 

a byp*** when the key is in the start/crank position.

 

good advice by everyone. I would make sure you pull plugs and crank over by hand (ignition off NO SPARKS) incase cylinders are full of gas or you could bend your rods.

 

That would add to the time spent cranking, increasing the wear and tear on the starter; and to the battery and alternator too.

I've had cars /trucks with electric fuel pumps before, I don't now. I didn't do anything special for the wiring when I did, but I can see why you would want to, but I think I'd add a separate momentary type push ****on elsewhere to run the pump before engaging the starter.

 

Your engine should be really CLEAN on the inside after this! But seriously, everyone has said what needs to be done, and I agree with them; drain the oil and change the oil filter; new oil and filter, fix the float valve in the carb, and run it. If you want to change the oil and filter after running a while, I won't argue against doing that. Way back when I bought my first car, a 56 Chevrolet in 1967, I noticed gas coming out 2 small holes on the fuel pump. Not knowing any better at the time, I plugged the holes with self tapping sheet metal screws; it then got pointed out to me I should replace the fuel pump, and why. There was gas in the oil, and I replaced the fuel pump. About a year latter, a piston let go, and that was the end of the line for that little 265; I don't know if gas in the oil had anything to do with that or not. I then bought a friends 57 Chevrolet, just for the rebuilt/built 283 and manual trans changeover setup, and swapped it into my car. I've been on this "journey with old cars" since. Note to others, DO NOT plug the holes in your fuel pump when there's gas coming out of them! I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

yes, i guess if your car has been sitting and the bowl has dried out it would be a good idea to have a momentary switch.

 

30 yrs ago I went to start my 57 Fuely and it spun then locked up. Rochester unit had leaked by. Pan had a lot of gas in the oil and bent a rod and cracked a cylinder-hydrolocked it!! Was common with these early units-I install an elec valve in the spider line-no more problems. Good advice by many above as to how to proceed.

 

A spring-loaded push ****on switch under the dash to temporarily energize the pump and fill the carburetor upon initial starting. Safety feature, plus theft deterrant

Jon.

 

Well, I had one on my '62 F-100 which had a 4.6 EFI Ford cammer engine. It had a return fuel line also. Had a Bosch electric fuel pump too. I just wired it into the fuel pump power supply. Also have one on my '47 Ford with a flattie and electric fuel pump. The inertia switches were taken off of late model Fords. Any model Ford will have one, usually in the trunk or rear hatch areas. Wouldn't run EFI or an electric fuel pump without one. Easy to mount too.

 

The most common oil pressure switch is will close at 5 lbs. a good engine should satisfy that pretty quick and as mentioned earlier unless the vehicle has sat witch these vehicles do there should be sufficient rule in the bowl or bowls to start the engine. If it did sit you simply crank the engine a little build pressure and stop the pressure will stay up to satisfy the switch long enough to fill bowls. Worst case cycle it again. I'm not saying that a byp*** switch is not a good idea. I was a boat mechanic for a long time and when GM stopped building engines with mechanical fuel pumps they were mostly electric with oil pressure switches, no buy p*** switch. We had no problems even after changing the large water separates that had to fill.


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Ford made a simple, reliable inertia switch to cut off the fuel pump in an accident. Taurus/Mercury Sable has them in the trunk behind the right wheel well if I remember right. I had a '90 Ford Ranger pickup that had the switch located on the inside of the firewall above the transmission tunnel. Cheap and plentiful in your local Pick-a-Part, easy to remove from the donor vehicle, easy to mount and wire in anything running an electric fuel pump.