Cant get my truck started after sitting for 1 year

[Bryon.Dillon]

Hello all, I'm hoping someone might throw a few ideas at me as to why this may be happening. I'm completely stumped. Anyways, so I went out to start my truck the other day and it wouldnt start. It turns over, but doesnt even attempt to fire. So I decided to put a little gas in the carb, it fires for a second and then quits, I'm assuming that its burning the fuel i put in there and then its starved. So i decided to take the fuel line going into the carb and disconnect it. I put the end of it in a pop can and turned the motor over to see if i was getting any fuel. Nothing. So obviously its the fuel pump I think, so I go buy a brand new fuel pump, slap it on there, same problem. The line coming from the tank has fuel in it and it keeps running, So i'm assuming that the line isnt clogged. I blew air through the line going from the pump to the carb, it wasnt clogged. The filter is a little dirty, so i tried removing it to see if i could get it to run for 1 sec and diagnose the problem that way. Still didn't run. Please help!

BTW this is a 1972 C10 350 Automatic

Thank you in advance!

[Bryon.Dillon]

I mean am I correct that if I pull the line from the carb and turn the engine over a bit, fuel should be shooting out of that line shouldnt it?

[Shyguy]

Disconnect at the suction of the fuel pump and blow back into the tank, make sure you take the gas cap off first.

You can hook up a temporary fuel can to the suction side of the fuel pump and see what happens also.

[Bryon.Dillon]

If i run a line from the suction port to a gallon tank of gas, if the pump is good it should shoot out where i disconnect the line from the carb right?

[AustinScott]

Originally Posted by Bryon.Dillon

If i run a line from the suction port to a gallon tank of gas, if the pump is good it should shoot out where i disconnect the line from the carb right?

yes, point it into the pop can to catch the fuel

[special-K]

This sounds strange. You are getting fuel to the pump,right? And even with a new pump you get no gas out of it? Is the plunger rod in place and contacting the pump plunger? All I know is once you get gas to the carb,don't expect it to go through the carb. This crap they call gas these days will stop up a carb in way less than a year. I didn't start my tow truck last winter because it has no choke and needed a battery. Got a new battery in spring and it wouldn't fire. Poured gas in carb and,like you,it fired and died. I now have a rebuilt carb and a running truck

[cdowns]

are u sure your fuel pump is pumping good gas and not a watery mix of crap from sitting unattended?

[dfwright]

This would be my guess as well

Originally Posted by special-K

All I know is once you get gas to the carb,don't expect it to go through the carb. This crap they call gas these days will stop up a carb in way less than a year. I didn't start my tow truck last winter because it has no choke and needed a battery. Got a new battery in spring and it wouldn't fire. Poured gas in carb and,like you,it fired and died. I now have a rebuilt carb and a running truck

[special-K]

And,it had Stabil in it. That stuff only slows the process.

http://www.historicvehicle.org/Lates...Fuel-Additives

[cdowns]

i'd try the one gallon tank to the suction side of the pump/ i'd also add a container of fuel system cleaner in the gas to try and clean up the inside of the carb

if that works and you get it running i'd then siphon out what gas is in the tank add 5 gallons of hitest add a couple of cans of fuel system cleaner then go for a drive and if drive goes pretty good then change filter

i'd use truck on a regular basis and continue using fuel system cleaner to cleanup crap in the tank

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by special-K

This sounds strange. You are getting fuel to the pump,right? And even with a new pump you get no gas out of it? Is the plunger rod in place and contacting the pump plunger? All I know is once you get gas to the carb,don't expect it to go through the carb. This crap they call gas these days will stop up a carb in way less than a year. I didn't start my tow truck last winter because it has no choke and needed a battery. Got a new battery in spring and it wouldn't fire. Poured gas in carb and,like you,it fired and died. I now have a rebuilt carb and a running truck

As one who has stored cars in the winter for the last 20 years I was thinking this as I was reading down towards special-K's post.

BEFORE crappy, ethanol laden gas, when spring rolled around I did the following to start a parked car. Pull the coil wire, turn the engine over on the starter until the oil light went off or I saw the pressure gauge move, re-connect the coil wire, pour an ounce or so of gas down the carb, then try to start it. That coil-less turning over of the engine does nothing to pump gas. All that is for is to get some oil pressure. Pouring that gas down the carb and getting it to fire - therefore work the fuel pump - is what "primes the pump".

Now a days with crappy gas if the above procedure doesn't start the car, you have to start looking at carb issues.

Originally Posted by cdowns

i'd try the one gallon tank to the suction side of the pump/ i'd also add a container of fuel system cleaner in the gas to try and clean up the inside of the carb

if that works and you get it running i'd then siphon out what gas is in the tank add 5 gallons of hitest add a couple of cans of fuel system cleaner then go for a drive and if drive goes pretty good then change filter

i'd use truck on a regular basis and continue using fuel system cleaner to cleanup crap in the tank

Like others have said, if you still don't have it running, get a good supply of fresh gas in a can and a couple feet of rubber hose. Set your gas can on something higher than the fuel pump and prime the temporary rubber hose. Hook the hose up to the suction side of the pump and try again by pouring a bit of gas down the carb to get the engine running which will pump the fuel pump a heck of a lot more efficiently than your starter motor.

If your truck doesn't run on this fresh, temporary supply of gas you have to start looking at carb issues.

Modern, ethanol containing gas should NEVER be left in a carb bowl. If you didn't treat your gas before you let it sit, and your state like Minnesota makes you run 10% or so ethanol, I'm guessing you have a carb rebuild in your future.

[Bryon.Dillon]

Going to tinker with this when i get home from work tonight, thanks a ton for all the suggestions guys! I'll post my results after I find out whats going on.

[CC69Rat]

replaced the FP, and cleaned the inlet line from the pump to the tank .. did you replace the line from the pump to the carb? Is there a fuel filter anywhere between the pump and carb? Post up some pics, one of us might be able to see the problem.

[domeier]

Here's the thing: You said it isn't firing unless you pour gas down the carb. Year old gas will run lousy, but it will still run. Your problem isn't old gas, it's what the old gas turned into while it was sitting. There's a big plug of varnish in there somewhere, and your float bowl is probably pure gunk. I'd start by pulling the carb and cleaning it, blow out the fuel lines, draining the tank and replace the filter. I'll bet you a dollar the pump isn't the problem. But... I won't go higher than a dollar!

[doctrouble]

Couldn't you disconnect the fuel line going to the carb and see if gas is squirting everywhere while you turn the key? I also highly suggest dipping your carb. I was having the same problems. Crawled my way though rebuilding my carb and VAWLA!! started RIGHT up. I just didn't touch the mixture screws at all when i tore it down.

[bigbadchev72]

I had the same problem with my 67' I ended up disconnecting the fuel line from the carb, then took my air hose and stuck it in the gas tank filler neck with a rag to somewhat seal it. Put some air in there and got the fuel to flow through the line. Hooked it back up to the carb and havent had a problem since.

[Bryon.Dillon]

This is getting really weird, so its dark and rainy when i got home tonight, and i dont have a garage, so i can only do so much during the week. Anyways, what I accomplished tonight was this:

I ran a line from the fuel pump directly into a gas can, then i disconnected the line going into the carb and put it into a pop bottle. I cranked the engine, nothing. Cranked it for a good 20 secs, nothing. So I figured maybe the line going from the pump to the carb was clogged, so i disconnected. It's not clogged. Keep in mind that this is a new fuel pump. I dont get it, I'm at a loss. I mean is there anything else that controls whether the fuel pump pumps or not? or is it just cranking the engine over?

I would also like to note that my fuel pump has a 3rd port which is the return to the tank. I tried cranking with this line connected, also with it disconnected and got same results.

Another note, and I dont know if this matters or not, but its something I noticed. So when I'm cranking the engine over, I have to use jumper cables, because either my battery is not charging or there is a bad connection, i'm not sure. Either way if the pump is totally mechanical, that shouldnt be an issue right? I just want to see that the pump is functioning so I can eliminate that as a possibility.

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by Bryon.Dillon

This is getting really weird, so its dark and rainy when i got home tonight, and i dont have a garage, so i can only do so much during the week. Anyways, what I accomplished tonight was this:

I ran a line from the fuel pump directly into a gas can, then i disconnected the line going into the carb and put it into a pop bottle. I cranked the engine, nothing. Cranked it for a good 20 secs, nothing. So I figured maybe the line going from the pump to the carb was clogged, so i disconnected. It's not clogged. Keep in mind that this is a new fuel pump. I dont get it, I'm at a loss. I mean is there anything else that controls whether the fuel pump pumps or not? or is it just cranking the engine over?

I would also like to note that my fuel pump has a 3rd port which is the return to the tank. I tried cranking with this line connected, also with it disconnected and got same results.

Another note, and I dont know if this matters or not, but its something I noticed. So when I'm cranking the engine over, I have to use jumper cables, because either my battery is not charging or there is a bad connection, i'm not sure. Either way if the pump is totally mechanical, that shouldnt be an issue right? I just want to see that the pump is functioning so I can eliminate that as a possibility.

Jumper cables are fine other than you might get sparks and with you screwing around with gas that could be interesting.

Your mechanical fuel pump is REALLY good at sucking fuel from a tank. It is REALLY bad at trying to suck air. Try to get some fuel in that temporary fuel supply hose then have a little bit to pour down the carb. Maybe take a cap from an oil bottle and fill it from your temporary supply. That cap full of gas down the carb and a slug of fuel in that temp hose should get things pumping.

If that doesn't work, set aside another small amout of fuel, get the temp hose primed, and disconnect the fuel supply at the carb. Use a pop can or similar to catch fuel out of the supply at the carb that you just disconnected. Crank it and see if you get fuel out of the supply line while it is sputtering. If you do then you have to address issues with bad gas gummed up in the carb.

Remember, gravity fills your truck's fuel line to the fuel pump. If you have your temp tank on a chair with the temp hose coming out of the top of the temp tank, you need to address that air in the temp hose.

I just thought of something slick for this situation. If a guy had a tank from a riding lawn mower with the simple fitting out the bottom of the tank, you could hook your temp hose up to that fitting and let gravity be your friend. That way you would know for sure that you have fuel at the pump.

I think that is what you are chasing now. It isn't unheard of that a new pump is bad however I'm betting you created another "problem" with that temp fuel system.

[chevytruckluver]

when my truck sat for several months I went to start it and found it was not getting gas, I went to checking the same way you did and I found a bad fuel pump. It sounds like you may still have a fuel pump problem, especially if the new pump wont pick up from a 1 gallon can a few foot away. are you sure the push rod between the cam and the pump didnt slip down when you changed the pump, it would be hard to install the new pump with the rod in the wrong position but I have seen it happen.
You may want to pull the pump back off, then pull the plate and inspect the push rod, further you could have a helper turn the motor over while you feel if the rod is moving in and out.
good luck

[domeier]

Originally Posted by chevytruckluver

You may want to pull the pump back off, then pull the plate and inspect the push rod, further you could have a helper turn the motor over while you feel if the rod is moving in and out.
good luck

Good thing we only bet a dollar.

[Bryon.Dillon]

I just hope I end up figuring this out, my dad is gonna come help me this weekend when we have some daylight. Will definately pull the fuel pump as suggested and check to make sure the rod is getting pushed

[383longhorn]

i hate washinton rain it puts a end to all outside projects. i would pull the pump and check the rod like every one is saying. after you re install it pull out all your spark plugs so you can get som more rpms while cranking the motor to prime the pump and get oil pressure might as well clean the plugs while they are out. then insted of poring gas down the carb see if you can make a funnel to pore gas down the bowl vent that will be enoyfe fuel to run the motor for 15-30 sec witch should be plenty of time to get the pump primed and fuel to the carb. also if your carb is a qjet rochester or a edlebrock they will not draw fuel from the venturies when they are cold so check to make sure your choke system is working right and closing decently tight. hope this helps you get her running

[michael bustamante]

My blazer was having the same problem. turned out the sock came off the sender and after years of sitting, the sender was rotted and varnish all in the q-jet. alot of varnish!!! after you get fuel to go thru the pump with your temp. gas tank set up, pull your sender and put a new sock on it and make sure the sender is good. im sure theres a few people here including me who have another sender for you if you need one

[VetteVet]

Putting the fuel pump inlet line in a can and disconnecting the output line from the carburetor eliminates the tank and the carb and tests the fuel pump alone. If you are not pumping fuel then the inlet line may have a hole in it and will not let the pump build suction. The rod could be stuck down away from the camshaft lobe and not moving the pump lever. You have an excellent post above to troubleshoot that. One thing that I would add that not too many are aware of is that on the front side of the block just around the corner from the pump, there are two bolts that thread into the block and they are open to the pump chamber. The top bolt lines up with the fuel pump rod and if some one has put a bolt in there that is too long, it will thread into the rod and bind it or bend it so that it will not operate. You may discover this when you take the fuel pump off.

These bolts have to be installed or there will be a significant oil leak there.

[Bryon.Dillon]

IT'S ALIVE!!! My dad and I just went out and poured fuel into the carb, and it finally started pumping fuel. The only problem now is that the batter wont take a charge, but it will start and run if we jump it. So now I just need a new batter and i'll be set. Thank you for the help guys, guess it just needed a little help to get the fuel pump moving fast enough to pump fuel or something. I did blow air through the lines going to the gas tank, and i heard it making it into the tank, so that wasnt an issue. I still was never able to get the pump to just pump fuel from a gas can, but maybe gravity was making it difficult? Not sure. But its working now, so I'm really happy =) Thank you again