Please help 72 chevy truck problem

[wyatt earp]

Ok, since my husband is driving me crazy and will not coe in nd post i will. He has a 1972 chevy truck. He has it to the point of getting it started. It still needs a muffler and titled yet. The problem he is having is that it will not start unless he pours gas into the carb. Once he gets it started it will only run IF he keeps giving it gas. If it stalls out he has to pour more gas into the carb to get it started again.

He has messed with the timing, float valve, etc. what could he be missing or what could else be wrong. Any help would be great. CAUSE HE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY.

[stope4]

must be something wrong with carb, fuel pump or timing. I'd go with either fuel pump or carb 1st

[jef5150]

Originally Posted by wyatt earp

The problem he is having is that it will not start unless he pours gas into the carb.

That more than likely will be his accelerator pump in the carb... (with aircleaner off) pull the throttle linkage back a couple times while you look into the carb ,you should see gas squirt into the bowls.

Originally Posted by wyatt earp

Once he gets it started it will only run IF he keeps giving it gas.

do you mean keep POURING gas in or keep pressure on the gas pedal?

jeff

[68gmsee]

A lot of us have had that problem...

Tell him to first disconnect the fuel line going into the carburetor. Place the end in a plastic container and have you crank the engine. There should be a good stream of gas coming out when it's cranking. If it does, then the problem is inside the carburetor. Check as mentioned above.

If it is not, which is my guess, then either the lines are clogged with sediment, the filter inside the tank is clogged up, or the fuel pump is defective. They're cheap and easy to replace if it's an old one.

What I did on mine is follow the line back and made sure that fuel was coming out of the tank by disconnecting the line coming from the fuel tank into the fuel pump. I had no fuel coming out. The line on the bottom of the tank was totally plugged up...

[wyatt earp]

we have fuel coming into the carb. And he has to contiously press on the gas pedal to keep the truck running. But when it dies, it will not even try to start unless he adds fuel to the carb. He took a screwdriver and checked the bowls. He said the float was all the way down. could that be the problem?

[Longhorn Man]

the float being all the way to the bottom could be the problem.
Think of it like the float in the back of a toilet. When the tank is empty, the float is down.
However, if the arm is bet so the float is down, then it will prevent the water from coming in.

Exact same as the carb. If it is set to be down, then it won't let fuel in, but if it is simly out of fuel, then it'll be down due to gravity.

[WorkinLonghorn]

If it was me (and I've been running these old chevys for over 20 years),I'd try a new filter cartridge.It's located just inside the carb where the fuel line attaches. If that doesn't work I'd look and listen inside the carb with the motor off while manually opening the trottle.Do you see/hear a small spray of gas being sent in from the accellerator pump? You would, if that circuit is functioning,and you wouldn't need to pour gas in ether,since a few pumps of the peddle would do the same thing.
There are idle circuits that can be blown out with compressed air while the carb is off,and a very inexpensive "rebuild" kit with all the parts you will need to get it running right. It's not that difficult if you are organized and clean and follow the instructions and pictures that come with the kit.