I've heard of guys installing a small electric pre start fuel pump so you don't have to crank the engine so much. Just run it briefly to fill the bowls. You could just manually fill the bowls too. It all sounds like a pia though.
What will cause my float bowls to go dry
- Thread starter Demon499
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This is exactly what I do on my street driven cars - leave the mechanical pump in place and add a small electric VANE STYLE pump in the fuel line toward the back of the car by the frame rail. The mechanical pump will pull gas through the vane style pump with no problem. MR Gasket offers a nice compact one that they have been selling for decades. I turn the key on, hit the toggle switch under the dash and count to 20, turn off the electric pump and they start right up.
I had the problem on Gladys where the fuel in the line between the carburetor and pump would drain back through the fuel pump towards the tank. I solved it way back then with a Dorman one way check valve. I've since replaced that fuel pump and redone some of the fuel system forward of the pump. I'm getting ready to add a high flow fuel pump and return line with a return style filter before long.
I got it. You said one thing and meant something else. We all do that sometimes.
Look in the sticky threads in the fuel forums. Electric primer pump for fuel
I fill my float bowl manually. Once it becomes a routine, it can be done pretty quickly. Because someone was saying how they would dread doing it, I timed myself. 1.5 minutes from opening the hood to engine running with the air cleaner back on. Starts at the turn of the key, no long cranking.
The most important part is to find a funnel that fits the vent in your carb. Always keep it in the same place so you don't screw around for ten minutes trying to find it. I keep it on a shelf with a paper cup I use to pour the gas. I give the accel pump two squirts, and set the fast idle cam by hand on the next to highest setting. If I want to take 2.5 mins, I'll check oil, brake fluid, PS fluid and coolant.
If it's been several days or more since I've driven the car, I just do the procedure automatically.
My idea to use an old nitrous plate is sounding pretty good to me now. I use non ethanol gas in the 1BBl slant six duster, and it doesnt really get all that hot. I did experience this with a 291 baby hemi and could never figure it out.......now I know.
Thanks FABO!!
Thanks FABO!!
Swinger 340
Well-Known Member
Very well could be. I woke up this morning and there was a small Dart next to my 69 Dart. It didn't have the 340 but a 225 6.
Swinger 340
Well-Known Member
Why not just add the fuel to the air horn, that way no spillage. I also have the same problem with my AVS on my 340 dart. I just rebuilt the carb and thought it would help, not. I'm kind of leaning toward the check valve because when I removed the fuel line from the carb, there was no spillage. As in plumbing (water) check valves do go bad. Never thought of that, Thanks.
Give it a go and start a thread with the results, regardless of the outcome.
AJ/FormS
68 Formua-S fastback clone 367/A833/GVod/3.55s
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I would check bowl gaskets for a wrong gasket installed.
Many times, a bowl is said to have gone dry, when if fact, it has not. The liquid level is just too low to be pushed up and over the tops of the wells without a properly functioning choke. The accelerator pump by itself, cannot always meet the demand of starting a cold engine without a choke.
With a properly functioning choke, engine vacuum moves up from underneath the throttle valves to underneath the choke plate. This causes every fuel circuit during cranking to spew fuel in copious amounts. Most of it will be liquid, and will quickly attach itself to the cold engine parts. It will sit there until the engine fires up. As soon as it does, the PV will shut off, the choke will be "pulled off", the vacuum restored to under the throttles, and the low-speed systems take over. But some of that fuel during cranking, will be atomized small enough to be carried along in the airstream, eventually reaching the chambers, and combustion can commence.
When it does, the now-running engine will begin to pull fluid off the cold surfaces where it has just been laying until now.
The choke has been pulled off, the fast idle has been set, and now begins the warm up.
But if you don't have a working choke,
and you are running a ton of Idle-advance,
then your transfers are nearly shut off, and the Mixture screws do not have the capacity to feed the cold engine during warm up, much less start it up. So there you sit, frustrated as hell, thinking the bowls are dry, and pumping the pedal..
BTW
you guys south of the border must have different gas than we do.
My HO 367 has no problem starting and running on 87E10; even down to to the freezing point of water, without a choke.
You know, 87 is NOT corrupted with anti-knock chemicals that slow combustion down .... right, lol. The modest 10% alcohol content is easily compensated for, in the tune. I've been running thatchit since 1999, and the car has gone 93 in the Eighth with thatchit, at 3457 pounds/me in it. Thatchit is without question, Baaaad, lol.
Yes, I agree that it evaporates rather quickly in an open container. No big deal to me, since I don't live in a really hot climate. Parked in my carport on the shady side of the house, it takes two weeks before I have to pour a lil fresh stuff down the airhorn. Click-vroom, and away we go.
Many times, a bowl is said to have gone dry, when if fact, it has not. The liquid level is just too low to be pushed up and over the tops of the wells without a properly functioning choke. The accelerator pump by itself, cannot always meet the demand of starting a cold engine without a choke.
With a properly functioning choke, engine vacuum moves up from underneath the throttle valves to underneath the choke plate. This causes every fuel circuit during cranking to spew fuel in copious amounts. Most of it will be liquid, and will quickly attach itself to the cold engine parts. It will sit there until the engine fires up. As soon as it does, the PV will shut off, the choke will be "pulled off", the vacuum restored to under the throttles, and the low-speed systems take over. But some of that fuel during cranking, will be atomized small enough to be carried along in the airstream, eventually reaching the chambers, and combustion can commence.
When it does, the now-running engine will begin to pull fluid off the cold surfaces where it has just been laying until now.
The choke has been pulled off, the fast idle has been set, and now begins the warm up.
But if you don't have a working choke,
and you are running a ton of Idle-advance,
then your transfers are nearly shut off, and the Mixture screws do not have the capacity to feed the cold engine during warm up, much less start it up. So there you sit, frustrated as hell, thinking the bowls are dry, and pumping the pedal..
BTW
you guys south of the border must have different gas than we do.
My HO 367 has no problem starting and running on 87E10; even down to to the freezing point of water, without a choke.
You know, 87 is NOT corrupted with anti-knock chemicals that slow combustion down .... right, lol. The modest 10% alcohol content is easily compensated for, in the tune. I've been running thatchit since 1999, and the car has gone 93 in the Eighth with thatchit, at 3457 pounds/me in it. Thatchit is without question, Baaaad, lol.
Yes, I agree that it evaporates rather quickly in an open container. No big deal to me, since I don't live in a really hot climate. Parked in my carport on the shady side of the house, it takes two weeks before I have to pour a lil fresh stuff down the airhorn. Click-vroom, and away we go.
I'm sure the ease of the process depends on the carb itself. My AVS is an emissions carb, and has a vent valve. Just push on the linkage and put in the funnel. Vent tubes on Holleys could be the fill point. The last time I ran a Holley it was on my daily driver and you could still get leaded gas!
Do you have a link to the pump that you are referring to? I can't touch gas without spilling it
Look in the fuel section. I started a thread and made it a sticky. It's right on top of the forum.Do you have a link to the pump that you are referring to? I can't touch gas without spilling it
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I LOVE this idea!
I've been putting other peoples cars on the road all summer (a friend's '54 F100, my nephews POS 2015 Charger, and then Bazza's VG), and it wasn't until this past weekend that I was finally able to start-up one of my own rides (my '68 F250). Of course the float bowls were dry (Yup, a Holley 4150), and I had a helluva time getting it started at first. Once it warms up it pops right off, but I know from past experience if I let it sit for a day or three the damn bowls will be dry again. New fuel pump, and I have a 1" phenolic resin insulator/isolator under the carb, but those FE Fords- they hold the heat, baby!
Going to give this a try next spring. Why wait, you ask? The master cyclinder went to hell and now it's leaking fluid into the power booster, and all over my new carpet as well.
So I drained out the old gas and put her back into storage.
Probably drove it all of 10 miles. Made for a really short "summer" for me.
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Search for Mr Gasket 12S and you will get lots of sources including box auto parts stores. Prices seem to be $55-60. If you do Amazon Prime or have a local box store like Auto Zone you can save the shipping.
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