I'm in the Marine Corps and recently returned home after 7 months of working elsewhere. I had to park my '62 Galaxy at a buddy's place while I was gone and it wasn't started the entire time I was gone. I got back and went to pick it up and it won't start. It's got a 292ci. First I thought bad gas so I drained and changed it. Still no go. I pulled the fuel line at the pump and it's not pulling fuel from the tank at all. The line was dry as a bone. The carb was recently rebuilt and is basically brand new. It wants to fire when aided by starting fluid in the carb but won't turn over obviously since there's no fuel getting to through. Any ideas???
must be some crap in the fuel line/fuel tank. try blowing into the line after you disconnect it from the fuel pump and listen at the gas filler for bubbles or..maybe the fuel pump is bad
I hooked up a siphon pump to the fuel line and pulled fuel straight from the tank and it was clean. I was hoping the fuel pump wasn't bad but it's looking like that more and more. DAMN!!!
If it wont start with starting fluid, then its not a fuel problem. If it were me, and its not starting on starting fluid, I would clean the battery cables, and make sure the battery have good, clean contacts, and the battery tested for a good charge because an alternator only puts a surface charge on the battery, it won't charge it, just maintain it. Then test to make sure that your getting a good hot spark by pulling one of the plug wires and watching the color of the arc as it jumps to either ground or the plug. If that passes muster, then I would look for something not so basic, but if it just sat, then its unlikely that it jumped time or something along those lines.
Well after freezing my sack off all day I found a VERY small pin hole in one of the rubber fuel lines. I happened to see a drop of fluid from under the car when I was walking by and tracked it down to the hole. Broke out the 'ol vacuum gage and the pump was pulling about 5 psi. Took the fuel pump completely apart and it looked brand-freakin-new inside. Put it back together and tightened it up. Cranked the engine for about 5 seconds and it started up and purrs like a kitten. I think the hole in the line was preventing the pump from pulling enough fuel from the tank. Anyway, thanks for all the help fellas. It was much appreciated. SD
SD, thanks for letting us know what you found and that it's running....just for everyones info I've found that when these guys sit for long periods and the fuel dries out in the carb or the fuel pump goes dry things get stuck like shellac....seen floats stuck to the bottom of the bowl and the carb floods over when starting up for first time in months (oops got a fire now and gotta repaint hood)....another time on a 52 Olds couldn't get the fuel pump to pump and discovered the poppet valves inside pump were stuck shut...in both cases fresh fuel actually would soak them and they would free up from being glued....My treatment now for a car that's been sitting for a spell is to get it running;then let it sit overnight to let the fresh fuel kind of dissolve the old gum of dried up fuel in the system.....ALSO don't be too hard on the engine that hasn't been run for a long time as this damn fuel really can gum up behind the valves and do damage ( bent pushrods,broken rockers,pulled rocker studs)....let it warm up real good and run for quite a bit before getting on it hard !!!! Just one OLD FARTS discoveries.....
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