ckuske Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 I'm hoping there's a trick I'm missing. Since I'm busy and have the interior apart to boot, I start the truck up maybe once a month. That means there's lots of cranking to be done to get fuel drawn back into the engine and I hate to wear out the starter. I know to pump the gas a few times to engage the choke etc, but is there a 'hack' to getting fuel out of the tank back into the carb etc? Just pump away on the gas pedal? It's hard to know when it has fuel vs you just flooded it. This is on a 302 with 2 barrel 2150 carb (I believe). Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whisler Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 Possibly a shot of ether would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 Possibly a shot of ether would help. A shot of ether would probably spin it over nicely, but it might stall as the ether runs out before the gas gets into the carb. However, it would also spin the pump rapidly several times and that might get gas there before the engine dies or at least keep the subsequent cranking to a minimum. What about pouring gas into the carb through the vent? I think there are two vents that go down to the bowl, but I'm not sure. If so, you could pour gas through one of them to fill up the bowl. Then there'd be enough gas to run the engine until the pump pulls gas from the tank. But be sure to put the air cleaner back on before trying to start the engine as there can be backfires. Or, if you have compressed air handy, you could pressurize the tank via the fill neck to get gas to, and maybe past, the pump. But, you don't want much pressure or you could damage something. I used that method once on a truck where the pump didn't want to pull gas and it worked. I dialed the regulator down to 10 PSI, wrapped a shop towel around the air nozzle, and put that into the tank and pulled the trigger. I felt the pressure come up and some gurgling, and after about 10 seconds or so I tried the engine and it started right up. I know there are lots of "buts" in that approach, like "what about the vent" and "aren't there check valves in the pump". However it worked for me - the one time I tried it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85lebaront2 Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 A shot of ether would probably spin it over nicely, but it might stall as the ether runs out before the gas gets into the carb. However, it would also spin the pump rapidly several times and that might get gas there before the engine dies or at least keep the subsequent cranking to a minimum. What about pouring gas into the carb through the vent? I think there are two vents that go down to the bowl, but I'm not sure. If so, you could pour gas through one of them to fill up the bowl. Then there'd be enough gas to run the engine until the pump pulls gas from the tank. But be sure to put the air cleaner back on before trying to start the engine as there can be backfires. Or, if you have compressed air handy, you could pressurize the tank via the fill neck to get gas to, and maybe past, the pump. But, you don't want much pressure or you could damage something. I used that method once on a truck where the pump didn't want to pull gas and it worked. I dialed the regulator down to 10 PSI, wrapped a shop towel around the air nozzle, and put that into the tank and pulled the trigger. I felt the pressure come up and some gurgling, and after about 10 seconds or so I tried the engine and it started right up. I know there are lots of "buts" in that approach, like "what about the vent" and "aren't there check valves in the pump". However it worked for me - the one time I tried it. One of the small 12V pumps that the mechanical pump can easily pull through with a "priming" button that is wired to an ignition power source so it won't work with the key off. I used to jump the cranking power wire for the in-tank pumps on Darth when he sat, saved a lot of cranking waiting for the Holley float bowls to fill. Since I was doing it with the hood open, I would just listen to the "hiss" in the return line telling me the bowls were full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted November 17, 2019 Author Share Posted November 17, 2019 One of the small 12V pumps that the mechanical pump can easily pull through with a "priming" button that is wired to an ignition power source so it won't work with the key off. I used to jump the cranking power wire for the in-tank pumps on Darth when he sat, saved a lot of cranking waiting for the Holley float bowls to fill. Since I was doing it with the hood open, I would just listen to the "hiss" in the return line telling me the bowls were full. Thanks for the tips! Any suggestions on a particular 12v pump? I've read a little bit on other forums that some pumps will pass fuel through to the mechanical pump easily, while others do not if they're not engaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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