What Starts Up ... What Doesn't

Justwondering

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The 106 degree days are over. The last month of rain everyday (8 inches on one day) has finished. So it was time to see what still runs after this strange weather year.

87 Chrysler Fifth Avenue.. won't start, has spark, has compression, if I pour gas in the carb it runs til dry then quits, checked the vacuum lines (new and good), choke moves easily, tried with and without the air filter.. no go -- next step replace fuel filter (has 3/4 tank of good gas in it although has been setting for about 2 months without starting). I failed at A/C repair. Its supposed to go to the mechanic next week so he can show me what I'm doing wrong. I've ruined 4 metal gaskets trying to get the leak to stop and have to admit I'm a complete failure on that.

Massey Ferguson 165 Tractor (1959ish).. starts
. This is a big win. Worked on it all summer. The throttle cable is a little stiff, but the power steering cylinder seems to work (was rebuilt). Haven't tried to move it yet, just making sure it runs. Finally got the needle valve in the carb to quit sticking and sorted out the fuel sediment bowl/line issues. Need to top off the power steering fluid and try putting it in gear. Woo-hoo

1997 Ford Diesel Dually.. won't start. Had to recharge the batteries. Its been sitting for about 8 months and only occasionally started. Tried running it off front tank (1/4 full) and rear tank (completely full). Won't turn over. Going to check the fuel filter on it. I've never changed it in the 3 years we've owned it. Although it doesn't get run very often these past few years.

1963 Willys Pickup.. won't start
. I disconnected the fuel line a year ago and drained lacquer out of the tank/lines. I need to replace the lines and drop the tank. I didn't even try to start this one. I've never made fuel lines before and the guys at the box store tell me I should use metal brake line for fuel lines. Is that true?

2000 Chevy 2500 4x4 truck.. Starts just fine but I found an oil stain under it. Crap. Its parked on a slight incline so I don't know where its coming from. This must have been going on for some time cause it is totally grimy under on the undercarriage. At least the dirt was cool while I was lying on it looking up under there (was 80 yesterday). Also, there is no power steering fluid showing on the stick. Crap again. You'd think I'd be better at regular maintenance by now.

2003 Chevy Suburban 1500.. Starts fine. Most of the clutter is out of the vehicle. Had the oil changed, rotated the tires and it was inspected last week.

Yamaha Gas Golf Cart with clone engine.. won't start
. Its an electrical issue which means its some black magic voodoo needed to figure this one out. Yech.

JW
 

Darth-Car

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It's a good thing you still start everyday or there would be nobody to figure all of this stuff out.
 

rcmaniac791

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87 Chrysler Fifth Avenue.. won't start
if I pour gas in the carb it runs til dry then quits

Have you checked the fuel pump? between the crap ethanol gas that likes to dry out rubber parts and depending on how long it's been sitting, the diaphragm in the pump could have given up. I would unscrew the fuel line at the carb and stick the line in a water bottle or some kind of container, then crank the engine over and see if anything gets pumped into the container. Correct me if I am wrong but untreated, ethanol-blended fuel has a shelf life of about 30-60 days if I remember correctly. If it is pumping, then you can open up the carb and see if the bowl has a lot of junk in it.

Massey Ferguson 165 Tractor (1959ish)

Cool old tractor! I just bought a 1958 John Deere 430 that's been sitting for 15 years. So you're ahead of me with your Massey running haha.
 

Poly

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Oil change day must be quite an event !
 

BudW

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if I pour gas in the carb it runs til dry then quits,
You have a fuel supply problem. If you added fuel and carburetor was already adding fuel, then it wouldn’t start (would be too rich).

Possible problems (most likely to least likely):
- Crimped off and/or rusted-through fuel lines. Having some minor damage or rust on metal lines doesn’t mean you have a problem. To check for rust-though – what I do is get a small screwdriver or icepick, and poke where I see rust. If your “poker” goes though or makes a dent – then you have some line to get fix. There will be three different sized lines going from fuel tank to engine compartment (5/16”, 3/16” and ¼”). Two of those carry fuel, the other one carries fuel vapor (to charcoal canister). You don’t want any leaks in either of those three lines.
- Cracked or broken fuel hoses. There are 3 pieces of ¼” fuel hose, 3 pieces of 3/16” fuel hose and 4 pieces of 5/16” fuel hose. Sometimes a “air leak” at a hose (or line) is worse than a “fuel leak” – because it takes so long for fuel pump to get anything moving. Fuel pumps do a decent job of moving fuel – but an extremely poor job on moving air (sucking air, to be more precise).
- Bad fuel pump
- The least possible item would be a stopped-up fuel filter (by engine). The in-tank filter can cause this – but it will give tell-tail signs of fuel restriction at last time car was driven.


the guys at the box store tell me I should use metal brake line for fuel lines. Is that true?
Gasoline line from fuel tank to fuel pump is not under pressure. It is under pressure after it leaves the fuel pump and that pressure (between 4-8 PSI) is not much. Rubber is not recommended for long distances for a number of reasons.
Any metal tubing will work – but avoid anything that is affected by alcohol. Mild steel was used from factory. I prefer stainless steel for fuel (and vapor) lines – but it is a tad more expensive.
Metal fuel lines come either straight (the best to work with) or coiled. Coiled takes time to straighten out, before use.

Some inexpensive metal tubing bending tools can make metal line bending a breeze once you get some practice in. YouTube has some good fuel line bending videos to watch.

Fuel injected cars have a lot higher PSI – and might require different tubing.
Brake line is designed for high pressure (tens of thousands of PSI pressure) and is a bit of overkill for fuel line.

I have plans on replacing the 5/16” main fuel line with 3/8”. I already have about 200 feet of stainless fuel line (coiled) to play with and an example to model after.
20170329_100324r.jpg

Also, I’ve spent a lot of $ getting some Eastwood tools ( https://www.eastwood.com ) for my fuel/brake line bending, including making beads/flares on fuel lines (not needed for low pressure lines, but is nice).

All I need now is time to get it done.


Won't turn over. Going to check the fuel filter on it. I've never changed it in the 3 years we've owned it.
Diesels are picky about fuel filter replacements. What happens is there is algae that grows in diesel fuel, especially if it sits for awhile. Who would have thought? That algae will stop up a fuel filter in no time. A good chance a filter replacement and re-prime the fuel system (which might prime it automatically) might make a big difference.
BudW
 

Justwondering

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There was indeed slime on the diesel fuel filter. I did replace the filter after draining the reservoir but it still won't start. Have to recharge the batteries now.

Chrysler is waiting for me to get back out there and finish putting the fuel filter in. I bruised my hand pretty bad and had to wait a few days til it was not hurting as much. Also waiting on a/c metal gaskets. They were supposed to order a box of 10 but somehow ordered 1 of each type I needed. Sigh.

Meanwhile, I have to air up the front right tire on the Massey Ferguson and trailer it out of here down to my brothers. Pretty day today.

But, of course, I'll be spending a couple of hours cutting out the soldered propane connector my husband put in the line to daisy-chain two tanks together. It was supposed to be put together with flare ends and compression fittings unless you could heat the joint to 1,000 degrees. That sad little propane torch couldn't get close to that. Another learning experience.

thanks for the info on the metal lines.
 

BudW

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You might want to pick up a Factory Service Manual (FSM) on the Ford. I know enough about diesels to be dangerous and no expert on Fords.

If you purchase more metal A/C gaskets than you need, I might purchase your excess.


Note: I was always told/heard that petroleum products kills living matter.
If so – why does algae grow in diesel?
It is one of those things that makes me wonder about other issues that people get so “gun ho” about.
Only something to ponder - no reply on this is needed.
BudW
 

Justwondering

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I had the same question about algae in diesel.. I'm thinking those little sprouts are just smarter than the average bear.

The counter guy at O'Reilly's was supposed to order a box of 10 for each of the gaskets. Somehow, he ordered 1... just 1 gasket of 1 type. They had to reorder and the fifth avenue sits here waiting for attention. I've now been to town 2 times and no gaskets yet.. its so funny it hurts.
 

Poly

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The marine people sometimes install a diesel polishing system. Basically a seperate pump through seperate filters with a biocide. If your looking at a 500 gallon tank I guess it could prove to be economical. From what I've heard the algae is a waxy tar substance. Lower quality crude and lesser quality refining make it worse.
 

Justwondering

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Finished getting the new fuel filter on and still won’t run. So now I check the fuel pump and vacuum lines. Course it’s supposed to rain the rest of the week. Too funny
 
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