Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start after rebuild)

[Mark H.]

Car is a 1964 L75 with the Duke Williams McCagh special camshaft. Got everything back together and went to start it today. Primed the carb and put 5 gallons in the (new) tank. Engine would catch and die, catch and die. Fuel starved. Started checking. No fuel at the carb. No fuel at the fuel pump. And no fuel coming out of the tank!! I installed a new, though 15 years old, sending unit, and something must have clogged up the feed - when I disconnected the rubber fuel hose at the frame line I literally got a drop or two of fuel out, that's it. So now I need to empty the tank and put in a new sending unit (the float didn't move the fuel gauge either.)

Anyone ever experience this with a fuel sender? I got the one I have from Quanta (also where the new tank was sourced a couple of months ago).

Recommendations for a good (electric?) fuel siphon?

[Mike M.]

Re: Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start after rebuild)

Use a mirror or horoscope and make sure the sending unit boot is under the gas. I had one recently the tube of which was mid bent and was above the gas level in spite of 5 gal of gas mike

[Mark H.]

Re: Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start after rebuild)

Yes, submerged.

[Richard M.]

Re: Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start post rebuild; no fuel exiting t

Mark you won't see fuel at the tank pipe outlet fitting until it gets sucked up and over the drawpipe of the sender assembly.

If you can, use a MityVac brake bleeder to draw some from the tank, but caution as if it does now it'll siphon all of it out.

I would get a 5 gal can and put a hose in it from hardline to fuel pump and try that to verify pump operation before pulling the sender.

Also be absolutely sure your pump is plumbed properly. I reversed them once on a hotrod motor and had the same problem.

Rich

[Mark H.]

Re: Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start post rebuild; no fuel exiting t

I worked my way back from the carb to find the problem. The fitting at the hard line at the carb was dry, as was the rubber hose at the fuel pump inlet. And only a couple of drops at the rubber hose at the tank.

Side question. How long should the car run off the gas squirted into the carb to prime it? I only ever got a few seconds at a time.

[Frank D.]

Re: Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start after rebuild)

Use a mirror or horoscope and make sure the sending unit boot is under the gas. I had one recently the tube of which was mid bent and was above the gas level in spite of 5 gal of gas mike

Hmm....maybe you meant borescope although perhaps a horoscope might also help

[Richard G.]

Re: Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start post rebuild; no fuel exiting t

A few seconds of run time is correct. If you put in too much fuel it just get burned up as a very rich mixture it will not equate to a longer run time.

My 63 had issues with the tank sensor after the restoration. Fuel gauge indicated full with the tank empty. Turned out the wire from the gauge was crimped between two parts of the sensor. Dead short to ground. (Yup China). At least I found it before putting fuel into the tank. The sensor was easy to install with the tank out of the car. With the tank installed it was a PITA to rotate the lock ring. I got it, but admit it would have been much easier with the special tool. Hopefully you will not have to mess with it.

[Dan D.]

Re: Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start post rebuild; no fuel exiting t

Let me tell you what I did on my 57 after being rebuilt. Engine rebuilt, gas tank, sending unit, fuel lines, hoses, fuel pump, etc., all new.

First I static timed the ignition and made sure I had spark.

Took the spark plugs out. Hooked my Mity-Vac to the gas line right at the the Rochester Fuel Injection unit, 5 gallons of fresh non-Ethanol gas in the tank, and primed the fuel system. Got fuel to the Mity-Vac after a few seconds of pumping. So I had fuel right up to the fuel unit.

Then I took the Mity-Vac off and connected a jar to the fuel line. Turned the engine over with the starter, and I had gas squirts right away, so the fuel pump was working.

Connected the gas line back up and spun the starter over for about 30 seconds to fill up the fuel bowl in the fuel meter.

Put the plugs back in. Might add that I had a fan in front of the radiator, made my own remote starter box with ignition on/off capability, and I had 2 other folks there to help monitor everything after first start.

I might add too that it is important on first start that everything is set to go because you want the engine to start right away and continue running at 2500 RPM for 20 minutes or so to properly break in the new sliding surface camshaft. (Per Duke)

So with everything all set, I hit the starter, and the engine didn't turn for even 1 revolution and it was running, and running good. No bad noises, no oil leaks, no gas leaks, just 20 minutes of 2500. Instant success.

If you are lucky and do everything right you can sometimes luck out. Happily I did it right. Got my 20 minutes. All downhill after that.

-Dan-

[Mark H.]

[Richard M.]

Re: Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start post rebuild; no fuel exiting t

Before you try to re-senderize the tank, did you try what I suggested? You didn't say??

Rich

[Duke W.]

Re: Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start post rebuild; no fuel exiting t

Mark you won't see fuel at the tank pipe outlet fitting until it gets sucked up and over the drawpipe of the sender assembly.

If you can, use a MityVac brake bleeder to draw some from the tank, but caution as if it does now it'll siphon all of it out.

I would get a 5 gal can and put a hose in it from hardline to fuel pump and try that to verify pump operation before pulling the sender.

Also be absolutely sure your pump is plumbed properly. I reversed them once on a hotrod motor and had the same problem.

Rich

If the hose is removed from the fuel pump, fuel should flow freely because the tank is higher than the hose. That's why this hose is such a hazard because if it ruptures the complete contents of the tank will drain out.

It happened to me when I removed my SWC from my parents garage in Seattle in 1975 after three years in storage while the AF had me at Grand Forks. The tank was empty, so I poured in two gallons. Fuel immediately began leaking from that hose that had ruptured. (It was original). So I held my finger against the pipe like The Little Dutch Boy, while my dad drove down to a local gas station to get a piece of 3/8" fuel hose.

It sounds to me like something is blocking fuel flow.

Mark - how about trying a little compressed air into that fuel pump connecting hose. Maybe it will clear out whatever is blocking the pipe if that's the case.

Duke

[Mark H.]

Re: Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start post rebuild; no fuel exiting t

Mark you won't see fuel at the tank pipe outlet fitting until it gets sucked up and over the drawpipe of the sender assembly.

If you can, use a MityVac brake bleeder to draw some from the tank, but caution as if it does now it'll siphon all of it out.

I would get a 5 gal can and put a hose in it from hardline to fuel pump and try that to verify pump operation before pulling the sender.

Also be absolutely sure your pump is plumbed properly. I reversed them once on a hotrod motor and had the same problem.

Rich

I am pretty sure the pump is plumbed properly - the inlet and outlet are on opposite sides of the pump and there isn't any way to connect the hard line from the pump to the fuel filter to the wrong side of the pump. I will try to "prime" the line to the pump with vacuum and see what happens. If that doesn't work I'll empty the tank and pull the sender to see what is going on.

I have to admit that working with fuel is my least favorite thing to do. I'd rather bleed brake lines!

[Richard M.]

Re: Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start post rebuild; no fuel exiting t

Duke is right it should just flow, but on a new fill first time the fuel has to come up and over the sender V shaped tube.

Here's the sender and v pipe. Only way fuel will come up and over is if it's sucked up and over. Fuel has to be above the V to siphon on its own.
e5757.jpg

BTW, when I do body-offs, or change pumps on C1 or C2/3 cars, I have a air hose ready, set at about 20psi. I pull the inlet hose off the pump, underneath a oil drain pan to catch any flow, then put the air nozzle on the hose. Hit the trigger a few times, until I hear bubbles in the tank.

Best way to not get "Mobilized"....

[Richard M.]

Re: Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start post rebuild; no fuel exiting t

I am pretty sure the pump is plumbed properly - the inlet and outlet are on opposite sides of the pump and there isn't any way to connect the hard line from the pump to the fuel filter to the wrong side of the pump.

Hmmm, I wonder if you have a pump that's clocked wrong? Can you get under there with both lines off and have someone crank the engine? Put your finger over each port and verify it's sucking on your finger.

I recently changed a pump on my 59 and it was clocked wrong.

[Mark H.]

Re: Today was supposed to be the day (car won't start post rebuild; no fuel exiting t

Hmmm, I wonder if you have a pump that's clocked wrong? Can you get under there with both lines off and have someone crank the engine? Put your finger over each port and verify it's sucking on your finger.

I recently changed a pump on my 59 and it was clocked wrong.