54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

[John L.]

Greetings,
I have posted a couple questions previously regarding the first start up of my newly rebuilt engine. From earlier comments it was suggested that in addition to priming the oil system by using a drill to spin the oil pump....that I should fill the carb fuel bowls to reduce initial crank up time. Any suggestions on how to fill the bowls? Would that be to remove the large brass screw in "plugs' on the top of each carb?
Thanks,
John

[Clem Z.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

Greetings,
I have posted a couple questions previously regarding the first start up of my newly rebuilt engine. From earlier comments it was suggested that in addition to priming the oil system by using a drill to spin the oil pump....that I should fill the carb fuel bowls to reduce initial crank up time. Any suggestions on how to fill the bowls? Would that be to remove the large brass screw in "plugs' on the top of each carb?
Thanks,
John

fill thru the bowl vent tubing. put the gas in slowly with a syringe type device till you see fuel dripping from the booster nozzles

[Guy M.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

Another way is to use a eyedropper in the big plugs, start with a 1/8 cup, see if it fires and put the plugs back on tight

[John L.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

thanks Clem and Guy you are great with your advice as I am getting ever so close to starting this thing up!!

[Cathy S.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

Spray a little starting fluid in the middle carb and it will fire right up

[John L.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

One more question here regarding the initial start up. I was considering my taking the spark plugs out and then cranking over the engine without a compression load just long enough to begin getting fuel up through the lines, to the fuel pump and then up to the carbs and then reinstall for the start up.
Would this be a good idea?
Appreciate the feedback...
JmL

[Richard F.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

I bought a small length of clear tubing that fits the bowl vent pipe and use an old turkey baster. Fill the baster from my motorcycle tank, plug into the tubing and squeeze. It is fast and mess-free.

[Chris S.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

if you crank the motor over.......
you will need a helper
place the palm of your hand over the carb - this strong vacume signal will help pull fuel up to the carbs
let the pump fill the carbs
couple long cranks will do it
let it fire up .......
works. no mess no fuss
learned from an old engine builder - works every time.....

[John L.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

I like both suggestions ..... Chris I assume that I would be placing my palm over the forward most carb and maybe the middle one or is this where the helper comes in to block off the third carb..

[Clem Z.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

if you crank the motor over.......
you will need a helper
place the palm of your hand over the carb - this strong vacume signal will help pull fuel up to the carbs
let the pump fill the carbs
couple long cranks will do it
let it fire up .......
works. no mess no fuss
learned from an old engine builder - works every time.....

not a good way if you are breaking in a cam. you want the engine o start right away so you get oil flow. also you should use a oil pump primer to fill the filter and oil passages so you have oil pressure as soon as the engine starts

[Jim L.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

There is no oil filter on a '54.

[Steven B.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

John,
What did you use to spin up your oil pump? What did you spin with your drill?

[John L.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

Yes, I will be using a drill and an old slotted screwdriver shaft that has had the handle cut off.....(you know one of those screwdrivers that was hastely used as a chisel in a moment of weakness.)
I will have the valve cover off so I will be looking for oil being pumped across all lifters/guides before proceeding as this is spinning.
Have done any of this yet though and hope to get to it over the weekend.

Do you know if it matters what direction the pump turns clockwise or counter clock wise when using the drill - if not I will find out soon.

BTW putting together a video on the prep up to this point and will then have it for the initial start up for all to see how I approached - hope it starts!!
John

[Dale M.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

Here is a tool we made to spin the oil pump to prime the oiling of an engine for Chev V8's, see photo. This is an old distributor that we modified for this purpose. Note there are no grears to turn the cam and the top has a shaft to put into your drill. This tool holds the shaft steady and connected to the oil pump. I suspect just using a screw driver shaft may slip out of the slot in the oil pump. I believe there are tools on the market for this purpose as well.

The distributor turns clockwise, so the pump turns this directions as well.

[Chris S.]

Re: 54 - How to Fill Carb Fuel Bowls for First Start Up

yep - or grow that third arm/hand we all need