I have a 65 Ford F-250 that has been sitting facing downhill for the past 5 years in fairly extreme conditions (winter is cold in Idaho). I know I have to replace some hoses that have dried and cracked but any recommendations on how I should proceed? Would it be worth changing oil/gas filter first and then starting it? I think there is about 1/8 tank of gas left in the tank. Thanks in advance.

 

Not a complete list, but to begin, I'd pull the valve covers and spark plugs and turn the motor by hand to make sure nothing binds or is stuck. Watch the valves go through their cycles. Definitely change/flush the fuel. Probably should drain oil and change filter. Pull the carb and thoroughly clean it.

 

I'm sure this has been covered a lot, but being I've been AWOL for many years, (and bored at work today) And open for a discussion on this topic to refresh myself. I'll take a stab at refreshing the idea although better minds can certainly add to / edit this list!

I'd say 5 years is borderline to go more extensively? But for starters here's what I would do...

1. First off... Get more responses from others and do some reading before just taking my word and going with it. :-) And the following these steps only if you know for certain the truck ran when parked.

2. Check oil and make sure it's not gummy / watery / smelly / low. If low add, if other exists change completely along with filter.
3. Put in neutral and make sure the crank turns clockwise by hand with a ratchet on the crank bolt. Engine should turn before the bolt turns. If bolt turns first, most likely you'll need to go a more extensive route to free up motor...
4. Remove gas line from receiving end of fuel pump and place a fresh fuel line into fresh can of gas. There's a good chance gas tank may need cleaned after 5 years? Would need to check tank good to confirm it's OK. The gas in the tank would be very questionable even by filling the rest of the tank up with fresh gas. I'd be inclined to go ahead and drain the gas tank before using it.
5. Remove air filter / breather and check carb for any varmint remains (dirt dobbers / mice).
6. Not a bad idea to pull top off of carb and remove old gas from bowl by using a hand syphon and observing bowl for contaminates.
7. Make sure ignition key is off for now and remove red wire from "S" position of starter solenoid.
8. Bump starter by using a jump wire from positive of battery to "S" terminal.
9. Make sure motor turns over good one revolution from the starter before going further.
10. Turn ignition key to "On" position.
11. Apply the choke if the carb has a manual choke.
12. Pour some gas into a small cup to use as a carb primer. Pour about maybe 4-5 tablespoons of gas directly into top of carb from the primer cup. Don't try to use anything bigger for jugs are very uncontrollable. And remember either / starter fluid is harsh to a motor with unknown issues. Only gas is recommended for primer due to any uncertainty's.
13. Jump start the solenoid again while concentrating on the carb. Engine should hit a lick off the bat after 1-2 revolutions if not sooner. If it does, repeat as necessary until fuel pump draws enough gas to fill the bowl and run on it's own. Another option is to fill the bowl yourself by using a small funnel into the gas line going into the carb.
14. If it don't hit immediately, I'd repeat 1-2 more times before expecting spark issues such as stuck points.


The main reason for starting from the solenoid is to be able to watch the carb in case it starts overflowing due to malfunctioning / needing a rebuild. If it does start overflowing through the vent pipe, be ready to switch the ignition off immediately.

Things to observe would be the exhaust color after it starts, make sure the radiator is filled before heating the engine up and make sure it idles after warm-up and choke is off before trying to drive it. The list can get very long but these are some of the things I make sure to do...

And if it DON'T start, the list goes on and on as well.

Now...
Anybody else care to proof me???

 

Carbureted Trucks parked at an extreme downhill (nosefirst) angle can get hydrolocked with fuel btw. Probably not the case here but something to beware of. Definitely make sure it turns over freely at any rate.

Yeah in this instance clean out, or replace, fuel tank, flush out or replace hard lines, replace all rubber hose and clamps, and rebuild carb. 5 year old gasoline is No Good.

Old varnished stale fuel will burn, some people suggest mixing in the old with fresh gas but it's like spraying glue over the lifters and valves and engine innards. The next time someone goes to start the rig it will likely be bent pushrod city.

I like Marvel's mystery oil in both the fuel AND the oil - important - as a check against sludge and varnish in situations just like this and preventing stuck rings and valves. Not normally a "snake oil" proponent but MMO is a kind of penetrating oil that is exactly what's needed here, it has saved my bacon a couple times.

 

All tips so far are right on. Looking at Tedsters pic of pushrods you see 8 are straight and 8 are bent. The bent ones went to the intake valves. Cannot Emphasize enough, remove ALL old gas from the tank. The gas is varnishy and when you try to run that old gas thru it ends up locking the intake valve to the guides and yep, bent pushrods.

Until you can empty/clean the tank use a remote 5 gal can sitting on the ground with new hose that is ethanol rated, hooked to the fuel pump inlet. Disconnect fuel line at carb and get the fresh gas up thru the fuel pump to the carb and with a hose on the line there let the pump push some of the new gas into a container and dispose of it. Then hook up the line to carb.

I'm not opposed to rebuilding the Carb, but I am opposed to doing what is not needed. Most likely the fuel that was in the carb evaporated a long time ago and left a dry film in it. Make sure you have spark by testing the coil for firing and if yes, try to get it running.

 

X2 on old gas is no good. I'll go farther and say 6 MONTH old gas is bad...little jello boogers will settle out of it and they plug the carb. Fuel stabilizer will get you by for a few months in storage but after 5 years you'll likely have jello in your carb and it needs disassembled and good cleaning.

 

Recently towed 65 with the 390 home after having set in the elements for the past 7 plus years.

Pretty much covered by other member's suggestions, thought I would chime in an possibly add a couple more?

***Suggest replace spark plugs and ignition wires. Possible issue is frayed plug wires and carburetor seals leaking resulting in an engine bay fire? Make sure to install the air cleaner until confident there are no fuel or electrical leaks. In my case, the Holley fuel crossover tube seals were cracked and leaked, fortunately on resulted in a minor carb fire?

While the plugs are removed block throttle plate open then note compression on each cylinder, readings will come in handy for future comparison?

Strongly suggest drain fuel and oil and replace filters. I replaced all the rubber hoses from the tank to the carburetor, estimate no more than a couple feet.

Replace points and rotor, with the EI, matter of replacing the rotor. Establish TDC, check the position of distributor rotor to cylinder and compare them to the timing marks. Found the timing pointer had been removed so I used a vacuum gauge in establishing the 'g' spot; fortunately, engine starts right up and sounds great. Intend check compression again, couple cylinder readings were on the margin, figure with several miles on the engine hopefully there is some improvement?

 

I would add rebuild the carb. I picked up a '64 with a 390 last year from a neighbors estate that wasn't running. It had sat for a year and a half. Once I got the fuel pump pumping I discovered that the accelerator pump on the carb was shooting gas all over the top of the manifold. The carb kit was like $20. Cheap insurance.

 

I bought a 64 M350 a year ago and when I got it home i noticed the valve covers were not bolted down and when I removed them I Could see that some of the pushrods were gone and some were bent. So I am assuming someone tried starting the truck with old gas and gummed up the valves. My question is how do I free up the valves? Would this cause any damage to the Pistons? Do I need to replace the heads or rebuild them? I only bought the truck for the cab, but it is a low mileage truck so I think it might have a good motor. , Doug.

 

This is what we did on a 68 350, with 360 engine and a 53 Ford Golden Jubilee tractor. Most likely it's only the intake valves that are bound up in the guides and you may see them stuck open. Remove rocker arm assy's to get them out of the way. Test the closed valves for being free. Take a hammer and with the handle squarely against the valve stem, push the valve open. If it opens and closes,OK.

On valves that are stuck, spray carb cleaner at the valve stem and guide top, your valve seal may still be intact. If possible try to move the seal up as far as possible so carb cleaner can get to the guide. The carb cleaner will eat the varnish that has the valve bound up. You can TAP the valve down with a hammer and using big screwdriver(s) or bar(s) try to pry the valve up. You'll have to work at it a bit, but you'll free them up. Have a couple cans carb cleaner.

REMEMBER, use a remote gas supply to run the engine until you determine the engines general condition.

On the 68 360 engine we bound the valves up AGAIN because we didn't know what we were dealing with and ran it more with the lousy gas. We straightened the push rods out with wood blocks and hammer TWICE. 10 years later my son still uses the truck to gather firewood and make dump runs. It is a work truck, not abused or hot rodded.

 

Thank you for the info. I will give it a try when I get some fee time. , Doug.

 

The "bad" gasoline will sometimes still burn and engine run, don't let that fool ya.

The damage is done later, the pushrods and things get lunched the next time somebody goes to start the engine after it's cooled down. It's akin to running shellac or varnish through the motor. Don't do it. It's going to gum up the carburetor too and all those tiny orifice and ball check valves and everything. Always use a stabilizer and keep the tank topped off and out of temperature extremes. It seems like MMO in the gas and oil helps, keeps things from sticking too. It surely doesn't hurt.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I'll post some pics and let you know how it goes.
Thanks again