ok I will first say ( incase someone else does ) that while I am new to this forum, I am not new to the truck. I have also been reading on here for quite some time now, and still stumped. now my problem is this truck wont start, and I know it has been beaten to death. just let me explain.

The truck is a 78 f250, 400 with a c6, 4x4. the carb is a holley model 4160 ( 750 cfm ). now I got it from my dad like a month ago when i went to get it, we had to pour gas in the carb from an actual gas can to get it running on its on, once it caught ideal i drove it around no prob. but the accelerator pump did leak bad to where as if i tried to go above the crawl at idea it just popped. well i brought it home and rebuilt the carb, everything was replaced with new parts and set to holley's default settings and the truck still wont start, even pouring gas in the carb directly. the plugs and wires and button and cap are all brand new and gapped to .042. the timming is dead on, and the choke works perfectly and again set to default settings. and the plugs themselves are getting spark, (watched the actual plug sparked)

Again I am stumped, I have searched this forum for days, watched you tube videos on how to tune and troubleshoot the carb, and read holley tech manuals and i am stumped. The only thing i have left that i think could be a prob is maybe water in the fuel or the fuel is just old. my dad bought the truck 2 years ago and it sat until i just got back from afgahn, and i am thinking about putting a line from the fuel pump into a gas jug with fresh gas and hope this is the prob due to me having no where else to turn......??????? thanks any help at this point is greatly apreaciated

 

Ok well I don't know if I can help at all, but here it goes...
Do you have fuel to the carb?
Do you have fuel when you depress the throttle linkage?
Maybe (not sayin anything against your carb rebuild) something was missed, stuck or in the wrong spot?
Is the float stuck?
How did you time it? Before you rebuilt the carb?
Are you sure you have correct firing order?
Maybe the stator or brain box is failing(that's not at the top of the list but if all else fails)
these are my trooble shooting procedures I go through mayb they will help, it's got to be something simple... Good luck!

 

yeah i double checked the timing and the firing order, and if i pull the sight plug out of the side of the bowl the float ( needle ) is set to the spec of holley, so fuel is present at the hole, not flowing out. and when i press the gas peddle there are two steady streams spraying in the carb and as far as the rebuild i am without a doubt i rebuilt it right. now that being said, i may not have aboslutetly got every passage possible cleared, as i sprayed it down with carb cleaner but it didn't soak over night. so tom i am gonna re tear it apart and quadruple check everything. and i will also check your suggestions as well. i honestly am stumped, i mean it should run.

 

yeah i double checked the timing and the firing order, and if i pull the sight plug out of the side of the bowl the float ( needle ) is set to the spec of holley, so fuel is present at the hole, not flowing out. and when i press the gas peddle there are two steady streams spraying in the carb and as far as the rebuild i am without a doubt i rebuilt it right. now that being said, i may not have aboslutetly got every passage possible cleared, as i sprayed it down with carb cleaner but it didn't soak over night. so tom i am gonna re tear it apart and quadruple check everything. and i will also check your suggestions as well. i honestly am stumped, i mean it should run.

 

any one...... i will take any suggestions, maybe i over looked something simple and just do not realize it

 

If you feel confident on fuel it has to be ignition, sorry I can't suggest anymore... Take another look before you tear the carb back down.
Maybe try messing with the carb adjustments a little just for s***s n giggles. just a thought.

 

if the gas in the tank is bad, it does not matter if you rebuilt and cleaned the carb, it just sucks the old gas into the carb and clogs it up with all the varnish. This may help, but i might need a little more info, does it turn over at all? I had the same problem with my truck, I would keep cranking and cranking and cranking without it starting, I would pour some fresh gas into the carb and it would run until the gas ran out, then it would quit. I took out the gas tank, cleaned it many times with muratic acid, then put liner inside, then cleaned the screen of my carb, stuck it in, RUNS FINE.

 

Well modern gas is definitely crap after sitting for two years. I would try fresh fuel.

 

Take a hose and go from a gas can with new gas in it to the inlet on the feel pump so you can bypass the gas tank and what ever garbage is in it.

 

thanks guys, @builtfordtough, the way you described your problems of the truck just turning over and over without starting and if you dump fuel in the carb it would sputter and run till the gas ran out is EXACTLY what it does. and i agree with you guys i think either fuel is no longer good, or maybe really watered down. its gotta be a fuel issue. I am 100 percent it is timing or ignition, due to the fact i drove the truck to load it on the trailer and unloaded it. just had to dump gas in the carb to get it running both times. and thanks again guys, if running the pump to a jug of fresh gas doesnt work, im fully stumped

 

well justy fyi ( and I have no clue why this is ) but the fuel pump was the problem. the old one worked and would shoot fuel out of the filter, and then just quit so i just replace it and ran the supply line into a 2 gallon jug of fresh fuel and it work

 

glad to hear you got it sorted out.

 

thats good, the fuel pump on mine went bad after while to, but just some advice, get some muratic acid, drop the tank, pour it inside with a chain or something. Slosh it around to knock the varnish and rust around. I did it many times to make sure i didn't miss any. I even put a hole in it with the acid (soldered a penny in its place) then put RedKote liner inside. And FYI make sure the tank is empty of any old fuel before you do any of this.

 

yeah i am gonna do some serious cleaning to both tanks in a little bit. and I thank you again for the help!!

 

Your very welcome, I like to help other ford truck enthusiasts out as much as i can.