Hello,

I have a 1978 F150 that has been in my garage since 2005. I drove it in. I know need to get it out and obviously it won't start.

I put in fresh gas (no I didn't drain the tank). I checked the cap and rotor and plug wires and fluids. I also changed the fuel filter.

First I was priming the carb with gas and it would start until it burned off the gas I poured in the carb. Tried that a dozen times but it wouldn't stay started. I than purchased a can of starter fluid and get the same thing as above but it seems to backfire a lot more and have to put out the campfire on top of the carb each time.

I assume the gas in the line is bad but I thought after trying this about twenty times now I would have burned off that off. So I am at a loss now, can anyone help?

Thanks,
maxtek

 

some times the gas in the lind hardens.
see if you can blow air through the gas lines. disconnect it from the tank of course first.

 

Ok I will try that. I am going to have to pull the truck out of the garage to do it though...bummer.

In the meantime, is there anything else to check as well? Thanks.

 

Short of dissassembly and a rebuild, I recommend opening up the carb and checking the bowls for dried gasoline. Its powdery remnants likely clogged up the passages... The needles are probably as stiff as cardboard too.

 

Disconnect the fuel line from the carb and put it in a container then crank it over and see if its pumping out gas. Other than that you'll have to take apart the carb and clean it out the gas in the bowls has most likely gone bad and gummed up.

 

+1 john7979, disconnect the outlet of the fuel pump and run it into a container to pump some of the bad gas out. Did this to a friends old scout that had been setting for about 4 years, we had to get the fuel pump diaphragm unstuck before it would pump. Put in about 10 gallons of premium and once it would start held down the gas a little until it burned most of it out. It can be time consuming and tedious but in time it will run. Hopefully you haven't pumped a bunch of crap into the carb, but try it before tearing into the carb. Good Luck and let us know when you get it going! Oh and keep a Fire Extinguisher handy!

 

That might give a new meaning to "Fire it up"!

 

After checking to see if there is fuel comming from the line to the carb by disconnecting it from the carb and putting it in a container and turning the engine over, I would pull the filter at the carb next. Just had a simular issue with my brothers bronco and that filter was completely stopped up.

 

I can not believe it has been more than year messing with this fuel problem....

Update and please help:

No fuel in a jar after doing what everyone said, so I disconnected the fuel line from the gas tank and went back to the engine and hooked up my air compressor to the fuel line. After a couple of bursts with air there was a basketball size splash near the gas tank. It was looking good so I hooked up the fuel line at the tank again and tried to get some gas into the jar. Nothing. After many times with starter fluid I still didn't get anything in the jar. So I tried blowing out the line again and only could get a small amount of air through the line. When I say small I mean I hooked up the air hose on the carb end and clamped the air valve so it would stay on and went to the back of the truck to see if anything was coming out. Just a little. I could hold my finger on the end for 30 full seconds until I couldn't hold it anymore.

So is the gas line straight through? Or is there a check valve or reducer or something? Or should the air be coming out just as fast as it is going in?

If the line is clogged and bad, what is the easiest way to fix it. Can I install braided gas line from the carb to tank or do I need to get brass line and a bender and do all that work?

Thanks.

 

Carb end? If you blew air from the carb end then you're actually shooting air in a reverse direction through the mechanical fuel pump that has an internal diaphram!!

Disconnect the line at the fuel pump and at the fuel tank connection and try it again. Unless someone put an inline filter or check valve, there would be no obstruction btwn those two points.

 

I just realized that (the friggin' fuel pump) when you replied. Goes to show you not to work on vehicles out in the cold. No wonder I didn't get any air at the tank side.

Since I screwed up, that means there is hope for the fuel line. I would rather replace the fuel pump than the whole fuel line.

Tomorrow I will try it again, the correct way.

In the meantime, can someone enlighten me on the 1978 fuel pump. Is it completely mechanical? When trying to start the truck should I be pumping the pedal like crazy or hold it down etc, etc.

Thanks, for the quick reply and hope to hear again from you.

JB