fuel drains from carb

Hello my 56 2ba carb does the same thing, i always thought it was something in the carb doing it like some one left out a small gasket. I need to take mine apart someday, if mine sets for several days it really takes a lot of cranking, GOOD LUCK RICH:gba::gba:

 

There are in-line fuel filters with check valve in them, would think the fuel could drain back because float bowl is vented.

 

hi london hows the weather over there? my family moved from liverpool to the states in the 1860's but still have family over there.
are you using a fuel pressure regulator?

 

Pump the gas a 2-3 times.
Crank it for 5-10 seconds while pumping.
Wait for 15-30 seconds (no cranking, no nothing).
Crank and single pump.

See if that works. (The trick is the waiting.)

 

That's the way I do it also :anim_25:

 

So does my 55 ... :tu
Cowboy :flag6:
:gba:
bowtie-trifive

 

Thanks guys. May give it a try later on today as the weather has been really good this weekend, bit of a late summer! Not using a fuel pressure regulator but don't think I need one for this. Have seen soon aluminium non return valves on line and they are less than £5 Stirling, so I may try one if the above advice doesn't work. The car has a battery trickle charger on it when parked in my garage, so the battery has plenty of power. But if I was away for a few days in the car, I worry that all that cranking would really drain the battery and wear the mini starter. 3:

 

If you start the car on a regular basis you wont have that problem, if your out cruising you can stop/start without any hassles

 

I don't know when gasoline(gasahol) learned to defy gravity. The needles and seats in the AFB(Edelbrock are in the to cover. The gas would have to fill the carb to the brim to even think about going back out the needles and seats, which are shut by the gas level. I've found the gas in the carb evaporates when the engine is shut off but the heat of the engine vaporizes some of the gas. This new gas vaporizes at low temperature. I have the same problem with my 57 not wanting to start if it sits for 2 or more days in warm weather especially. I also had problems in hot weather where the engine wanted to die when I stopped at a signal for an extended time. The gas was vaporizing from lack of air through the front end, the same way the radiator doesn't keep the engine cool, like in a drive-through line. No, I don't have an electric fan. The way I solved the dry carb problem was to park in my sloped driveway with the gas tank up

I parked that way to keep the canoe from hanging out over the sidewalk. The car sat for 2 weeks before I drove it again. I ride a motorcycle most of the time. When I went to start the car after 2 weeks I expected to have to crank it for 15-30 seconds to pump gas back into the carb bowl. CHAZAM! it started right away. I didn't take the canoe off the roof for a month, and kept backing the wagon in, and it kept starting on the first crank. Now it routinely back the wagon in but if I back it up to the gate there is not much slope and the carb still drains. The gas tank has to be higher than the carb, and then no starting issues unless the tank is really low. It may sound wierd but The low gas kept a thief from completing the theft of my wagon. The a hole broke the wind wing and got inside and cut the steering wheel with bolt cutters to get the Club off. The thief ran out of gas and abandoned the car about 30 miles from here. The locking gas cap kept the thief from refilling it and he didn't know the gas was low because my gas gauge doesn't work. New sending unit but original wiring. Anyway, I installed a 1/2 inch bakelite spacer under the carb, a factory piece from 300hp 327 engines equipped with the AFB. No more hot carb problems when sitting idling.

 

Forgot to add – you need to be holding your breath while doing this.

 

Guys, we've discussed this before. So, let me reiterate what I said before, and add a new trick I've discovered for starting my '57.

First - it is NOT POSSIBLE to siphon an original tri-five carburetor dry. The drain back you describe is not possible because - on all tri-five carburetors, the needle and seat are located in the air horn (top cover) above the float. That means they are also above the fuel level in the bowl. If you attempt to siphon the bowl dry, all you're going to do is suck out air - not fuel. So, unless you've got a cracked fuel bowl (and if you did, you'd know it!), the only way you can end up with an empty fuel bowl is evaporation.

However - it is ENTIRELY possible to have a fuel pump that works properly in all respects (proper fuel volume, fuel pressure, no external leaks) where the check valves do not seal 100% perfectly. If the car is parked pointing uphill, fuel and/or air will slowly leak past the check valves until the pump and fuel lines are empty. Then, when you try to start it, the pump is sucking air for several seconds before pulling the fuel in. (Think about what it takes to start the car if you refilled it after running out of gas.) On the other hand - if you park the car pointing downhill, the line from the tank, the pump, and at least part of the line from the pump to the carb remain full. Now, it'll start pretty quickly, even with a bone-dry carb bowl.

Finally, my latest trick for starting my '57.

Believe it or not - my '57 with my WCFB will start much faster if I DON'T pump the accelerator at all. Yes, that's right.

Suppose my '57 has sat for 1-2 weeks. If I press the accelerator just far enough to set the choke - about 1/4 to 1/3 down - it'll start almost as fast as if I'd driven it earlier that day. I'm talking under 5 seconds to start. It'll start faster than my modern cars if they've sat for a few days.

If I press the '57s accelerator to the floor once, it'll take longer to start. If I press the accelerator to the floor twice, it'll take even longer to start. It'll also run rougher when it does start.

Also - I switched to using nothing but ethanol-free gas in my '57 over a year ago. That's the first thing you need to do if you haven't done so already.

 

The ethanol in the gas has destroyed the accelerator pump on a 66 GMC. If I let it set a few days I have to prime the engine with a bit of gas in a plastic dish liquid bottle. If the fuel pump seat gets worn the fuel pump will lose its prime. resulting in a empty line between the pump & carb. That's why I run a filter between the tank and fuel pump. Any rubber hose or filter between the fuel pump and carb is a potential fire hazard. I also use the stock sintered bronze filter that's inside the carb.as stated before its impossible for the carb to be siphoned dry. It could evaporate but never siphon dry.

 

That reminds me - when I rebuilt my WCFB, I used a NOS leather accelerator pump, straight out of the GM box.

 

If I've been sitting more than 4-5 days, I use a shot of ether to get it running. It will start right up and run on the ether 1-2 seconds which is long enough to get the fuel to the carb.

 

Here's My Fix

Just carry a can of this

 

I pull my manual choke, give it about 1/3 pedal pump and crank the engine. Starts in less than 2 revolutions.

 

Once gas is in the carb.......it can't go back. Think about it. The gasahol is evaporating. You may just have to crank it a little longer to get gas back into the carb.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

When you shut off a totally warmed up to operating temp engine. The under hood temperatures can get pretty high. The engine coolant that was at 180 will also climb. and even with a insulated spacer the gas in the carb could easily evaporate. The spacer insulates the base of the carb from manifold heat and the incoming charge of fuel & air can be pretty cold. Think carbureter icing. that spacer cannot effect under hood temps in a engine bay. And your correct corn gas evaporates very quickly.

 

Apparently the biggest cause of gas disappearing from the fuel lines is leak back through the fuel pump. A simple, but expensive fix is to install a one way check valve in the line between the fuel pump and the carburetor. There are several types that differ in the way they operate but all allow fuel to go one way through the line but not the other.

example - http://www.summitracing.com/parts/rnb-800-196/reviews/?sortReviews=Newest

 

My 56 takes awhile to start if it sets a few days. How can it be fuel line leaking back? When the gas in the carburetor is what starts the car. If there is gas in the carb. it will start. The carb gas don't leak back, it may evaporate???? JMO RICH

 

Drainback?

I for one don't believe it can be a drain back problem but one caused by evaporation of fuel especially if a heat insulator is not used between the carb and manifold. I believe a phonetic spacer is the best to use.

 

I for one don't believe it can be a drain back problem but one caused by evaporation of fuel especially if a heat insulator is not used between the carb and manifold. I believe a phonetic spacer is the best to use.

Could be a combination of the two. Depending on the carb there can be a world of difference there too. I know my old quadrajet could run out of fuel from leaking out of the bowls and be flooded, or after days it could be dry again and the bowl low or empty, but it was nearly impossible to leak or evaporate out of the accelerator pump so it would at least get a pump shot or two to start on and that quickly filled the bowl high enough so it would start the second time with another pump of the pedal. Oh and yes long ago I installed a check valve which I still use.

The older Holley I'm running now can boil gas after it's shut down but days later (the most it's gone is 5 days) there is still enough fuel in the bowl for it to start and stay running off the pump shot and maybe 2 revolutions. Makes me wonder if some (not all) are flooding it that it takes so long to start? That has always been the case in my experience. Always seems you have to learn how to start your carbureted engine. Every one is a little different and has it's own quirks. That's part of the cool thing about a carb, getting to know it and your engine.

 

Okay I have installed the one way check valve now and used the car on Sunday. Will leave it till the weekend and then check it out to see if it makes any difference. My carb sits on a 1" carb spacer to try to stop any heat problems. Check valve was cheap, only £3.49 with free postage. That is about $6. 3:

 

If you have ever spilled some modern gas on the garage floor, you will get an idea of how volatile the gas is. I am sure the carb vent will let enough fuel leave the carb in a couple days to make "hard starting".:bowtier:

 

Most of the things you said make sense but I don't buy the ethanol separating from the gas as we drive. For a different reason (has to do with my lawn mower) I've had a half full coke bottle of some E-10 on a shelf in the garage since may and it hasn't separated yet. Add agitating to that from simple driving and there is basically no chance of it separating.

And if it did separate, the gasoline on top would evaporate until it got down to near the ethanol.

The only time the ethanol separates from the gas is when it absorbs a large amount of water. If that were happening those cars wouldn't be cranking long until they start, they simply wouldn't start.

 

X2

Amen on the ethanol not separating and absorbing water in the gas. That is what HEET, gas line dryer and antifreeze is and does, mixes with the gasoline and absorbs water and keeps it in suspension to be burned with the fuel.

 

I don't use ethanol gas, 91 octane premium lead free, and I still have the same problem after 3-4 days not running my car. Next time I let it sit for a few days I'll check to see if there is any gas shooting into the engine when I set the choke. I am guessing the carb will be empty since there normally will not be any start and quit running, just cranking to get the gas to the carb.

I am convinced its the volatility of todays gas evaporating regardless of the amount of ethanol or the absence of ethanol.:bowtier:

 

heres a link

http://goldwingdocs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14679 Ok almost every above ground tank in Arkansas has water from condensation. We have heat during the day and the temps drop at nite and we have plenty of humidity. Also the below ground tanks are filled by tanker trucks. The tanker trucks are filled from large above ground tanks at the sun pipeline terminal. And if you don't keep your vehicles tank full it will condensate. Just get a gallon of your local ethanol and put it in a gallon glass jug. leave the top open to the atmosphere. and after a week the ethanol & water will be visible at the bottom. I do that and siphon off the top clean gas and use it in my 2 cycle chainsaw. and My husky chain saw is on its 16th year and Ive never cleaned or adjusted the carb. All I have ever done is change the air filter and spark plug . I also use the clean fuel in my one cyl engines. I add chemtool to the gas for my one cyl engines. Im constantly removing the settlement bowls from my 66 Pk and tractors and dumping out water mixed with ethanol. The water will not pass through the ceramic filter that my inline settlement bulb has.

 

http://goldwingdocs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14679 Ok almost every above ground tank in Arkansas has water from condensation. We have heat during the day and the temps drop at nite and we have plenty of humidity. Also the below ground tanks are filled by tanker trucks. The tanker trucks are filled from large above ground tanks at the sun pipeline terminal. And if you don't keep your vehicles tank full it will condensate. Just get a gallon of your local ethanol and put it in a gallon glass jug. leave the top open to the atmosphere. and after a week the ethanol & water will be visible at the bottom. I do that and siphon off the top clean gas and use it in my 2 cycle chainsaw. and My husky chain saw is on its 16th year and Ive never cleaned or adjusted the carb. All I have ever done is change the air filter and spark plug . I also use the clean fuel in my one cyl engines. I add chemtool to the gas for my one cyl engines. Im constantly removing the settlement bowls from my 66 Pk and tractors and dumping out water mixed with ethanol. The water will not pass through the ceramic filter that my inline settlement bulb has.

I don't disagree about the ethanol and water at the bottom, especially with above ground tanks where you live. I'm just saying that if the hard starting that started this thread was due to ethanol and water, that the car wouldn't start at all.

(Sorry moderators this gets way out there but if it continues I'll start another thread)

It's about time I open that coke bottle to let the moisture in but I don't expect to see anything you have not said. The reason it has been sitting there was that during a factory repair, the shop told me it was old gas that caused the problem so it wasn't under warranty. I told him to save all the bad gas, I wanted to see it, so about 1/4 of a coke bottle had some really nasty old gas in it, he said it came from my carburetor and the rest of the gas was good. (it was more than the carb bowl can hold!) I dealt with bad gas before and this stuff smelled like it was at least 5 years old. I swear the mechanic took it out of an old junker in the back. He told me that the new gas coming in wouldn't mix with this crud and if I shook it, it would separate again. So I added just a little fresh gas (E-10) carefully and it mixed just fine. So it's been sitting there all this time, (yes it is sealed) and still it has not separated. But I fully believe that if I leave it open, it will absorb water and separate again, I just don't buy the story the mechanic gave me.

Now keep in mind that this engine was stored over winter with non-ethanol gas and Stabil. It ran through the old gas it had fine and I had put fresh E-10 in it. A few weeks later it started misfiring off and on, very random, just like it had done when it was 3 weeks old and they couldn't find the problem then.

Since then the mower has been back to the shop 5 times with the same problem. The arrogant shop owner thinks he knows more than Briggs and Stratton and refused to call them for help even after Briggs told me to tell him to call. They kept cleaning the carb and it would work for a week or two. I finally gave Briggs a call again and told them the story. They gave him a tongue lashing and told him to replace the fuel pump. So far so good. Fingers crossed. Husqvarna's top off the line "lawn tractor". No it's not one that Lowes or Home Depot sell, it came from a real tractor dealer and it's a piece of crap! The tractor itself has many faults but Husqvarna told me it's all my fault. Even the blades coming loose and stripping a star shaped shaft with less than 5 hours on it. They say I hit something with it, I say they were never torqued to spec, (55 ft lbs I think). Ever since I torqued them I have indeed hit many rocks yet they are still tight. My opinion of Husqvarna is not very good, no matter what "grade" machine it is.

 

mean story

40 years ago We lives in a old hillbilly shack . you know the style built on stacked up rocks on a steep hillside. And right next to the house about 30 feet was the property line. Annd this 240acres that adjoined was heired up. there seemed to be 200 relatives who hunted and cut firewood on it. One fall this old guy called Blue would come and park in my driveway in a big oldsmobile car. and get out and cuy some wood and trundle it to his car trunk with a wheelbarrow. And he did this every day at the crack of dawn. My wife and I didn't like being work up before the roosters every day. So I asked him to not arrive at daylight. He pretty much told me where I could stick it. We notice he would hide his jugs of gas and bar &chain oil. So I went and urinated in his gas. and poured battery acid in the bar & chain oil. Shure enough the next day he was sawing at daylight and pretty soon the saw quit. The poor old guy wore himself out pulling on the start rope.:sign0020: He left and never returned.:tu

 

Well??????

 

.

 

First of all you are asking for a response from a thread that was last visited 14 years ago which often happens with a new member.First introduce yourself we love photos of your ride.Then second post your question on your starting issue & you will get answers & suggestions but this has been discussed many times & if you use the search functions you will find lots of others having starting issues when using the Edelbrock carbs.Welcome to the site.