Thread: Roadster Pickup comes home on the Hook!!!

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Well, I suppose its inevitable.---If you drive a hotrod for enough years, sooner or later, its going to let you down. Yesterday, I was out, cruising all over town with that big cheesy grin that the first springtime ride will give you. Today I was installing a window air conditioner for my stepson who lives on the far side of town in a small apartment with his wife and my two grand daughters. First trip over to measure the window opening---everything went fine---Second trip over to trial fit the thing--trip over went fine. When I left his place, the RPU hiccupped when I left his steep driveway---I thought--Hmmm---Must be flooded a bit from being parked in a real steep incline. It seemed to clear allright, and I drove down to the first intersection. Then it quit!!! I could smell gas quite strong, and it turned over fine, but no spark. I waited 15 minutes and tried again---same thing. Two kids about 30 come along and were admiring the car, so I got them to help me push it into a parking spot and left it there. Caught a ride home and got my Ford Ranger and my towbar that I built 4 years ago when I was dragging the car around for muffler work, etcetera, and went back across town and hooked up the car and towed it home. Waited an hour and tried to start it again. This time, it wouldn't turn over at all. Charged the battery for 2 hours---got lots of horn (no lights on it right now, waiting for Halogens), and it still won't turn over. I hear the sarter solenoid kick in, then just a grunt, and nothing else!!! Now I guess that tomorrow I will get to see if the "drop out" battery box that I built and then installed under the bed floor BEFORE I built the bed floor will really "drop out". Its acting like I may have a bad connection at the battery.---Or a bad ground. I got my sons fishing boat battery out of the shed and put the charger on it, so tomorrow I can try and figure out what the heck is going on.

Brian, I think I would maybe pull the plugs and make sure the engine isn't hydrauliced before you try to turn it over again (or at least put a wrench on the crank bolt and make sure it turns).

I believe I'd be looking at the starter and solenoid first off.

I had the same thoughts as Mike P about the water in the cylinders. Maybe a head gasket, but I hope just a bad connection for your sake Brian.

Don

Any chance a positive battery cable is lying on a sharp edge?

Or the main supply wire - usually 10 gage - doing the same?

That ones caught more than a few.

Went out early this morning and tried the starter---no joy!!! Just a grunt. Worked all morning on computer--ran out at lunch hour and pulled the plugs. Engine was totally hydrauliced!!---With gasoline. I pulled the passenger side rear plug, and gasoline ran out of the cylinder. That is the first time that has ever happened to me. After getting a good visual on where my fire extinguisher was, I tried the key---all plugs out. It shot gasoline clear across the garage!!! Now, back to work for the afternoon and do some more on the RPU tonight. I'm still convinced it had something to do with parking in that real steep driveway for half an hour.--Darned old intake must have been right full of gasoline. I'm just surprised that it started and ran for 3 or 400 yards before it died at the stop sign!!!

Good call MikeP!

Probably what happened was that on that incline your needle(s) didn't seat and gas kept flowing until it filled the engine with gas. Hope you didn't bend any pushrods from the engine trying to turn over.

Don

Denny---I do have a pressure release cap, and Don--I don't think I bent anything---the engine did start and run for about 4 or 5 minutes before it quit for good.

What carb are you running?

The angle of the dangle must have been such that as said above the needle and seat did not work right or it allowed fuel to run freely into the carb depending on model.

I calculate 225 inches of head required to get to 6 psi which is why I would also say it is in the carb. If parked with the tank up you could siphon the tank into the carb. Like Denny says, with tank down you might still drain a bowl into the manifold.

Kitz

Damn damn, and damn. I went out right after work, put the plugs back in, went down to the corner store to buy a quart of oil, and when I got back it had hydrauliced again!!! More investigation will follow. How friggin much gasoline can one small block intake hold???? Now I will have to investigate which is higher---carb or fuel tank. If the float needle sticks open, will it gravity feed thru a mechanical fuel pump?

Wierd Brian. I had a Makuni carb that would constantly overflow. Sent it back to them and they found microscopic glass beads in it that caused the float to stay open. These things can drive you crazy! Steve.

Originally Posted by brianrupnow

Damn damn, and damn. I went out right after work, put the plugs back in, went down to the corner store to buy a quart of oil, and when I got back it had hydrauliced again!!! More investigation will follow. How friggin much gasoline can one small block intake hold???? Now I will have to investigate which is higher---carb or fuel tank. If the float needle sticks open, will it gravity feed thru a mechanical fuel pump?

it could siphon thru the pump if the tank is higher and the needle is stuck open, but then you would see it coming out of the fuel vent I would think, cause it would not be under any preassure or vac to force it out of the venturis.

Brian I can not recommend strongly enough that before you attempt to start the RPU again that you drain and change the oil and filter. By now you probably have a crankcase full of gas.......2 worst case seneiros that I have personally seen th results of are a crankcase explosion (severe enough to literally blow the valve covers off a SB Mopar) and/or wiped bearing.

Yes it can siphon and dribble out the venturies once the level gets high enough (the vent tube is higher so you won;t see it come out of there).

One cure that I have used in the past if the tank is higher than the carb is to run an electric inline fuel valve. Once power is supplied (key in the on position/start position) the valve opens. With the key off it defaults to the closed position.

Okay---I know whats happening. I may even know why. The gas tank is higher than the carburetor. I don't think that is unduly weird, because there are a jillion hot rod pickups running around North America with tanks in the bed, higher than the engine, and they all seem to work allright. Will the tank gravity feed thru the mechanical fuel pump?? Damn right it will!!! I pulled the gas line off the carb, and it was constantly flowing with the truck setting in my yard on the level driveway. That answers that question. So, Sherlock, I deduce that the float needle in the carburetor is stuck wide open. It might have something to do with having parked in my step sons steep driveway, or it could just be coincidental. The gas is flowing thru the carb, thru the intake manifold, and filling up any cylinders that are setting there with the intake valves open. That being said, I will either put a kit in the carb, or take the carb down to the local rebuilder. I have siphoned all the gas out of the tank, and connected a rubber drain line to the fuel line which screws into the carburetor---its draining any residual gasoline into a two gallon gas can on the floor. It scares the Hell out of me, working around all that gasoline. I've got the garden hose beside me on one side of the car, my chemical fire extinguisher beside me on the other side of the car, and the car pushed out of the garage setting in the driveway. At least its not something that is going to destroy my trusty old 305, and I guess I don't have to pull the battery after all. (Thank God).---I will change the oil, because I don't know how much has leaked down past the rings into the oilpan.