Fuel issues

[old chevy man]

Hi guys, it's been a while since I have been on here. . . so long in fact I had to start my account over. I dont know if any of you remember but my dad and me completely restored a 1973 k10 350 stepside chevy truck a baby blue color. I have been having some fuel issues with the truck. Its got a 600 Eldelbrock carb on it that was rebuilt when we restored the truck 3 years ago. I am going to tell you guys as much as can so hopefully you can help me. First of all if I drive it somewhere like to the gas station say to get gas, the thing starts right up afterwards, no problem. Now If I drive it to somewhere and I am there for a hour or two, the thing is very hard starting and takes a while. And If I drive it one day and don't drive it for a few days or a week the thing is also very hard starting. I Parked the thing before winter here and about 3 or 4 weeks later took the carb off of it looking for something wrong and found nothing. The thing was also bone dry, no gas in the carb, none in the gas lines on the carb either, everthing was bone dry. So I went ahead and bought another rebuild kit for it and rebuilt it again.  I even filled the bowls up and let it set for a while thinking there was maybe a crack in one of the bowls or something and there was'nt. Do you guys have any ideas on what my problem might be? Im stumped, thanks

[Jason S]

Have you checked the fuel pump output? The fuel pump may not be pumping enough fuel to the carburetor.

[DanInMichigan]

When it's been parked a few days can you pull the air cleaner and see if the accelerator pump provides a squirt when the throttle is cracked?

What is your normal process for starting the vehicle?  Do you pump the gas at all before you attempt to start it?

Is it an electric choke?

Dan

[old chevy man]

I think my fuel pump output is ok cause it fires right up after say I run into the gas station or something for a minute after driving it. I will have to test my accelerator pump here when I get around to driving it here after winter, I hadnt even thought about looking at that. And yes it is electric choke. Usually when its hard starting the most, like after its sat for a few days or a week, I pump the pedal about 8 times, it fires and dies. I pump the pedal about 3 more times it fires and dies. I pump maybe another 1 or 2 times and it finally fires up and runs.

[DanInMichigan]

I have a couple of holley's with no choke, and they start about like that in the winter.  And I know they accelerator pumps are working.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

Dan

[bake74]

      Is your vent on top of the fuel bowl open and not partially plugged, or plugged ?
      Have you checked to make sure your choke is working properly ?  A run to go get gas, it will not need the choke to restart.  Depending on how cold it is there a couple of hours might require the choke to set again.
      When you check your choke and make sure it is working, next time pump it twice, make sure choke is set and see if it fires. ( this step will require someone to visually see if choke stays closed until it warms up ).  If it fires and dies, my guess is your choke is opening too soon or it is getting to much gas or as stated to little. 
       Remember gas has to be atomized properly to fire right.  Heat helps the Venturi to do this, so when it is cold the carb has to work harder to atomized the gas.  Basically closed choke less gas, open choke more gas.  ( this topic is a book worth of info, so sorry for the short details ).
       If rebuilt properly, it sounds to me like it is adjusted in-correctly.

[Captkaos]

Hi guys, it's been a while since I have been on here. . . so long in fact I had to start my account over.

No need to start a new account.  Tell me what the old one was, or find it and If you don't remember the password or email I can fix it.

[farmerchris]

been reading about filters on certain carbs that don't have anti drainback.usually a rubber piece on the end of the filter.with out the valve certain carbs drain out causing a dry start ,until the gas get back in the carbs.also compounding the problem is aged fuel pumps don't. hold pressure on the line ,creating a hard start til the gas gets to the carb.usually. cheap filter made without this feature.

[old chevy man]

Well, I rebuilt the carbureutor, cleaned it out very good, and put a new more expensive fuel filter on it. And now that its getting a little warmer out and the salt is all off the road I have been driving it a little more and it seems to be doing a heck of a lot better so far, so I dont know what it was but one of them things I done must have solved the trick. Thanks for your guys's inputs.