She left me for dead....

[Cyjfive]

Welp, it finally happened to me. I recently bought my first Jeep, a 1971 CJ5 , with the Dauntless Buick 225 V6 V6/3-speed. When I first looked at it and test drove it, it fired right off every time. Taken it out for a few drives and probably have put 30 or 40 miles on it. It's a project in need of TLC but it runs and drives....until tonight.

I first stopped and filled up with gas just to be sure (the fuel gage hadn't come to the top of the fixit list yet). When I left the gas station, it hiccup'd a bit but started. Then stopped at the store. When I left there, it struggled more. On about the 6th attempt, I held the gas to the floor for about 2 secs and it finally started up. This is when I thought hmm, better head for home. BUT, I was overruled as the little ones were promised an ice cream stop .

Low and behold, when leaving the ice cream shop, it would not start. It was odd, if I held the starter on and pumped the gas, nothing. But if I held the starter on and mashed the gas to the floor, it would fire but as soon as I let go of the starter, it would die and the throttle did nothing to help it stay alive. So I tried holding the starter on and the gas to the floor and when the starter was turning the engine, it would take off and Rev up. It was like the key was the throttle. I could Rev it up with the starter as long as the gas pedal was on the floor. As soon as I let go of the starter, it'd die. After getting a ride home to retrieve my truck and tow straps, we got her home.

Any thoughts? I'm thinking fuel filter or fuel pump? It'd only fire off with the gas to the floor so it's like that was enough fuel to start it but then it was being starved of fuel and wouldn't stay running. I'll dig into it tomorrow but I thought I'd get some other opinions.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[mtnwhlr]

Having the pedal to the floor is how you start a flooded motor. I think it's time for a carb rebuild. I think it has a stuck float or something thats flooding it out.

 

[Cyjfive]

A-ha, ok. Thanks! I figured it would come soon enough that the carb would need to be gone through...

 

[Cyjfive]

Update, let it sit overnight, turned it over, started instantly. Sat and idled for 5 mins. Shut it off for a min. Tried again, fires right off...

It was hotter than a goats *** in a pepper patch Saturday when this happened. If the fuel lines are near the heads, could they get hot and vapor lock the fuel feed?

I'm just thinking since it ran fine the next day, the pump and carb act normal...might've been heat related after I made 3 stops and it went thru 3 heat soaks?

 

[sparkzaflyin]

You could try the old wooden clothespin on the fuel line trick. I had what I thought was vapor lock, put a clothespin on the rubber fuel line at the fuel pump, at the fuel filter, and at the carburetor..Dont know if that was it, but I haven't had vaporlock since.

 

[Cyjfive]

Hmm, I'm not familiar with that one. What does it do exactly? Just restrict the fuel flow to prevent vapor lock?

 

[mtnwhlr]

No I think is to pull the heat out. May just be a old wifes tale.

 

[sparkzaflyin]

I read on one of the hot rod forums that quite a few people swear by it. The consensus seems to be that the clothespins break up the vapor bubbles into smaller bubbles that condense back into gasoline. I'm reasonably sure my initial problem was vaporlock, my AMC 304 runs pretty hot, with fenderwell headers, etc. I was seeing vapor bubbles in my see through gas filter when the engine was running and when it was off. don't seem to see them now though.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

When was the last time you put gas in the tank? Fill with premium.
You either have gas pickup issues, vapor lock or a coil issue.
The clothes pin deal is for a return fuel line if you have one.
I would fill the tank and see what that does.
LG