New Owner, New to 4 barrel...

[veale001]

Greeting and salutations all. Glad to be a noob again in a new forum. I just got into a 76 bronco that has a solid frame and body and the engine runs quite well the couple times i drove her up until (of course) i bought her!

I drove it strong for 3 hours with no problem, just a couple stops with no problem starting back up each time. Once in the drive, it set for maybe 2 hours. In a show of pride I told my father to take it for a spin. Wont turn over...

Im not new to carburetored engines but new to a 4 barrel, holley to be somewhat exact. it has a manual choke and that hasnt been used before the "incident" with my father.

now i have made sure there was plenty of gas and the throttle was working properly. but when i remove the air filter i notice the choke plate doesnt move when i manually hit the throttle or pull the choke... is that wrong? when i hold the choke plate open the throttle plates beneath are opening properly with a push of the pedal, but i cant get the girl to turn over?

keep in mind its never happened in the 15 or so times i started it up in our brief relationship.

any help/recommendations/diagnosis would be greatly appreciated.

sorry if this is too rudimentary to answer, but im a quick learner.

thanks

warren

 

[veale001]

forgot to metion it has a clear fuel filter that is full and clean...

 

[Elmo]

it sounds like you may be confused on some words and meanings. Pardon me if I am wrong but, the starter makes an engine turnover/crank/spin/spinover. the carb ofcourse delivers fuel/air mixture to engine, if the engine willnot turnover the carb is the least of your worries. It will be the electrical system to the starter or the starter it self. If it turnsover/cranks/spins but will not start/run then there are more possibilites to infestigate. so please clarify what happens when you turn the key.

 

[veale001]

Im sure your right, my first question rose from the thought the carb wasn't giving the engine enough air to the mix for it to kick over. I had several issues with the mixture and starting problems with a TR6 i had at one point. Never seeing a 4 barrel carb threw me for a loop...

When i turn the key it spins but doesn't "catch" like im out of gas, hence my feelings about the carb.

But from EXTENSIVE reading last night I am thinking the long drive coupled with the 351w may have caused havoc with the starter. But this morning after letting it sit all night I hoped it would turn over....

It did for a split second and then went back into its new dormant state...

I opted last night to get some large 2g starter cable/battery cables and see if that would help my dilemma. We will see.

The engine will be slowly brought back, but i need to move it soon as it is sitting all jacked up in my yard, being as I tried with my 65 year old father to push it up the drive, losing battle.

Any other thoughts?

 

[veale001]

forgot to mention i live in the South Alabama HEAT!

 

[Bully Bob]

Hi 001.., welcome..,

Welllllll.., the choke plate should be closed when eng. is cold...partly open when eng. starts....& full open when eng. is up to temp.

When you "PULL" the choke..., it should move the choke plate if it's hooked up.

You could be experiencing "vapor-lock" ..... Do this., go to ChinaZone & get a can of starting fluid. Squirt some in the carb hole., then turn the key.

If it starts., there is a fuel delivery issue.

A 4 brl. is just a big 1 brl. with 4 holes in it..!! :-B Plus a bunch of additional parts. Don't let it scare you...!!

I too., am having trouble understanding....sounds like the battery has been run down as well...?

 

[veale001]

Hi 001.., welcome..,

Welllllll.., the choke plate should be closed when eng. is cold...partly open when eng. starts....& full open when eng. is up to temp.

When you "PULL" the choke..., it should move the choke plate if it's hooked up.

You could be experiencing "vapor-lock" ..... Do this., go to ChinaZone & get a can of starting fluid. Squirt some in the carb hole., then turn the key.

If it starts., there is a fuel delivery issue.

A 4 brl. is just a big 1 brl. with 4 holes in it..!! :-B Plus a bunch of additional parts. Don't let it scare you...!!

I too., am having trouble understanding....sounds like the battery has been run down as well...?

what term should i use for when engine is trying to start (like an engine with no gas) but doesn't "rollover/catch/start/lives/breathes" ?

in laymans terms my situation is like this:

i drove the car after feeling out the engine from cold & hot and drove it a good bit with absolutely no problem starting up. after a very long drive on a very hot day (with frequent stops) the car sat in a drive-way for at most 3 hours and when i went to start it again with no avail. pulled the choke for the first time and still the same turning engine without a successful "catch" and thats why why i looked to the carb being as it seemed there wasnt enough gas/air/spark for it to ignite.

exhausted from this i spent 6 hours looking through several different forums and read something mentioning discussions of extreme heat (especially owners with 351's in hot areas ie CA,AZ,AL) and occurrences of starters malfunctioning, but im thinking that doesn't apply to me.

next i looked at the carb again and noticed the choke plate was down/closed... investigated the manual choke connector and noticed one plastic pin had broken off, and its a new break, which lead me to believe and hope that this could be the issue.

im sorry if i am uneducated for the terminology, im trying. ill start using more pictures than confusing words.

 

[Bully Bob]

"I'm sorry if I am uneducated for the terminology, I'm trying. I'll start using more pictures than confusing words."

How funny..., /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> No biggie...!! Everybody uses a diff. word for what happens when the "key is turned to start"

Do this.., if the eng. begins spinning upon turning the key & engaging the starter..., call it "cranking"

If it doesn't start.., it is said to be;

------ "I cranked the engine but it didn't fire.!" -----

OR

---- "I cranked it & it fired right up..!!" ----

You don't need any pictures....most everyone will understand "cranked" & "fired"

(Eons ago.., cars were started with a "hand-crank" attached to the crankshaft)

Your prob. could be a number of things....we don't want you to start throwing parts at it, so the thing to do is eliminate what is NOT the problem.

Another test is, using something the size of a thimble...pour some gas in the carb throat. Crank the eng. & see if it fires, /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> then quits. (this works the same as the starting fluid)

The prob. could be in the carb., fuel pump., fuel lines., fuel switching valve., plugged pick-up tube in the tank, to name a few, but all fixable at little or no cost.

---OR--- could be an issue with the ignition., meaning plugs, wires, distributor/timing.

Does your rig have electronic ignition.. i.e. no points...??

These can act up at times.

 

[veale001]

"I'm sorry if I am uneducated for the terminology, I'm trying. I'll start using more pictures than confusing words."

How funny..., /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> No biggie...!! Everybody uses a diff. word for what happens when the "key is turned to start"

Do this.., if the eng. begins spinning upon turning the key & engaging the starter..., call it "cranking"

If it doesn't start.., it is said to be;

------ "I cranked the engine but it didn't fire.!" -----

OR

---- "I cranked it & it fired right up..!!" ----

You don't need any pictures....most everyone will understand "cranked" & "fired"

(Eons ago.., cars were started with a "hand-crank" attached to the crankshaft)

Your prob. could be a number of things....we don't want you to start throwing parts at it, so the thing to do is eliminate what is NOT the problem.

Another test is, using something the size of a thimble...pour some gas in the carb throat. Crank the eng. & see if it fires, /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> then quits. (this works the same as the starting fluid)

The prob. could be in the carb., fuel pump., fuel lines., fuel switching valve., plugged pick-up tube in the tank, to name a few, but all fixable at little or no cost.

---OR--- could be an issue with the ignition., meaning plugs, wires, distributor/timing.

Does your rig have electronic ignition.. i.e. no points...??

These can act up at times.

 

[veale001]

bob,

the gas in the carb did just that, fired and died. im wishing and hoping it just needs a carb rebuild and check out the fuel lines/tanks...

what say you?

 

[Bully Bob]

Do this.., with key off, & air filter removed, block the choke wide open. Then while look'n down the throat of carb, move the throttle by hand several times. You should see fuel squirting fr. a couple nozzles just above the throttle plates.

If it doesn't squirt, then the accelerator pump may be acting up., or there's no fuel in the bowls.

Holleys are good carbs. but a bit different than most with their side mount bowls. Not hard to re-build but usually best to watch someone the first time to see the tricks. They can be temperamental if not set-up correctly.

Don't know your mech. abilities or the condition of the rig...., sooo,

I think the 1st. thing I would do is test the fuel pump at this point. This is dangerous & should be done outside. It takes a long hose on the outlet of the pump....run it to a sizable bucket. Don't want the eng. to start., so pull off the coil wire. Crank the eng. just a couple seconds, with someone watching/holding bucket & hose. It should squirt out a pulsating stream. If you get a good flow., then the prob. is likely in the carb.

If not, then the pump is bad or the line may be restricted somewhere.

P.S. A fuel pump press. tester would be even better.

I think ChinaZone rents them for free........

 

[veale001]

thanks bob, got my early saturday figured out, before the 110F heat sets in....

ill keep you updated.

have a good one

 

[veale001]

it twas..............

the fuel pump.

thanks fellas.

 

[Bully Bob]

KEWL...!!!

FWIW.., I always change, or add a filter on the inlet side of the fuel pump on these older 4-bys.

The pumps have "check-valves" & one lil' fleck of debris can render a new pump in-operative. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />