The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop engine/carb help

guys, i have a 52 3800 1ton chevy truck this truck is driving me crazy. my problem! truck would not start bought new battery. starter wasn't turning over right, had starter rebuilt. carb was leaking gas all over bottom of truck. took carb to master shop and he rebuilt it. he said the float was bent and thats why there was gas all over. carb looks brand new. so now i'm excited went to start it and cranked right over, ran for about 1 minute and shut off. thought i was all good. looked under truck and the ground was flooded with gas. it was coming from overflow tube. went to start again, started and shut off. PLEASE tell me the problem.

Its hard to get an idea whats happening from your description. When a carb floods, it runs down into the engine. Unless it is a Step van with a updraft carb. I am not familiar with an "o-flow tube" on a fuel system. If it came out of the radiator O-flow tube it would be anti-freeze. I'm thinking you have a bad fuel pump. It can squirt gas out the vent hole & also cause the engine to quite. Be careful with that gas. It can ignight easily with the slightest spark. You don't want to burn your truck plus everything around it.

I'd take it back to the master shop. Do you have an inline fuel filter on it?

Overflow tube???Are you sure it wasn't the radiator?

Assuming your overflow tube is the carburetor bowl vent, then possible causes (there are probably others):

(1) Leaky float
(2) Float incorrectly adjusted
(3) Too much fuel pressure
(4) Float stuck
(5) Defective fuel valve

Jon.

6) Trash in the fuel system making its way in between the float needle and seat from time to time.
Carl

if its a bad fuel pump, would it still be pumping gas to the carb.

and no i don't have a filter in line

no it wasn't the radiator. when i checked my oil, it smelled like gas in it.

If your oil smells like gasoline you may have a bad diaphram in the fuel pump. More common than you think.

can i get a rebuild kit for pump also, how do u take glass bowl off

Rebuild kits are available from the usual vendors. To remove glass bowl loosen the retaining wheel and slip the retainer sideways. Sometimes the bowl will stick to the gasket but a couple taps with a plastic/rubber hammer will get it loose, just be patient. New pumps are also available, with or without glass bowl.

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1948_51truck/51ctsm0671.htm

Find out where the excess fuel is coming from, first of all. Secondly, I would not be running the engine very long at all with gas in the oil. You need to find out where the gas is coming from, carb, fuel pump, fuel line, fitting somewhere. More than likely if you have gas in the oil, it is the pump or the carb. Get that sorted out first, then change the oil before going any furhter

thanks guys really appreciate it.started it earlier ran for about 2 minutes shut off and then went to start it again. starter just went ween ween. the only good news is no gas leak on ground. is it going to be this hard to start every time, i am ready to give up and put it on ebay. so frustrated. starter was rebuilt carb was and battery and lines r good. getting to be too much for me

If the engine is well-tuned,
and the battery is good,
and the battery cables are the right size with clean connections,
and the starter is good,
and the fuel tank is clean,
and the fuel lines are clean,
and the fuel filter/filters are clean,
and the carburetor is not affected/clogged from impurities in gas/lives,

then you might have more serious problems.

yea thats what i think. taking fuel pump apart to rebuild it. see what happens

You may have more than one issue going on at the same time. This scenario is the most challenging to diagnose (especially over the internet). Step back long enough to get your mind right, then systematically go over all of the parts which can affect engine performance.
1) Fuel delivery parts.
Before you remove the fuel pump, test it by seeing if it delivers fuel by disconnecting the line at the carb. Have a container to catch the fuel while someone engages the starter with ignition off or disconnected.
2) Compression. Test with a warmed up engine if possible. (A cold test will only give you a rough estimate, but should indicate any severe issues.)
3) Ignition.
Pull the spark plugs. You can learn a wealth of knowledge by reading the spark plugs.
Pull the distributor cap, engage the starter and watch for spark at the points. Then put the cap back on and check for spark at the spark plugs.

You can spend countless hours chasing demons by swapping out all of the parts, but the systematic testing of all components would be a more productive endeavor, and easier on the pocket book.
Carl

I know from personal experience that these things can cause a love hate relationship. Persevere. You will be glad you did

52Carl has given you a good working list. Go through them one at a time. Are you still 6 Volt? Then use BIG cables on the battery. Tractor supply places are good for those. Fuel in the oil? Drain, and fix the fuel pump. Fire is not your friend. Pull the plugs and look for wet(too much fuel in the intake). Wet plugs might be signs the needle is stuck in the carburetor. When set up properly these(inline 6 engines) start easy and run smooth and quiet.When the fuel issues are fixed we can talk tune up stuff.

ok starter was dead. took back to shop and guy ran it right in front of me. now without starter hooked up i checked the volts on battery. it read 10, now when i went to check amps the blue cable on + and yellow on - i got sparks. my voltmeter is an old borg and warner. i tried to switch cables and still got sparks. this is with just the battery. is there a line crossed. my buddy did the work cause i don't know much about electric. it is a 12v system.

Something is connected. Remove one wire at a time until the draw on the battery stops. Do not cross the battery cables. Some items do not like reverse current. If you have a Voltage Regulator, it can have a stuck cutout relay. That will keep the charging system in the circuit even when the truck is off. You still need to address the fuel issues. I know it sounds like an open can of worms right now. But it can be sorted and fixed.

thanks steve first i am going to drain the oil and then check wiring. then go from there, i guess

Your multi meter is more than likely not able to test the battery Amps. Most modern meters are fused at 10 amps for testing Amps when the meter test leads are connected in series. By connecting your meter leads to the + and - on the battery you could damage your meter or blow the internal fuse.

Mike B

thanks mike. ok, i drained my oil and after 5 qts. it kept running. i had about a quart and a half of gas in it. please tell me my next step. also what is a good battery for my truck. thanks guys

Fuel pump rebuild or replace.

fuel pump was working ok. it started out as carb problem

A fuel pump which leaks gas into the crankcase will still pump an adequate amount of fuel to the carburetor.
Gas in the crankcase will destroy your bearings.
Carl

Thanks Carl you beat me to it.

Charge or replace the battery.

It started before, leave the wires alone for now, it should be OK; especially since you have fuel leaking. Have the friend help with the wiring later if there are issues.

Replace the fuel pump and put a filter between the pump and the carb whether it has a sediment bowl or not. Closer to the carb is better. You don't know if the old pump still had a filter screen in it. Could have been getting trash from the tank. Probably why your float was stuck at some point.

Gas won't siphon up hill from the tank to the carb and into the engine through the carb if the pump isn't pumping gas up to it, so I agree about a leaking pump. Replace it. That is quite a bit of gas in the oil to be just from periodic flooding.

My 2 cents.

Larry W

thanks guys i will replace fuel pump and put a filter by carb and see what happens. i will keep u guys posted