วีดีโอ

If you're seeing air in the filter and you usually don't, it would lead me to believe there's a fuel pump problem. You may want to check the service manual for your car to see how to do a fuel pump volume test. Also check for any type of restriction on the inlet side of the pump. Maybe a clogged filter sock at the fuel pump pickup in the tank (many cars have one of those). Make sure there's no collapsed fuel hoses or crushed fuel lines on the inlet side of the pump too. Sometimes a mechanical pump will fail and depending on the engine type, it will start squirting fuel into the engine crankcase because of a torn fuel pump diaphragm. Check for fuel in the engine oil which could indicate a bad fuel pump. Good luck.

Thanks for your comment. I hope it helps.

I'm glad it worked. Thanks for the comment.

I think the biggest problem isn't an empty fuel line, it's most likely an empty carburetor float bowl. Fuel evaporates out of that bowl pretty fast and then it takes a lot of cranking to fill the bowl up again (unless you add an electric fuel pump and that will fill the bowl very fast). I bet the syringe method will work for you. Good luck and thanks for the comment.

Starting a carbureted engine usually requires one or two depressions of the accelerator to set the choke and to add a little extra fuel into the intake manifold for easier starting. You don't have to do that with a fuel injected vehicle, but with carbureted vehicles, you have to do that every time you start the vehicle (unless the engine is at operating temperature because it was run recently. Then you don't need to pump the accelerator). Good question, I hope this helps.

Overlooked at PDI is a good possibility. Thanks for your comment.

As you probably know, a P0442 indicates a small evaporative emission system leak. If the leak was fixed, the car should be able to clear the code on its own after a certain number of drive cycles. If the code is in history, it can take as many as 40 to 80 drive cycles which can be a lot more than just driving 200 miles. If the code is current and the MIL light is on, the problem still exists and needs to be fixed. If the code is in history and is not pending or current or listed as permanent, the car should be able to pass a smog inspection. I hope this helps.

@@StuffAboutCars-jg5tx thank you, a drive cycle is when, start car cold, turn on ac,rear defrost other electrical, run for 2 1/2 minutes or 3 minutes? Then drive some city then fwy? But how far?

Actually, a drive cycle is more involved than that. The car will have different requirements for drive cycles depending on the system the car is testing. It usually has to start with the engine temperature below a certain temperature and the car will have to be driven until the temperature rises above a certain temp. The speed of the car has to be kept at a pre-determined speed for a certain amount of time. There are some very specific requirements depending on the system being tested. For example, when the vehicle tests the evaporative system, the fuel tank can't be above 7/8 full or below 1/8 full or it won't do the test. You really have to consult a service manual for the exact requirements to complete a drive cycle for a specific system, however, I find that if all the monitors have been cleared because someone has disconnected the battery or has cleared a DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code) with a scan tool, if I start the vehicle from cold and drive on the freeway for about 10 to 20 miles and try to hold the vehicle speed constant for as long as I can (don't do a lot of acceleration and deceleration) usually all of the monitors will be set by the time you've finished the drive. That is of course only if there are no problems in the systems that will prevent a monitor from setting. Also, the evaporative system monitor is the hardest one to set and at this time a car will pass a smog test in California if the evap monitor is not set but the rules get a little complicated depending on the year of the vehicle. You may find some useful information that will help you accomplish what you're trying to do on the California Bureau of Automotive Repair web site. Sorry for the long explanation, but the OBD2 stuff gets pretty involved. I hope this helps.

@@StuffAboutCars-jg5tx Thank you, very helpful information. All my DTC are good, of course evap not but it’s ok. I would be smog ready if it wasn’t for stored code 0442. I understand there is the 15/200 BAR rule. The scanners read the warn-up cycle. I’m trying to figure out how to do it for my car. I understand wait till car temperature is under 120 then start and rev to over 166 and it should count as a warm-up cycle. I did at 109 ran till 168 and didn’t work. I did not drive right after but they didn’t say to. I can cool my engine off quickly by putting in garage and turn AC on but I need to know if these are the temperatures or is there something I’m missing.

There's a difference between a Permanent Code and a Stored or History Code. If your P0442 code is a Permanent code, your 15/200 rule would apply (although I've never heard of a 15/200 rule but I'm going to assume it's the 15 drive cycle/200 mile requirement to get rid of Permanent code). If it's a stored or history code, the vehicle should pass a smog check with that type of code in it. If the vehicle is going to clear an evaporative code from History, it can take 40 trips of "no fault detected" to clear the history. The car should pass a smog test if your code is only a History code and not a Permanent code. Another possibility is you can use a scan tool (it sounds like you have one) to clear all the codes. That will get rid of your history code, however, all of your monitors will be cleared also. That means you'll have to drive the vehicle long enough to reset all the monitors and hopefully your evaporative problem is actually fixed and that monitor sets, although you can pass the smog test without setting that monitor, but not if an evaporative problem has been detected and it becomes a Pending or Permanent code. Good luck.

I'm glad this helped. Thanks for your comment.

I'm very happy that worked for you. Thanks for your comment.

I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for your comment.

Yes, the bowl vent goes right into the float bowl. I find it's an easy way to fill the carburetor. I think that vent should be pretty easy to find on your 52 Chevy.

@@StuffAboutCars-jg5tx thanks

Yes, a 2 barrel carburetor has a bowl vent just like a four barrel or a one barrel carburetor. The location is usually similar to the one barrel PICT VW carburetor that I used in the video, but with so many different styles of carburetors that have been used over the years, it's always best to look in a service manual for a view of your particular one to locate the float bowl vent. Thank you for your comment.

​@StuffAboutCars-jg5tx Thanks I am going to try this now.

I find that with the syringe, it's a quick and easy way to get fuel in the bowl for less cranking time and easier starting. Good luck.

I'm glad this method works for you. I've used it for years. Thanks for your comment.

Making sure the choke is closed (or partially closed) is needed to help start a cold engine, but if fuel isn't already in the float bowl, it isn't going to do you much good. You really need to get fuel into the float bowl and that happens with the fuel pump as the engine is cranked (or if you have an electric fuel pump). To reduce cranking time on a car without an electric pump, I like filling the carburetor float bowl before I crank the engine. It really shortens the cranking time. Thank you for your comment.

I'm glad that worked for you. Thanks for the comment.

You have a good point. When I originally created this video I considered "a car sitting a long time" was long enough to have the fuel evaporate out of the float bowl. That could easily be months or less depending on ambient temperature, air cleaner design and style of carburetor. I didn't consider years of long term storage. If an engine sits not running for years, there are things that should be done that are more than just filling the float bowl. Removing spark plugs, squirting a little bit of oil in each cylinder, and then turning the engine over by hand If possible or by cranking it over with the starter with the spark plugs out is a good idea. You don't really need to do that if an engine has sat for months, but if it's sat for years, that would be a typical recommendation. Also, make sure the battery is fully charged and healthy before trying to start it. Thanks for your comment.

I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Thanks for your comment.

I believe the original carburetor on that car would have been a Rochester Quadrajet. If that's still on the car, many of them did have a problem with plugs at the bottom of the float bowl leaking fuel into the intake manifold. A common symptom of that was hard starting, rough running for a minute or two until the extra fuel was burned out and smoke out the tailpipe from a rich mixture. The smoke was usually black because of the rich fuel mixture and not blue however what you're seeing could be a combination of a rich fuel mixture and worn valve seals allowing some oil into the intake ports (although worn valve seals usually show up on a cold start as blue smoke out the tailpipe and smoke on deceleration when you take your foot off the gas). Another possibility is depending on how hot the engine is when you restart it, the 10% alcohol in our fuel can cause percolation of fuel in the carburetor that will flood the engine if it sits for awhile on a hot day. That makes for hard hot restarting, ruff running and black smoke out the tailpipe for a minute or so. If you're restarting the car eight hours later, that may not be the issue. It's usually within an hour or so of a hot restart. If it's the Quadrajet leaking fuel internally, they used to make various kits to fix that issue. If you can find a good carburetor shop (and those are a little rare now) they should be able to fix it. I bet you can do some searching on TH-cam for info on that. Thanks for your comment and good luck.

@StuffAboutCars-jg5tx yeah man I don't know if I should be really concerned or not. Like I said, the smoke only ever happens after k recrank it sometime later, but I didn't mention that it doesn't always happen. Sometimes the smoke is heavy, and sometimes I can't even notice it despite me looking for it. I've driven behind it before when a friend of mine was driving it, and the only time I saw a little bit of smoke was when he gave it quite a bit of gas to blow it out. When you're driving it normally it doesn't ever smoke. If it does, it's really hard to see.

You may want to keep an eye on the oil consumption just in case it really is blue smoke and is the result of oil burning. If the smoke is connected to the hard restarting it's most likely one of the fuel issues I mentioned in the last message. Hopefully these ideas will give you a place to start your diagnosis. Good luck with it.

@StuffAboutCars-jg5tx hey so I just asked my mechanic who has worked on that car a lot and he said it has a holley carb on it. The q jet carb was taken out of it some time ago. Would that make much of a difference?

Yes, that makes a difference. A Holley carburetor does not have the same float bowl arrangement as the Quadrajet. There are no float bowl plugs that will leak fuel internally on a Holley like they can on a Quadrajet. It could still be a fuel percolation issue depending on how long the engine has been sitting after it was shut down. That's a common problem on carbureted engines with todays fuel. I would work with your mechanic on this issue. Good luck.

I'm glad that helped. Thanks for your comment.

I hope this works for you. Thank you for your comment.

@@StuffAboutCars-jg5tx, thank you so much. I was able to figure out which carbureted I had by this video.!! I have the quadrajet in my 75 blazer. Thanks so much!!.🙂

I'm glad that helped. Thanks for your comment.

I don't know what your Weber 38 is, but I have two Weber 44 IDFs on an air cooled VW. I can remove one of the emulsion tubes (along with the main jet) and use a syringe to fill the bowl through the emulsion tube hole. If your Weber 38 is a side draft, I'm not sure how you'd do it, but if it's a downdraft, I bet it can be done. It's really better to start and run the engine more often though. Thanks for your comment.

@@StuffAboutCars-jg5txthanks for the reply. If you get a few minutes Google Weber 38 DGAS. Mine is a new replacement on my 1972 Ford Capri 3.0 V6 here in the UK. You’re right though I should at least start the car once every few days. I’m actually taking it to a classic car show this Sunday.

I found it and I see what it is now. I had a 2.6L V6 engine out of a Capri and I was looking for that carburetor. I put the engine in a 1972 MGB GT and I wanted that carb for the MG because the carb that came on the Capri in the US used a strange adapter and a primary/secondary carb instead of the DGAS style. I couldn't find that carb in the US at the time (about 40 years ago) and the project was never finished. I bet there's a bowel vent somewhere on the thing that would accept a syringe. Best to drive the car though. Enjoy it!

@@StuffAboutCars-jg5txnice info. I have an idea to put pass you. If I pull the fuel hose off the carburettor then use a large syringe to with a piece of hose to force fuel into the carburettor through the brass inlet pipe then the float bowl will fill and stop once the floats raise, put the fuel pipe pack on the carburettor, depress the accelerator pedal once so it primes the carb and engages the choke then hopefully start!

What you're suggesting will work on a vehicle that uses a rubber hose to the carburetor, but many vehicles use a solid steel fuel line rather than a flexible rubber hose. You could remove the steel line, temporarily install a hose adapter to the carb inlet, connect a rubber hose and do what you suggest, but it's going to take some time. Going to a bowl vent would be a lot quicker and easier, but driving the vehicle or starting the engine on a regular schedule would probably be a lot easier. Thanks for your comment.

I hope this works for you. I've been using those syringes for years on carbureted cars that have sat long enough to evaporate the fuel out of the bowl. I just used one yesterday. The rubber plunger on the syringe is starting to swell because of the fuel even though I wash it off after every use. I bet I've used the same syringe for about three years. Time to find a few more on Amazon. Thanks for your comment.

@@StuffAboutCars-jg5tx thank you! If you can find a replacement plunger replace it with a Viton one. Then it will never breakdown.

The syringes that I use are mostly for medical and veterinary use and are typically only used once. A Viton plunger would be great, but I've never seen those kind of specifications listed. I just found a four pack of 60ml syringes on Temu for $3.59. I'll probably buy those and they'll last me for years. Thanks for your comment.

I assume that when you say you're spraying directly into the open butterfly, that means you're spraying into the airhorn with the choke wide open. If that's the case and the throttle is not open at that time, you may want to try holding the throttle open while you spray into the air horn. I've seen cases where worn throttle shaft bushings will allow fuel to drip out of the carburetor throttle shaft area and on to the intake manifold. It's possible that's happening with your 2 barrel carburetor, but I've never seen a case where the shaft or bushings were worn enough that it would keep the engine from starting. You could try holding the throttle open when you spray, but I think it's best to fill the float bowl with fuel as described in the video. If it doesn't start or even try to start, it's probably not a fuel problem. Also, make sure you're using fresh fuel. Good luck.

It is possible to add an inline electric fuel pump that can be turned on to fill the carburetor float bowl and then turned off (I assume that when you say "manual pump" you actually mean adding an auxiliary pump which would typically be an electric pump). You just need a pump that will allow fuel to flow though it with the pump not running. Not all electric pumps will allow that. It becomes a matter of choice. The car that I used for the video is one that I would not want to cut the fuel line, add a aftermarket fuel pump and run aftermarket wiring because I don't want to make any modifications to the vehicle. I do have a vehicle that would be a perfect candidate for an added electric fuel pump and I'll probably do a video on that in the future. Thanks for your comment.

@@StuffAboutCars-jg5tx Thanks for your input! You are correct. I may have worded it a bit wrong, but that is essentially what I meant. Will subscribe to actually see it when you do.

I hope this helps. Thank you for your comment.

It is an amazing place. Unfortunately, the founder, Rick Lorenzen passed away recently. The museum and foundation will continue for all of us to enjoy. Rick's legacy will live on. Thanks for your comment.

The syringe method has always worked well for me. I think it will work for you too. But you really have to drive and enjoy that car😁. Thanks for your comment.

I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for your comment.

That could be a problem. I just measured my cup wrench using the A/C Delco filter that was used in the video. I have .440" from the back of the cup to the filter can. My extension drive end is 430" in length. That gives me 010" clearance between the end of the extension and the filter can, so mine is fine, but I could see that with all the different cup wrenches and spin on filters that are out there, it could be a problem with some combinations. You said your 1/2" drive slot is way to shallow. Mine are all 3/8" drive and I wouldn't want to use 1/2" drive tools under the hood of any current vehicles. 1/2" stuff is just too big. Great comment. Thank you.

@@StuffAboutCars-jg5tx I mis-spoke, it's a 3/8 drive.

I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for your comment.

@@StuffAboutCars-jg5tx thanks mate i really do liked the video thiswas really good on ealy years of drag racing i really liked the drag racing mobs who are trying to preserve drag racing history thiswas my hope i can race a slingshot rail in futre in nostalgia top fuel in futre thiwas reallly why i dig the sports early years thiswas my fave sort of stuff in future as i really do like the sports earlier years thiswas really great to se the sport history was being told in future

I've found that the plastic syringes that I've used are very resistant to gasoline, and I've used quite a few different ones. The plunger seal will show signs of swelling due to the gas exposure, but I wash it in water after use and I can use the same syringe for a few years before the plunger seal swells up enough that it's hard to use. Plastic cups on the other hand are made from all types of plastic. Some may be OK to use with gasoline, some may act like gasoline in a Styrofoam cup (which will melt before you get it off your workbench). If I'm going to put gasoline in something that I'll be using to fill the syringe, it's going to be glass or metal. A tin can works great too.

thats the best :)

This video was specifically created to show that the tail light assembly can be installed without replacing the inside wiring. The majority of tail light assembly replacements don't require the inside wiring to be replaced. If you have a situation where the inside wiring does need replacement, there are other TH-cam videos that will show how that's done. It requires a lot of plastic trim removal. Thanks for your comment.

All carburetors have some type of bowl vent that can be used to add fuel to the float bowl. If I recall, a two barrel Rochester carburetor will have a bowl vent in the airhorn very close to the choke plate. It looks like a tube with an angle cut on the top of it although there may be some later versions that would have the vent cast into the airhorn rather than a tube. Good luck and I hope this helps.

@@StuffAboutCars-jg5tx Thank you Sir.

Thank you for your comment. I hope you find this useful.

I'm glad it helped. Thanks for the comment.

Thanks for your comment. I hope this works for you.

When an engine sits that long, you should probably pull the plugs and crank it until you get oil pressure, then proceed to getting it started.

Thank you for your comment. I hope the information is useful.

I'm here because I'm about to own my first carbureted car. I don't know, so I'm here to learn before I do work on it. Everyone can't know everything.

I registered the warranty when I bought the first kit in 2019. Just keep the receipt and if you have the car long enough for the lights to yellow again, I'm sure they'll take care of you. Thanks for your comment.

Different carburetor designs have different float bowl capacities. I use a 60cc syringe that I believe in most cases will provide enough fuel in the bowl to fill the accelerator pump reservoir and cover the circuits needed to easily start the engine. If you do overfill the bowl, you'll never see fuel come out the vent tube. Before the fuel can get that high, it will begin to discharge out of the main discharge nozzles that are in the throttle bores. This would cause the engine to flood with fuel and you don't want to do that. A 60cc syringe full of fuel and then a couple of strokes of the throttle to get some accelerator pump squirts into the intake manifold along with a choke that's operating correctly should get the engine started (as long as all of the other systems required to run the engine are working correctly). I hope this helps. Thanks for your comment.