Guest 51SPECIAL40 Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Hello to all....wondering if someone can shine some light on a fuel problem i am having with my 1951 Buick model 48d straight eight. I had the gas tank reconditioned and the carb as well. Car started and ran great with no issues. I took it out last month and unfortunately it started to rain. I went to turn on the wipers and as soon as i did the engine quit and wouldnt restart. Turned over but wouldnt start. I noticed in the glass fuel bowl at the carb there was some black sediment in it. Took the bowl down and emptied. I immediately thought the diaphram in the fuel pump failed due to the ethanol gas. The fuel pump was the only component in the fuel system that I didnt have rebuilt/reconditioned. So I took the fuel pump off and sent it to Arthur Gould in NY as I saw his ad in Hemmings. Took him 3 days to rebuild and return to me ( very fast service -good or bad ?? -). I put the pump on,primed the carb and tried to start - turns over but wont start fuel bowl EMPTY-. Removed the fuel tank and checked the pick up tube for possibly being clogged - clear-. disconnected the lines at the pump and blew through the line from the tank to the pump -clear-. Blew through the line from the pump to the carb -clear-. Sent the pump back to Goulds and they retested it and said it was working properly and sent it back to me. I installed and retried still turns over but wont start. I took the line off at inlet side of fuel pump. Hooked up a hose to line and put in a gallon jug of gas and tried to start that way - no good -. I made sure the plunger on the fuel pump was under the cam lobe ( put the pump on loose and cranked the engine..I saw the pump tilt like the lobe was hitting it ) . I am ready to hook up an electric fuel pump but that is not solving the problem that is driving me NUTS!!! Any help??? Suggestions??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shadetree77 Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 (edited) First and foremost, you need to re-post this in the Buick Clubs section of this forum. Try under the Buick General section. You will get lots of very knowledgeable responses from a great group of Buick guys. As far as your problem goes, I'm not sure. I had some ideas typed out here but I re-read your post and realized that you said you are getting zero fuel to the filter bowl so none of them apply. I would think if all lines are clear and you are getting zero fuel to the carb and/or filter bowl it has got to be a problem with the pump. My 52 has a small, cheap electric pump hooked up to it right now(it came to me like this). When I take the fuel lines loose on it and then put everything back together I have to prime the pump and the fuel filter with some gas before it will pump. Don't know if this applies to the mechanical pumps though. I haven't had the time to get mine re-built yet so I still have the electric. If all else fails, you can get one of the electric pumps as a temp. solution at any auto parts store for around $40-$45. Good luck and when you re-post this i'm sure you'll get better responses from Buick guys who know a lot more than me. I'm relatively new to old buicks and this forum is a gold mine of information and help. Edited September 23, 2011 by shadetree77 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete O Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 I have a '51 Super. I once ran the tank dry (when my gas gauge wasn't working yet). After I filled it up, I too wasn't getting any gas to the carb. I figured the pump was airbound. So I loosened the bolt on the bottom of the pump that holds the bowl in place and cranked her over a few times until gas leaked out a bit. Tightened it up and she started after a few more cranks. I had my pump rebuilt by Gould too, and have had no problems for over seven years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 When the pump is dry it can take quite a while to suck fuel up and even more when the whole line is dry.If I was there I would pressurize the fuel tank to force the gas up to the pump. Once it primes it should be OK from then on.To pressurise the tank wrap a rag around your air hose nozzle and stick it in where the fuel cap goes. Use short puffs of air. All you need is 2 to 5 pounds, do not blow in too much pressure. You will feel and hear air escaping, that is fine just keep a little pressure on.You should soon have gas to the fuel pump and carb. From then on you should have no problem starting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldenguy Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Get a buddy to help you,have him crank it over and you pour gasoline from a "bottle" into the carb. If it starts and runs on the "bottle" and picks up the fuel into the pump you should be "okay to go". If it doesn't start on the "bottle" then your starting problem is something other than fuel delivery. Please keep us posted as to the outcome, and good luck.--Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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