1955 BUICK ROADMASTER-RAN OUT OF GAS-HOW TO START ??

[Guest j.w.]

Please help

i did a stupid thing-i ran out of gas while driving on the highway.i thought i still has a little less than 1/4 tank but i was wrong.

i then put in 3 gall gas but has a hard time to restart and get the thing going

what is the best procedure to restarting a car after one has run out of gas ??

thank you.

[Bhigdog]

Remove air cleaner, put fire extinguisher within easy reach, pour one or two ounces of gasoline into carb and crank. Repeat until it runs. Of course that's assuming you truly did run out of gasoline and it's not another problem...................Bob

[RivNut]

If it's easy enough to do, put the breather back on before trying to restart. The breather acts acts as a flame arrestor.

[Marty Roth]

Both good ideas. Another alternative might be to use a spray of starter fluid (ether) into the carburetor. This even works for an updraft carb when you cannot pour gas into it, and also is easier if you may have difficulty removing the air filter/cleaner based on the type, and year of car.

Adding an accessory electric fuel pump would also help to prime the fuel delivery system, as well as to help in the event of vapor lock.

Edited December 29, 2014 by Marty Roth (see edit history)

[brad54]

The mechanical pump is going to need to draw a vacuum, to pull the fuel up the line from the tank.

One way to do this is to put your hand over the carb and run the starter.

Or, as others have said, you can put a little gas down the carb and start it. The engine running a little on the poured gas will help create a vacuum to draw the fuel through the lines. (I once drove from Martinsville, Virginia to Atlanta without a fuel pump--wired the Secondaries shut on the 4bbl, and kept the RPM at freeway speeds, and it created enough vacuum to pull fuel past the dead mechanical fuel pump).

-Brad

[Larry Schramm]

(I once drove from Martinsville, Virginia to Atlanta without a fuel pump--wired the Secondaries shut on the 4bbl, and kept the RPM at freeway speeds, and it created enough vacuum to pull fuel past the dead mechanical fuel pump).

-Brad

That is a very creative way to overcome a problem. Never heard of that before.

[Marty Roth]

(I once drove from Martinsville, Virginia to Atlanta without a fuel pump--wired the Secondaries shut on the 4bbl, and kept the RPM at freeway speeds, and it created enough vacuum to pull fuel past the dead mechanical fuel pump).

-Brad

Great story ! I can only imagine the complications when you had to get off of the highway and deal with traffic lights, stop signs, traffic, a gas stop, etc.....

[carbking]

A 1955 Buick has a down-draft carburetor with bowl vents.

Empty a squeeze-type mustard or ketchup bottle, wash well, dry, and then fill with gasoline.

Use the squeeze-spout of the bottle to fill the bowl(s) of the carburetor through the bowl vents.

As an aside, using this procedure any time one removes and replaces the carburetor will make for less stress on the starting motor.

Jon.

[Guest 54fins]

great tip, I dump gas down the gullet but it really is a fire hazard and priming the bowls is really the issue.

[MrEarl]

So is it a myth that you should not use ether in a gas engine, that it could bend a rod or pop a hole in a piston. I've always heard that and used carb cleaner on my small engines instead. Never chanced it on a nailhead though, just use a few quirts of gas from a little oil pump can.

Brad, was that your 54 you drove from VA to GA

[old-tank]

If all components are working correctly you should be able to start it by cranking for 5 seconds, turn the key off, pump the gas 3 or 4 times and repeat as needed. A weak fuel pump or inoperative accelerator pump will make this difficult or impossible. Holding the choke closed may help in this case. A good way is to fill the bowls as suggested, but how many of us carry a squeeze bottle for 'out of gas' situations? The best way is to install an electric fuel pump near the tank...you will need it anyway for summer driving to correct and prevent vapor lock on a 55.

Willie

[RivNut]

..... on a nailhead though, just use a few quirts of gas from a little oil pump can.

Ditto,

I have a can like this. It atomizes the fuel a little as you squirt it and if the breather is off, you can get it lower in the carb closer to the butterflies.

http://www.amazon.com/Goldenrod-Pistol-Pump-Oiler-Model/dp/B00FX961T2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419896379&sr=8-1&keywords=pump+oil+can

[bhambulldog]

So is it a myth that you should not use ether in a gas engine, that it could bend a rod or pop a hole in a piston. I've always heard that and used carb cleaner on my small engines instead. Never chanced it on a nailhead though, just use a few quirts of gas from a little oil pump can.

Brad, was that your 54 you drove from VA to GA

That stuff is scary. I wouldn't use ether.

Use PB Blaster, WD40 or other penetrating oil.

[bhambulldog]

If it's easy enough to do, put the breather back on before trying to restart. The breather acts acts as a flame arrestor.

Spray the Penetrating oil into the breather

[bhambulldog]

If all components are working correctly you should be able to start it by cranking for 5 seconds, turn the key off, pump the gas 3 or 4 times and repeat as needed. A weak fuel pump or inoperative accelerator pump will make this difficult or impossible. Holding the choke closed may help in this case. A good way is to fill the bowls as suggested, but how many of us carry a squeeze bottle for 'out of gas' situations? The best way is to install an electric fuel pump near the tank...you will need it anyway for summer driving to correct and prevent vapor lock on a 55.

Willie

A couple of minutes (or less) of Willie's method should have you going.

[carbking]

Willie - I guess I have been lucky, but have only run out of gas once in 52 years of driving, and that was in my driveway . However, we do recommend the squeeze-bottle ANYTIME the carb has been removed (rebuilding, etc.) or the vehicle has sat over the winter. Much easier on the starter. It also can PREVENT future carb issues. Why? Because when the carb is empty, there is no down-line pressure on the fuel pump. Tests have clearly shown the fuel pump diaphragm can flex an extra few thousanths of an inch under no load conditions, which can cause some of the varnish build-up on an older pump to flake off, and head for the carburetor.

As to the starting ether question: I am not recommending this because it is not my field, and I don't know; HOWEVER, I buy the stuff by the case, and use it in small engines all year round because of the evaporation of modern fuel. I also use it in my shop truck in the winter if the temperature is well below zero, as it fires quicker than gasoline. I have never had an issue, and because of the ether, never had to replace a starter because of excessive cranking. Again, not a recommendation, just personal experience.

Jon.

[buick5563]

Thanks Jon

[brad54]

Great story ! I can only imagine the complications when you had to get off of the highway and deal with traffic lights, stop signs, traffic, a gas stop, etc.....

This was just a couple years ago, in my daily-driver '61 Suburban. 4spd manual trans with overdrive and 3.42 gears. I had to drive it in 3rd (1:1) to keep the RPM up. It ran lean like this, so it ran hotter than normal, but it didn't overheat.

I pulled off the shoulder to figure out what was wrong, and two North Carolina DOT guys pulled in to see if they could help. I finally saw that the pin that holds the pump arm in the fuel pump, had come out, so the arm no longer had it's pivot, so the pump wasn't pumping. The pin was sticking out of the housing. We tried to get the arm back in (I carry a tool kit with me), but it wouldn't go without removing the pump. When I gave up on tapping the pin back in with a hammer, the guy said "Well, I guess you'll have to call for a tow truck." I said "Nah... I've got a zip tie."

He looked at me like "WTF??"

I zip tied the secondaries shut, fired up the truck, shut the hood and drove off with them both looking at me like "What'd he just do??"

I learned that trick because of my '54 Buick! It died at a stop light and I couldn't get it to restart. A guy came over to help--he took off the air cleaner, flattened his hand over the top of the carb and said "Try to start it." I did and it fired up. He said "You're fuel pump is shot." That was all he said to me, but I figured out what he'd done, why it worked, and why it was always dying at stop lights unless I danced around with the RPM.

10 years later, it got me home in the Suburban!

-Brad

Edited December 30, 2014 by brad54 (see edit history)

[brad54]

So is it a myth that you should not use ether in a gas engine, that it could bend a rod or pop a hole in a piston. I've always heard that and used carb cleaner on my small engines instead. Never chanced it on a nailhead though, just use a few quirts of gas from a little oil pump can.

Brad, was that your 54 you drove from VA to GA

Ether is "Detonation In A Can."

I'd never use it on anything you care about.

-Brad

(it DOES work well for seating tires on rims, though! Shoot some in around the bead, toss a match at it and impress your kid )

[brad54]

If all components are working correctly you should be able to start it by cranking for 5 seconds, turn the key off, pump the gas 3 or 4 times and repeat as needed. A weak fuel pump or inoperative accelerator pump will make this difficult or impossible. Holding the choke closed may help in this case. A good way is to fill the bowls as suggested, but how many of us carry a squeeze bottle for 'out of gas' situations? The best way is to install an electric fuel pump near the tank...you will need it anyway for summer driving to correct and prevent vapor lock on a 55.

Willie

One thing about an electric fuel pump--they often have more pressure than our carbs can handle. Make sure you get one rated at about 7psi (if I remember correctly).

If you're running an electric pump, it's a good idea to install a fuel pressure gauge and, if required according to the gauge, a pressure regulator.

-Brad

[Larry Schramm]

So is it a myth that you should not use ether in a gas engine, that it could bend a rod or pop a hole in a piston. I've always heard that and used carb cleaner on my small engines instead. Never chanced it on a nailhead though, just use a few quirts of gas from a little oil pump can.

Brad, was that your 54 you drove from VA to GA

What you NEVER want to do is use ether in a diesel engine. That will sure bend rods and a lot of other damage.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

What you NEVER want to do is use ether in a diesel engine. That will sure bend rods and a lot of other damage.

Larry, thousands of us did not know that in the pre electronic fuel management days. MANY diesel trucks had ether injection systems.

Ben

[Larry Schramm]

I have heard of quite a number of diesel engines used in cars and light trucks of the last 30 years where persons used ether to start and the result was catastrophic. Maybe on older heavy equipment you could use ether, but not on light vehicles that I am aware of.

[bhambulldog]

One thing about an electric fuel pump--they often have more pressure than our carbs can handle. Make sure you get one rated at about 7psi (if I remember correctly).

If you're running an electric pump, it's a good idea to install a fuel pressure gauge and, if required according to the gauge, a pressure regulator.

-Brad

it is my understanding that an electric fuel pump is better at "pushing" fuel than "pulling" fuel.

So, they are usually mounted as near the fuel tank. Pumping fuel through so many feet of small diameter pipe creates a certain amount of head loss. (Maybe, an engineer can tell us how much..)

[bhambulldog]

What you NEVER want to do is use ether in a diesel engine. That will sure bend rods and a lot of other damage.

Larry, thousands of us did not know that in the pre electronic fuel management days. MANY diesel trucks had ether injection systems.

Ben

I have heard of quite a number of diesel engines used in cars and light trucks of the last 30 years where persons used ether to start and the result was catastrophic. Maybe on older heavy equipment you could use ether, but not on light vehicles that I am aware of.

Diesel Engines have extremely high compression. Their more robust design allows them to handle the burning of ether when cranking.

Unless the Diesel Engine is equipped with glow plugs. Ether on a hot glow plug can be very destructive on a Diesel engine, especially those with a pre-combustion chamber.

Ether can be (and is ) used on Diesel engines without glow plugs.

[Larry Schramm]

Diesel Engines have extremely high compression. Their more robust design allows them to handle the burning of ether when cranking.

Unless the Diesel Engine is equipped with glow plugs. Ether on a hot glow plug can be very destructive on a Diesel engine, especially those with a pre-combustion chamber.

Ether can be (and is ) used on Diesel engines without glow plugs.

As I said in the second posting, older heavy duty probably ok, but new light vehicles with glow plugs, not a good idea.

[bhambulldog]

As I said in the second posting, older heavy duty probably ok, but new light vehicles with glow plugs, not a good idea.

right !

I've seen a lot of old Diesels (no glow plugs) in long service that are regularly started cold with ether