<VV> Do I need to prime fuel pump/fuel system?

[Bryan Blackwell]

On Aug 5, 2008, at 2:21 PM, Jedd Hebrink wrote:

> Thanks to all for the great advice over the past few months - I  
> finally have
> the engine back together and back in my daughter's 66 Monza 110  
> PG.  I am
> trying to start it, and it will start if I pour a tablespoon of gas  
> in each
> carb.  But I cannot keep it running because it is not drawing gas  
> from the
> tank.  I checked the line at the rubber/metal connection just in  
> front of
> the firewall, and no gas.

I've usually found that unless the tank is pretty full, there's no  
gas there if the car is level.

>   I can blow into that line and hear bubbles in the
> tank.  I am a little nervous about siphoning the line by mouth, and  
> I don't
> have an adequate pump to draw gas to that point.
>
> Should the mechanical fuel pump be able to draw gas all the way  
> from the
> tank if the line has not been purged?  In other words, do I need to  
> prime
> the system, or vent the air that is in the line?  Or, does this  
> scenario
> suggest I have a fault with my fuel pump?

It could be that the two rubber hoses, one at the tank and one at the  
rear firewall, are leaking air.  The pump will happily draw air  
instead of fuel.  If those hoses are the least suspect, I'd replace  
them (5/16" hose).  Also, make sure you really have gas in the tank -  
the pump will have an easier time of it the higher the level in the  
tank.
>
> The good news is that I seem to have the timing close enough that  
> the engine
> will actually run for as long as the gas in the carb holds out.

You may have also just not cranked it enough - the old cars required  
a lot of cranking if there wasn't any gas in the carbs.  Some folks  
will really cringe at this, but I usually give the engine a couple  
shots of starting fluid to get the fuel into the carbs if it has sat  
for a while, rather than running the battery (the rest of the way)  
down.  Or install an electric pump ;-)

--Bryan