I have a number of cars and since I work 2 weeks out of town sometimes when I get around to driving them I have to spin them a minute to pick up fuel to fire. It doesn't occur if it is driven regularly and it's not like it spins enough to kill a battery but I do feel it takes it toll on starters. It happens to everything from 2 to 6 barrell, Holley and otherwise and all of the big 3. Generally only 3-4 weeks at worst between being driven. I have considered that it is the ethanol evaporating causing even the bowls to be dry.

Thanks in advance, Kevin

ever think of an electric fuel pump?

1 to 2oz of gas down the carb is easy enough...

Not if it is a shaker hood car.

Its not hard to take a bubble off is it?

I use a repop bubble most the time and the org. when I want to go nice.

What I can take mine off in less then 5 minutes and would be a better option then dry cranking a motor X amount of times a year. Screw a cheap starter, id worry about the internals

Really id look to other reasons as I dont think it happens with everyone, a good mech fuel pump, and a good battery and some of my junk still starts after a year, yes a year.

With the thousands we dump in our cars I still laugh when people complain about our cheap fuel, buy a 55 gallon drum each year and mix it with pump junk.

Aeromotive makes a check valve,but not integrated with a filter. I'm sure there are others.

http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/aei-15106/overview/

Don't want to put an electric pump on most of the cars for a number of reasons and no doubt I could prime them but I really don't know why I should have to. They all have aftermarket stock pumps and clear fuel filters. It's not a huge deal but mainly irritating cause I like my cars to work right. The one with the least trouble is my dually which is a GM with a Q-jet, it has the carb filter with the check valve and even after a month or so it fires after minimal spinning. I'm reasonably sure I'm not the only one with this issue and I'm thinking surely someone make an inline filter with a check valve.

I don't think a ck.valve will solve your problem I think its a matter of the carbs drying out & need refilling.

I have considered that due to the ethanol boiling but I thought I might try it. They don't sit long enough for generic evaporation but with the heat and ethanol maybe. Strangely enough if doesn't do it if I start them the next day with one exception but it's a Ford so who knows what it's issue is.

Time for all new fuel lines, hoses, hose clams and maybe a new fuel pump.

I suppose the fuel could evaporate from the carb, it has air bleeds that could allow evaporation, (the bowl vent has a hose going to the carbon canister to collect the fumes, right?) The fuel has to be draining back through the pump to make the line between the pump and carb empty. Otherwise it shouldn't take very long for a good fuel pump to refill the carb, unless there was no fuel at the pump. I don't see the fuel flowing back up into the tank, which is often higher then the line. (The fuel line is higher then the tank where it run above the rear axle before dropping down to the frame rails) The section of fuel line above the axle should stop and fuel from returning into the tank between it and the pump. If the fuel can't return to the tank, the fuel line, hoses, or hose clamps must be leaking, or the pump is leaking fuel, or is too weak to move the fuel like it should, otherwise where did the fuel go? Gene

Well the new parts describe half the cars, only one of the cars was born with a charcoal canister and it is disabled. My guess is that the aftermarket pumps, most of which are new, don't have check valves in them allowing the fuel to drain back, further I think the fuel may be boiling in the line running on the frame rail by the exhaust manifold (factory, everything correctly located and in good shape). The key may be in the quality of fuel which I haven't completely resolved in my head. Most are parked on level surfaces so the line hiegths are correct and prevent drain back into the tank. No fuel leaks that are noticeable under pressure. Not arguing with the ideas just thinking through then out loud. I need to start looking at the fuel filters before fire up to make sure it is what I think it is but I cant imagine it can be anything else the way they act.

I have the same problem. See through filters mounted code to and slightly above the pumps will tell the tale.

Yes fuel evap from the carbs is going to happen but a good pump will overcome that quickly.

Worst I saw was anew pummp on a cj5, it would go epty in a matter of minutes.

My 340 Dart does the same thing. I have a Carter "performance" mechanical pump and the new mini starter. That combo gets fuel to the carb pretty quick.

That would be an incorrect assumption. Fuel isn't going to drain uphill, through your needle and seat to leave the carb. Yet when you go to start your car after it's been sitting for weeks there's no fuel in the bowls, requiring much cranking to refill them enough to fire the car. At starter rpm, mechanical pumps don't seem to refill the carbs all that quick. Fuel's evaporating out of your carb, it happens to all of us with this modern pump swill they call gasoline. A check valve won't do anything for you. My last two carbed vehicles I changed over to electric fuel pumps. All my fueling trouble vanished. Turn the key to run for a few seconds so the electric pump can fill the bowls, pump the gas and hit the key. Doesn't get any easier than that.

What Daytona Turbo said !!! It is totally the fuel evaporating out of the carb. I have found that going with premium fuel (non-ethanol) makes a HUGE difference. Yet, even having the cars sit for weeks, there is still some fuel evaporation. As was said, solution = electric fuel pump ! I too have tried a check valve inline - no difference, its the ethanol based fuel that evaporates way too quickly out of the bowls. Non-ethanol premium makes a difference !! Just my two cents . . .

Cheers

Mark

I found even with ethanol free premium my carb was evaporating out in under a week.

This!

With four cars, only the /6 car will start quickly after a month. For the three 318 cars, I keep gas in a used mustard bottle, with a squirt down the carb throat they always start.

X 3

Might just try some high octane mustard.

OK, I know the fuel is junk for the most part but I wasn't putting that much creedance in it was just the fuel since others seem to react better than others, all in the same parking conditions. I have 110 leaded out of the pump hear, I might try it in a few cars for a tank and see how they act.

I'm not adding electic pumps to most of my cars so that's a no car, is there any additive that has been proven to work? Any that claim to work?

Thanks for the input folks.