# my 350 2-barrel won't start now.



## poncho power (Nov 28, 2012)

Ok, it's been awhile since I've worked on old 2 barrel carburation, so I need a little help.

My 68 lemans has a 350, 2 barrel, automatic choke. I have not started it for a couple months, so yesterday I tried to start it up. I pumped the gas pedal once, and turned it over. It started and ran for 5 to 10 seconds, and then sounded like it was loading up a bit, and then the engine quit.

I tried to start it again, and it would not fire. I thought maybe it was flooded a bit, so I held the footfeet down to the floor, and still nothing. Well, I wore the battery down, so I let it trickle charge all night. I went to try it again today, and it still does not start.

Do you guys think I should try new plugs? Wouldn't they have dried out overnight if they were flooded ? I really think the problem started with fuel, as I just got this car this winter, and I really don't know the tricks to starting it yet, but I've started it a few times over the winter months, and it ran just fine.

I'm just wondering if I need to try changing the spark plugs? I don't have any right now, but could get some first thing Monday.

Thoughts please ???????


----------



## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

Pour a small amout of gas directly into the carb and see if it will start for a few seconds.


----------



## poncho power (Nov 28, 2012)

05GTO said:


> Pour a small amout of gas directly into the carb and see if it will start for a few seconds.



it's getting all kinds of gas.....

where I have my finger pointed here in the pic, is where gas is just pooring out when I crank it over. Is that normal? it's like a fountain of gas oozing up and out of that oval opening.


----------



## 67GTOCoupe (Mar 6, 2013)

I was going to take a wild shoot with your first post and say stuck float. If you pull out a sparks plug and it is wet with fuel then that is a pretty sure thing.
If you are really lucky this might be a quick fix. Take the wooden handle from something like a hammer and give the carb a couple of good thumps but nothing crazy with the wooden handle. Sometimes if your lucky the float will come free. If your not so lucky its time for a carb overhaul.


----------



## poncho power (Nov 28, 2012)

thank you very much, that was the problem... runs great now after i rapped on the carb. I hope it doesn't make a habbit out of that now.


----------



## poncho power (Nov 28, 2012)

Ok, so new developement.......... I took it out for a ride, and it was running great for 5 minutes or so, and all of a sudden, it goes into a limping mode, like it was starving for fuel.... and then it would come out of it for a bit, and then right back into starving mode again. I had to keep messing with the throttle just to get it back home. Pulled it into the driveway, and revved it up, and it didn't miss a beat.

Does this sound like maybe the float is sticking the other way now? starving for fuel?


----------



## 67GTOCoupe (Mar 6, 2013)

You might have a carb that has sat way to long without running. The fuel eventually will begin to break down in the carb bowl and get sticky and make a mess. A sniff test can tell you a lot Old fuel that had started to break down smells like paint varnish instead of gas. If you pull the gas cap off and give a little sniff and it smells like varnish you know you have a car that has sat at least a couple fo years.
A good product that can sometimes clean it out if it is not too bad is a product called Gumout. It is pretty good at removing that build up


----------



## poncho power (Nov 28, 2012)

67GTOCoupe said:


> You might have a carb that has sat way to long without running. The fuel eventually will begin to break down in the carb bowl and get sticky and make a mess. A sniff test can tell you a lot Old fuel that had started to break down smells like paint varnish instead of gas. If you pull the gas cap off and give a little sniff and it smells like varnish you know you have a car that has sat at least a couple fo years.
> A good product that can sometimes clean it out if it is not too bad is a product called Gumout. It is pretty good at removing that build up


No, pretty sure it's not that, because I put a new fuel sender in the tank over the winter, and then put brand new premium gas in the tank. At the most, it sat for 2 months.


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

Did you drive it after putting the new fuel sender in? Did it come with a new sock or did you reuse the old one?No problems? How much gas did you keep in it over the winter?


----------



## poncho power (Nov 28, 2012)

yes, it had a new sock. there was only about 5 gallons in it over the winter, but I put in 10 more today. I didn't drive it after I changed the sender because I live in Wisconsin. I did start it though & let it run for 20 minutes to make sure I had no leaks. It then ran fine.


----------



## jmt455 (Mar 26, 2012)

My 68 sat for several years. The fuel system had to be completely cleaned out and the carburetor had to be rebuilt before the car would run properly. 

Since yours was recently running well, you might find one or two of these problems:

The fuel feed line from the tank to the pump was partially filled with varnish and dissolved particles from the fuel sending unit sock and debris from the inside of the deteriorated fuel hose. I replaced ALL the soft lines (including all vent, feed and return mines) and blew the hard lines out with compressed air.

I also had a problem with the float sticking. I had to replace the float; it was swollen and got stuck in the float well. It would not move up or down and I had the same problem as you did; gas was pouring out the top of the bowl vents.

If the carb has been sitting long enough for varnish to form in the float bowl and in the small fuel passages, it will need to be completely cleaned and rebuilt.

My car would idle all day, but you could not drive it. It would stumble and stall as soon as I touched the accelerator. Once I got everything cleaned out, it ran fine.


----------

