Here's My Dilemma...

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Your right about the spring. Chevy uses two, one inside the other.<br />Im concerned about not blowing it out with air. Carb cleaner alone won't always clean a blockage.<br />The good news is, if there is no spray that means your not getting fuel into the carb. The problem has to be from the fuel line to the float bowl, which means either the fuel filter or float assembly is the problem.<br />Im not sure what type of fuel filter it uses. If it goes in the carb where the fuel line hooks up, then you could have it in backward thus not allowing fuel to flow.<br />First thing is show me a picture of the top of the carb. What Im looking for is the vent for the float bowl. Then you can pour some gas into it and see if it will start and run. Then we can go from there.
 
<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Sid, way back in the beginning, the first thing I did was pull the fuel line off at the carb &amp; took the fuel filter out. It was fine. I could blow through it easily, no blockage at all. Then I cranked the engine, &amp; gas shot out all over the place, telling me the fuel pump was fine, but some guy told me the fuel pump could STILL be the problem, like not enough pressure or something, so I went through the long, expensive process of replacing it, all to no avail.</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Then with the NEW fuel pump installed, I checked it again. Same thing. Fuel shoots out like crazy when the engine is cranked, so the NEW fuel pump is okay too, not surprisingly. Since the problem remained, I knew I had wasted nearly $100 &amp; a lotta hassle for nothing.</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Then we decided it HAD to be some kind of carb problem, &amp; U know the nightmare story from there. $101 MORE, wasted on that so far.</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>I know one thing for sure.... I'm never making that long drive up there to get my buddy again. Even if he was an ACE mechanic, 180 miles, &amp; 5 solid hours of driving, just ain't worth it, especially on bald tires, &amp; in an old truck that's on it's last leg!!!!&nbsp;</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>...not to mention, having to pay him as well.&nbsp;<br /></strong></span><br /><br />
 
If its the type of filter I think it is. They go one way. If it is backward it wont let&nbsp;fuel into the carb.
 
sidat202 said:
If its the type of filter I think it is. They go one way. If it is backward it wont let&nbsp;fuel into the carb.
<br /><strong style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;">I'll check that again first thing tomorrow. Oh, if only I could be so lucky that it was my own ignorant blunder to have reinstalled it backward. That would be the best thing I could discover, but I'm pretty sure I put it back in right. We'll soon see....&nbsp;<br /><br /></strong>
 
If you put it back the same way you took it out. Maybe it was in wrong to begin with.
 
Joey,<br /><br />Sorry you are having sooo much trouble with the fuel system<br /><br />If you can find a low pressure fuel gauge, hook it to the end of the fuel line, you should have at least 3 lbs of pressure, (which you should have with it being new). Also attach a scrap piece of fuel line to the end of the fuel line, get a old coffee can ( to catch the fuel)&nbsp; check the flow while cranking it over,&nbsp; you should have a good flow going into the can.. be very careful doing this, try not to spill fuel, and keep it away from sparks.<br /><br />try hooking up the fuel line to the carburetor without the fuel filter installed, add fuel down the carb to get it to run a little bit, it should be enough to fill the carb bowl with fuel, pump the throttle to see if fuel squirts in the carb.. from the accelerator pump, also manually close the choke butterfly and see if it will run longer,,<br /><br />Also check the rubber connection on the fuel pump that comes from the fuel tank, making sure there are no cracks, or it is not kinked, or soft, a soft hose will collapse causing no flow. just&nbsp; another thing to check that is easy.<br /><br />After all of this... if you get it going without the fuel filter installed, your problem is the wrong fuel filter..<br /><br />Some later quadrajet carb fuel filters have a black spring loaded valve in the center of the filter, take a pair of needle nose pliers, remove it and throw it away...This is on the paper filters. the spun brass one do not have check valves.<br /><br />Hope this helps<br /><br />Putz<br /><br /><br /><br />
 
sidat202 said:
If you put it back the same way you took it out. Maybe it was in wrong to begin with.
<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>That couldn't be the case, cuz my brother dismantled the carb one time, &amp; when he put it back together, the thing would start &amp; run, so I'd start it nearly every day, let it run for 10-15 minutes, &amp; shut if off. </strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Then, after only about a week, it suddenly started doing the same thing again. That was prolly 4 months ago, &amp; I've never been able to get it started since.<br /><br /></strong></span>
 
<span style="color: #0000ff;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><strong>If I EVER get this piece of crap running, I'm gonna sell it for whatever I can get, &amp; buy me a small tagalong to live in.<br /><br /></strong><span style="color: #000000;">Now Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'<br />Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.<br />'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,<br />And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."<br /><br />So when he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window,<br />Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.<br />And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.<br />But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.<br /><br />You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,<br />Know when to walk away and know when to run.<br />You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.<br />There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.<br /></span></span></span>
 
I realize this may be kind of pagan of me to say so, but I'll sacrifice a live chicken so that your van may run again. Since I don't believe in wasting. The bird will be deep fried to a golden brown and served up on a plate with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br />Seriously though, I'm sending you good vibes that this ordeal with be over sooner than later for you.&nbsp;<br /><br />
 
Sorry but a good mechanic can fix this. You have not found one yet. &nbsp;Most young ones can only handle fuel injection tech. That'all the young mechanics know. &nbsp;<br /><br />Take pictures. Write a step by step history on paper. &nbsp;<br /><br />Call a boat shop mechanic. Then call a small engine mechanic. Ask if you can stop by with a cold one and ask for advice on your carberator. Just ten minutes.&nbsp;<br /><br />You will find someone who can tell youwhat's wrong.&nbsp;
 
<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>I've had to step away from it for a couple days. The aggravation level has <br />pushed me to the brink of doing something so disastrous I'd later regret it.</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>It's now less than a month till I'll be LIVING in this piece of garbage.</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>
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</strong></span><br /><br /><span><strong style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;">If I don't get it running, I won't even be able to have phone, internet, or sewage. I'm SOOOOO not looking forward to this! This SHOULD be an eagerly anticipated ADVENTURE, but instead, it's becoming a MUCH DREADED, quickly approching NIGHTMARE! Living like a total caveman in this thing would be bad enough, but being alone, &amp; MILES from any kind of civilization is just gonna COMPOUND the multiple problems! :-( <br /><br />Why, oh WHY did I have to buy something with a stinkin' CARBURETOR on it?!!!<br />I have a feeling that one day real soon, somebody who knows how to get it <br />running is gonna get one HECKUVA good deal on it!&nbsp;<br /><br />I paid $3000 for it, then spent another $1000 on it, so I've wasted $4000 so far. As it sits right now, I'd sell it for HALF that without blinking an eye! As the aggravation builds over not being able to fix it or GET it fixed, &amp; with the inevitable deadline looming ever closer, the price is gonna start dropping even further. In the end, if nobody takes it, I'll call a wrecker &amp; have it hauled off for scrap. I've absolutely reached my wits end with this stinkin' thing.<br /><br /></strong><strong><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;">This thing has just about bankrupted my meager income. I'm FINISHED pouring money down this rat-hole. If I don't burn it down, I'll end up giving it away, total loss, just like I did the house.</span><br /><br /></strong></span>
 
offroad said:
Sorry but a good mechanic can fix this. You have not found one yet.
<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>That's EXACTLY right! </strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>...on BOTH counts!<br /><br /></strong></span>
 
Maybe check and see if you can't just buy a "new" re-built carb of the same model. After that it should be a simple matter of bolting it on and adjusting.

 
Joey,<br /><br /> When the guys come to p/u the house ask them to take a second and drag the camper with a chain down to where you want it...even offer $25.00 if necessary..If they won't do it LMK amd I'll run down there some Saturday and move it with my pickup.&nbsp; I'm no carb mechanic!<br /><br />Last resort...have it towed to a garage and repaired THERE! Expensive but cheaper than giving it away or setting it on fire................IMO !<br /><br />Good job on the water lines!!<br /><br />Loco
 
sidat202 said:
Please take a picture of the top of the carb(close up) and post it so I can see it.<br />Also look down the throat of the carb with flashlight. Then pump the throttle a few times and see if you see&nbsp; gas spraying into the engine.<br />That will give me an idea where to start.
<br /><strong style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;">Okay, I'm giving this another shot, after a few days away from it...<br /><br />No, there's still no gas spraying into it. For some reason, the gas just won't go through the carb &amp; into the engine. I thought if I poured gas into it enough times &amp; started it enough times, EVENTUALLY the darn thing would fill up, or pick it up, or whatever the heck it's supposed to do, but nope, no dice. It just ain't gonna work no matter how many times I run the battery down doing this.<br /><br />Finally decided maybe my only hope was to charge up a brand new carburetor on my credit card, but after pricing it &amp; finding to my ultimate horror it would be well over $400, I realized that was TOTALLY out of the question. Not to mention, it STILL might not fix the problem. I won't have any more money to spend on this thing for over 2 more weeks, at which time my move-out deadline will be less than 2 weeks away.&nbsp;</strong><br /><div>&nbsp;</div><div><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>I've about lost all hope. Anyway, here's the pics U requested, Sid.</strong></span></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>
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<br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>On top of everything else, it took so long to get my buddy over here to put it all back together, that now, the long, threaded rod that holds the air-cleaner on has been lost.&nbsp;</strong></span><br /><br /></div>
 
That tube sticking up toward the front by the choke butterfly is the vent for the float bowl. If you take about 4 ounces of gas and pour it into that tube. That should put gas into the float bowl. Then try and start it to see if it will run. Let me know what happens.
 
Locolarry said:
Joey,<br /><br /> When the guys come to p/u the house ask them to take a second and drag the camper with a chain down to where you want it...even offer $25.00 if necessary..If they won't do it LMK amd I'll run down there some Saturday and move it with my pickup.&nbsp; I'm no carb mechanic!<br /><br />Last resort...have it towed to a garage and repaired THERE! Expensive but cheaper than giving it away or setting it on fire................IMO !<br /><br />Good job on the water lines!!<br /><br />Loco
<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Thanx, Loke. If this thing is still sitting here UNSTARTABLE in 4 weeks when they come for the house, they won't have any CHOICE but to drag it outta the way, cuz it HAS to be moved before the house can be moved.&nbsp;</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Unfortunately, I'm sure they'll leave it sitting wherever they drag it to, cuz once they leave here with the house, they're SURE not gonna come back, &amp; where they're gonna be dragging it to, is even FARTHER away from where I need it parked in order to reach the septic line, phone line, &amp; power outlet. That is, if I can ever get the phone guy out here... he was SUPPOSED to be here last MONDAY, &amp; STILL hasn't showed! I've called the phone co AGAIN a couple days ago, &amp; I'm STILL waiting!&nbsp;</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>This whole ordeal is turning into one of the biggest nightmares of my entire life. :-(<br /><br /></strong></span>
 
sidat202 said:
That tube sticking up toward the front by the choke butterfly is the vent for the float bowl. If you take about 4 ounces of gas and pour it into that tube. That should put gas into the float bowl. Then try and start it to see if it will run. Let me know what happens.
<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Will do. <br />Thanx!<br /><br /></strong></span>
 
OK, Keep me posted....once the house is outa tha way I'll pack up a chain or two, tools and a come-along and drive down there...just to be prepared I'll bring a gallon of gas and a pack of matches............Larry
 
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