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Do I pump the gas or not pump the gas when cold starting (74 ford e-100 van)?
#736689 May 26th 2018 9:13 pm
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Puzzele Offline OP
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Situation:

1974 Ford E-100 Automatic Van, v8, 302.

The van sits many times for weeks/months at a time. When I first start up the van after sitting for so long, it is a real pain because the carburetor doesn't get gas quick enough. IF I take off the dog house, and add a little bit of gas to the carburetor, it starts right up. However, it is a royal pain in the butt in the take the dog house off every time I want to start the van every couple of weeks.

Therefore, I'm stuck pumping the gas and having the van try and start. It usually takes about 3-4 attempts of cranking and pumping the gas -- which sounds painful to me... as if I'm killing the starter.

So I have 2 options:



OPTION #1: SOME PEOPLE SAY TO PUT THE KEY IN THE ON POSITION, AND PUMP THE GAS SLOWLY ABOUT FOUR TIMES AND *AFTER* TRY AND TURN THE KEY. Here is a video recommending this technique utilizing a 1967 Mustang:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx_Dl139pvY


OPTION #2: OTHER PEOPLE SAY "However, if the car has been sitting more than week, the gasoline will evaporate out of the carburetor — so although you may be pumping the gas pedal, there’s no fuel inside the carb available to squirt. And unless you have an electric fuel pump, the only way to get fuel back up into the carb is to engage the starter (since a mechanical fuel pump only runs while the engine itself is turning over). So for a non-electric fuel pump, carbureted vehicle that hasn’t been run in a week and is proving hard to start, keep pumping the gas pedal WHILE you engage the starter.:
http://blog.motorcarstudio.com/?p=130[/u]



SOOOOooooo... can somebody tell me the proper way to start my van after it has been sitting for weeks/months? Do I pump the gas 4 times BEFORE I try and start it, or do I pump the gas WHILE I'm cranking the engine?

Sorry for the dumb question...

Re: Do I pump the gas or not pump the gas when cold starting (74 ford e-100 van)?
Puzzele #736710 May 27th 2018 5:38 pm
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hit the key let her spin over and get some oil up and around then pump the gas,i'd be happy with that,

Re: Do I pump the gas or not pump the gas when cold starting (74 ford e-100 van)?
Puzzele #736711 May 27th 2018 5:39 pm
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hit the key let her spin over and get some oil up and around then pump the gas,i'd be happy with that,

Re: Do I pump the gas or not pump the gas when cold starting (74 ford e-100 van)?
Puzzele #736713 May 27th 2018 7:06 pm
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Nobody has yet given you a compelte full answer.

The reason the van is hard to start after it sits is (as one of your sources said) because all the fuel has evaporated from the float bowl in the carburetor. The engine will not start unless there is fuel in the float bowl no matter how many times you push the gas pedal. In fact, by pumping the pedal repeatedly before there is fuel in the float bowl, you are prematurely wearing out the little rubber cup that is on the accelerator pump plunger (unless you are running certain models of Holley carbs). The rubber cup is lubricated by the gasoline in the float bowl and if there is no gas the rubber cup is scraping up and down inside a metal cylinder, wearing itself out.

If the van has sat for a long time, you should start it like this:

(1) press the gas pedal ONCE and release it. This sets the choke and the fast idle. However, the van will still not start because there is no fuel in the carburetor. So,

(2) crank the engine for a while. How long? I can't rightly say. The mechanical fuel pump takes a while to suck the gas from the tank and fill the float bowl when it is dry. I would crank it for about 20-30 seconds then stop cranking.

(3) press the gas pedal once and release it. Then try starting again.

Hopefully, fuel has reached the float bowl and filled it enough to allow the second full pump to provide a full squirt of fuel into the engine and the engine will start and run off the fuel in the bowl. If the engine won't start, crank for another 20 seconds or so, stop, press the gas pedal one full stroke and release it, then try starting again.

Alternatively, check the owner's manual (the little book that is in the glove box) and see if it tells you the starting procedure. If the engine is stock then you can follow the factory recommended method. Some years the factory starting instructions including holding the gas pedal 1/4-1/3 depressed while trying to start it. Other years didn't.

The final option would be to install an auxilliary electric fuel pump that served no function but to prime the carb. Then you could run the electric pump for 3-5 seconds, shut it off, press (and release!) the gas once and try to start it up.

Last edited by Reed; May 28th 2018 1:10 pm.

Windows- they're what make a van worth owning!
Re: Do I pump the gas or not pump the gas when cold starting (74 ford e-100 van)?
Puzzele #736714 May 27th 2018 7:07 pm
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Nobody has yet given you a compelte full answer.

The reason the van is hard to start after it sits is (as one of your sources said) because all the fuel has evaporated from the float bowl in the carburetor. The engine will not start unless there is fuel in the float bowl no matter howmany times you push the gas pedal. In fact, by pumping the pedal repeatdly before there is fuel in the float bowl, you are prematurely wearing out the little rubber cup that is on the accelerator pump (unless you are running certain models of Holley carbs) plunger. The rubber cup is lunricated by the gasoline in the float bowl and if there is no gas the rubber cup is scraping up and down inside a metal cylinder, wearing itself out.

If the van has sat for a long time, you should start it like this:

(1) press the gas pedal ONCE and release it. This sets the choke and the fast idle. However, the van will still not start because there is no fuel in the carburetor. So,

(2) crank the engine for a while. How long? I can't rightly say. The mechanical fuel pump takes a while to suck the gask from the tank and fill the float bowl when it is dry. I would crank it for about 20-30 seconds then stop cranking.

(3) press the gas pedal once and release it. Then try starting again.

Hopefully, fuel has reached the float bowl and filled it enough to allow the second full pump to provide a full squirt of fuel into the engine and the engine will start and run off the fuel in the bowl. If the engine won't start, crank for another 20 seconds or so, stop, press the gas pedal one full stroke and release it, then try starting again.

Alternatively, check the owner's manual (the little bvookthat is in the glove box) and see if it tells you the starting procedure. If the engine is stock then you can follow the factory recommended method. Some years the factory starting instructions including holding the gas pedal 1/4-1/3 depressed while trying to start it. Other years didn't.

The final option would be to install an auxilliary electric fuel pump that served no function but to prime the carb. Then you could run the electric pump for 3-5 seconds, shut it off, press (and release!) the gas once and try to start it up.


Windows- they're what make a van worth owning!
Re: Do I pump the gas or not pump the gas when cold starting (74 ford e-100 van)?
Puzzele #736724 May 28th 2018 6:54 am
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keeping in mind you dont want it to fire up instantly if it has sat for a few weeks,get some oil up top makes sense,just my opinion is all

Re: Do I pump the gas or not pump the gas when cold starting (74 ford e-100 van)?
Puzzele #736725 May 28th 2018 1:07 pm
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Absolutely you want the oiling system primed as much as possible. But that is usually accomplished if the engine is cranked for 5-10 seconds before starting.


Windows- they're what make a van worth owning!

Moderated by  Astro, Uncle_Fester 

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