Could it be a carb Problem?

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Jonnylightening

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Hey guys got a little problem. I got my car outta storage (my back yard) and it hasnt been driven in probably 2 years. Ive been tinkering with it here n there. Finally got in and headed out to my inspection guy. As i started out it was really hesitant, almost like it wasnt getting fuel. I pulled over and checked the fuel filter and it was full. I had a spare in the trunk so I swapped it out. There was NO change. I figured maybe it just needs run a bit. It did good if you pumped the throttle slightly. Every light i had to keep my foot on the gas so it wouldnt shut off. I then pulled over once more and adjusted my idle screws ..that helped a bit but it still had a flutter off idle. I then thought maybe my plugs being gapped a .045 (MSD ignition). I then regapped them at .035 and still the dame deal. This time i felt the headers and cyl. 1,7,4,6 were way cooler than cyl. 3,5,2,8. On those i couldnt even touch em. All the plugs looked about the same. My timing heat was right on the arch, the mixture was a bit black, and the bar itself was a bit gray/white. Could it be my carburetor?
 
Accelerator pump is shot. Carburetor needs a kit and the gas tank probably needs cleaning out.
 
If you 'ran it low', there still could have been 2-3 gallons of fuel the tank. If it was ethanol gas, then the ethanol has long ago separated out, absorbed water, and formed gum. Adding new fuel will NOT cause that gum to magically dissolve.

And the old fuel left will have deteriorated and adding new does not change that either.

Pull tank and drain 100% and clean. Modern gas is horrible for letting sit.
 
I ran the gas almost out before i parked it and replaced it with new but the gas that sat in the carb was old which is why im im hop thats the problem

As RRR mentioned it sounds like it has an accelerator pump issue. (They dry up and don't pump fuel well after they sit.)
You might also pull the idle screws and hit them with compressed air.
Crap also likes to settle in the circuits when they sit.
Don't chase details until you get the carb handled because I'd bet ya that's all it is.
 
The big thing is to clean out the float bowls. When the gas in there evaporates, the solids harden to an evil semi-solid sludge that settles in the lowest crevices, namely the fuel wells. (Nothing you can mix into the gas in the tank will get that out) You need the product that is specifically formulated to dissolve it and full strength. The new environmentally friendly stuff they sell over-the-counter now, is so wussy, that this can take a day or longer. You can thank the tree-huggers for that.
The good stuff is still available but it costs a small fortune. For a one-time use it's probably cheaper to send your carb out.
The stuff in your tank will not dissolve back into the fuel. And it will not likely migrate out of there. But it tends to separate from the insides of the tank and slosh around as a slimey sheet, and may cover the pick-up sock leaving you stranded. If at one time ALL of the fuel in the tank evaporated, then a good percentage of the sock may already be plugged. So it's in your best interest to at least look into the tank.
Any fresh fuel you put in there will sit on top of the sludge/varnish, and if it makes it thru the sock, then you will never know the gunk is in there...... until one day it plugs the sock, and then yur walking. It can happen that if you shut the car off, the sludge moves away from the sock, and then the pump can suck gas again, leaving you baffled.... until it happens again. Ask me how I know. I eventually bought a new tank.
 
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the big thing is to clean out the float bowls. when the gas in there evaporate. the solids harden to an evil semi-solid sludge that settles in the lowest crevices, namely the fuel wells. Nothing you can mix into the gas in the tank will get that out. You need the product that is specifically formulated to dissolve it and full strength. The new environmentally friendly stuff they sell over-the-counter now, is so wussy, that this can take a day or longer. You can thank the tree-huggers for that.
The good stuff is still available but it costs a small fortune. For a one-time use it's probably cheaper to send your carb out.
The stuff in your tank will not dissolve back into the fuel. And it will not likely migrate out of there. But it tends to separate from the bottom of the tank and slosh around as a slimey sheet, and may cover the pick-up sock leaving you stranded. If at one time ALL of the fuel in the tank evaporated, then a good percentage of the sock may already be plugged. So it's in your best interest to at least look into the tank.
Any fresh fuel you put in there will sit on top of the sludge/varnish, and if it makes it thru the sock, then you will never know the gunk is in there...... until one day it plugs the sock, and then yur walking. It can happen that if you shut the car off, the sludge moves away from the sock, and then the pump can suck gas again, leaving you baffled.... until it happens again. Ask me how I know. I eventually bought a new tank.
 
Same thing happend to my brothers Cordoba. Im leaning towards a fuel cell being im going for a street strip car
 
I let a car sit for a couple years with about a gallon or 2 left in the tank...
Couldn't even get fuel to the filter to fire up the new motor........

The sending unit draw tube was gummed closed, used a coat hanger and some carb cleaner... then bought a new tank because I couldn't have this one in particular boiled...I was told it was a tank in tank collision 'explosion proof' style., plastic inside or something idk.



Next day..40 dollars for the fuel tank at a wrecker.
My advice ..
Take the fuel cap off, pull the line off the fuel hose off the fuel pump inlet and using co.pressed air...give it a couple blasts while a friend listens close for bubbles.... that will rule out any obstruction.


After that , rebuild the carb like already mentioned by rusty and others.
 
I would pull the carb, tear it down, vat it, install a new rebuild kit, drain all fuel, flush the tank & lines before I did anything else. The pump gas we have doesn't last long while a car is stored & causes many problems when brought out of hibernation.
 
I'd dump some real gumout in the tank, I use the cheapest with the white label under $2 at Walmart. But always buy real Gumout brand, has never let me down. In my carbureted or rarely driven cars I put a bottle in every tank and never had any fuel related problem. Personally I would put two bottles in with fresh gas and let it idle for 20minutes then drive it around
 
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