So my car would barely start today...

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harrisonm

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I have been so busy lately with rust repair on some 1972 Toyota Land Cruiser doors, working at my daughter's house and catching up on powder coating orders (good thing I am retired), that I have not started my car in about a month. Lately, when it hasn't been started for a while, it has taken much longer than usual to draw gas into the carburetor. It used to only take 20 seconds or so. Today, I eventually had to squirt some starting fluid into the carb, because the battery was starting to go flat. It finally started and ran fine. I was wondering if a mechanical fuel pump can get weak enough to have trouble drawing fuel from the fuel pump, but be strong enough to keep fuel flowing once the engine starts? putting in a new fuel pump is no big deal, I just don't want to do it if it won't help.
 
You'll need to check hoses and clamps on the supply line from tank. Pump could be sucking a little air somewhere.
 
I have been so busy lately with rust repair on some 1972 Toyota Land Cruiser doors, working at my daughter's house and catching up on powder coating orders (good thing I am retired), that I have not started my car in about a month. Lately, when it hasn't been started for a while, it has taken much longer than usual to draw gas into the carburetor. It used to only take 20 seconds or so. Today, I eventually had to squirt some starting fluid into the carb, because the battery was starting to go flat. It finally started and ran fine. I was wondering if a mechanical fuel pump can get weak enough to have trouble drawing fuel from the fuel pump, but be strong enough to keep fuel flowing once the engine starts? putting in a new fuel pump is no big deal, I just don't want to do it if it won't help.
You need to re-check it cold and make sure the choke is going closed and you have a accelerator pump squirt. The gas has probably evaporated from the float bowls and you have to crank it a while to fill it back up.
 
You need to re-check it cold and make sure the choke is going closed and you have a accelerator pump squirt. The gas has probably evaporated from the float bowls and you have to crank it a while to fill it back up.
Thanks, Mike. I realize that after a week or so the fuel has evaporated from the bowls. I may not have been clear in the original post. What I meant was that is taking much longer now for the gas to be drawn into the carb than before. I used to be able to crank it for 15 seconds and get it to start. Now it takes much longer, and the other day the battery was getting low enough that I resorted to taking the air cleaner lid off and using starting fluid. Something has changed, and the only thing I can think of is that the fuel pump might be getting weak. Maybe the diaphragm is damaged? I hate to just throw parts at a problem if I am not 100% sure what it is, but a fuel pump is pretty easy to do and not very expensive.
 
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