How Long Does it Take the Gas to Evaporate Out of Your Holley Carb?

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Uhhhh, twenty bucks for a plastic squirt bottle? I swear you CA guys are just dripping with money.

Yes and we line up to pay $5 a cup for our Philz coffee too.

[Chilibit]

Is the cranking required to fill bowls with a mechanical fuel pump sufficient to alleviate (even partially) an oil starved start.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Chilibit

Is the cranking required to fill bowls with a mechanical fuel pump sufficient to alleviate (even partially) an oil starved start.

It depends on how much oil has drained down in to the pan since you last ran the car. Other factors that can affect that rate, other than time itself, would be things like the position of your oil filter and lines, and the "clinginess" of your oil. Now, FWIW, when my car has been sitting over the winter months, sometimes five or six months, for the first fire-up of the year I will disconnect the ignition (not that it would start quickly anyway because the bowls are dry) and then I crank it until I see my oil pressure gauge needle bounce up a little, then I re-enable the ignition and try and get it to start. It always takes more cranking, and pumping the pedal, to get the accelerator pump to squirt, before it fires up. In years past, when I had never bothered to keep a Battery Tender on it, there has been a time or two when I just barely got her to start before the battery gave out on the cranking. I have never bothered to squirt gas from my bottle down the primaries, nor do I even own a spray can of starter fluid. But, if I had an electric fuel pump (which I don't) I would be extra-vigilant in bringing up a little oil pressure, before enabling the ignition, if the car had been sitting for months.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Jeez, if I had to prime it after letting it sit for just two days I would suspect a nice leak. The accelerator pump ought to get gas to it past that little orange umbrella seal if you just have a half inch, or less, in the bottom of the bowl.

Like I said - the front bowl has cross-flow ventilation with 2 vents. Dries out fast. It was restored by Holley and to the best of my knowledge is tight and leak free.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by DanEC

Like I said - the front bowl has cross-flow ventilation with 2 vents. Dries out fast. It was restored by Holley and to the best of my knowledge is tight and leak free.

If you wrapped it with cling wrap from the kitchen it shouldn't evaporate much at all. Jus' sayin'....

[Dimis]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Who are you and what have you done with Bernica?

Yep, the boys are back in town.

[Tim7139]

Do we have any reason in the world a few short cranks to fill the bowls is a bad thing?
Generally, if I go a week, usually about two 10 second cranks before I touch the pedal, then 2 full pumps and it catches. About 1/2 the time it might require another 10 second crank and 2 pump sequence to catch and allow me the feather the pedal until I get a clean, fast idle. Then it's just a few minutes until oil and water temps come off the peg and I can move off kinda slow through the neighborhood until I get heat in it.

[DanEC]

I think it's kind of a personal thing. I just don't like spinning a motor with minimal oil pressure at the bearings after it's been sitting awhile. And it seems like there are more start, cough, die - crank some more - moments with this approach. I just like mine to fire off on the first touch of the key and immediately build oil pressure.

But a lot of people seem OK with cranking it for awhile and with modern clinging oils it seems to do no harm that anyone can probably prove. Different strokes.

[Kit Coyle]

I must be missing something. I have a Holley double pumper fed by a
mechanical fuel pump running at 6 pounds. Even after a month I just
jab the accelerator a few times and it starts immediately! Am I just lucky?

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by Kit Coyle

I must be missing something. I have a Holley double pumper fed by a
mechanical fuel pump running at 6 pounds. Even after a month I just
jab the accelerator a few times and it starts immediately! Am I just lucky?

After a month - if you just get in, pump it twice and hit the key and it immediately fires - yes, you are lucky. Need to consider buying a few lotto tickets or heading to the track.