overdrive87

I replaced the fuel line and filter in my 1986 G20 Chevy Van. When I got done, it wouldn't start because there was no fuel in the line. I called a friend of mine who's a mechanic of 40+ years. He came over and sprayed starter fluid in the top of the Rochester Quadrajet, and got it started up in just a few minutes. Then he noticed fuel leaking out near the fuel inlet.

He told me to put teflon tape around the threads to seal it, so I did. When I was done, I couldn't get it started again, so I asked him if he could come over and help me get it started again. Well, he hasn't, and I get the feeling he is not going to help me now. I know he could get it started in just a few minutes, but I asked my sister to turn the ignition while I held the butterfly valve open and sprayed in starter fluid.

When I'm spraying the starter fluid, it starts up, and it runs as long as I keep spraying it. I remember him telling me that the engine needs to run to pump fuel into the line, and I remember a few times when he stopped spraying, it would die, but like on the 4th try or something, it eventually pumped enough gas into the line that it would run on its own, but I can't get it to do that now. I know he could do it because he did it before, but he's basically leaving me on my own now. Anyway, I know it can start, but I just can't get it to.

I just got it for a temporary vehicle when I had to junk my Lumina, now my dad wants me to get rid of it, because it's been sitting in the street for a while, and I'm afraid someone will call the sheriff's office and have it towed away.

Does anyone have any tips on what to do? Thanks

sledge.impy

Is it still leaking fuel?

What did you replace the fuel line with?

Are you sure you don't have a bad fuel pump?

If you are spraying stuff in the carb and then it dies when you don't - where's the fuel?!

Do you smell fuel leaking?

I did this once on an 1987 j-body 12 years ago... I put in new metal fuel lines and fittings and bent all the lines with a tool to bending lines. I made the correct flares and everything fit up. Had a few sections that need extra tightening - but didn't use any teflon tape.

overdrive87

Thanks for your reply. Right after posting this, I thought of something. I unhooked the fuel line from the fuel inlet, and the fuel filter was wet. That didn't really mean anything, because before I put the tape on the threads, it ran, even though it leaked.

I totally unhooked the filter housing, and looked inside, and there was a rubber thing stuck inside it, with crap stuck in the hole. I used a small screwdriver and got everything out, then hooked everything up again. Before I hooked everything up again, I went down to O' Reily's and got a fuel inlet gasket kit, and put a white plastic gasket on the carb side of the filter housing.

There was a really small spring, and a bigger spring. I recognized the bigger spring as the one that I saw in multiple videos on youtube about changing a fuel filter on a Rochester quad, but I had never seen the smaller spring before. I kept it out, and hooked everything up, and used the starter fluid to start it. Eventually, I got it to run on its own.

During the time I was spraying starter fluid, I used a maglite to inspect the fuel inlet, and I could see fuel dripping down from between the carb and the filter housing. Once I got it started and it could run on its own, however, I noticed the spot below the fuel inlet was dry. So maybe it was dry because the carb was sucking it in.

Anyway, thanks for your reply.

sledge.impy

Yeah, hard to call out a fuel filter issue with a rubber thing stuck in it...

So is it running now? Or going to try next day?

overdrive87

It ran. I took it to a roadside park so I could take pics of it and list it on ebay, but then it broke down again. I was so sick of working on it, I just scrapped it. Thanks, though, for your replies.

The thing I don't get was, why would it leak? The guys at O' Reily's said it didn't need tape, and the guys in the videos on youtube never showed them putting tape on the threads. Just gaskets. I guess it doesn't really matter now, but I'm still curious.