Hi there!

I just put my new motor in (L24)and it won't start. I pulled out the #1 sparkplug and checked compression and it was fine. Then I checked spark and it was strong. Then I checked the fuel and there was no fuel coming out of the line from the fuel rail into the float bowl. It's got a mechanical fuel pump and it doesn't seem to suck well. The car has been sitting for a few months, since february 03.

Was I supposed to put some fuel in the float bowls or something before I tried to start it up? I wasted a battery's charge trying to get some fuel into the system but to no avail. The little fuel filter has a very small amount of fuel in it.

Does anyone have any ideas as to the souloution to the problem?

thanks,

isaac

Try squirting gas in the throat of the carbs to see if it will fire. If it fires - replace the fuel pump.

- Jeff

I'd disconnect the hose that runs from the fuel pump to the tank and put it in a bottle of fuel and then try to turn it over - it's a bit bodgy, but if it can suck from that you may have a blockage in the tank or in the fuel line. As said above you could try squirting neat fuel or a can of aerostart into the intakes to try and make it turn over.

You say NEW motor.I don't know if that means the same and rebuilt or different.Either way I would make sure the lobe that is supposed to be on the cam is installed.This is what moves the fuel pump arm.Pull off the pump and check for it.It is like a out of round over grown washer.If not its easy to put on once the valve cover is removed.

You're using an old fuel pump? For the price, I'd use a new one... you can't go wrong there. You can try a few other things, but, if your float bowls are empty then it's not pumping fuel properly.

Try to remove one of the hoses that go to the float bowl... crank it over and see if fuel squirts out. This will tell you if your pump is bad.

As far as the battery... new engines will almost always kill a good battery. Go get yourself a 'starter' charger... It will pump enough amps into the system so you can start the car with a dead battery. It was the best investment I ever made.

Originally posted by Daniel

You say NEW motor.I don't know if that means the same and rebuilt or different.Either way I would make sure the lobe that is supposed to be on the cam is installed.This is what moves the fuel pump arm.Pull off the pump and check for it.It is like a out of round over grown washer.If not its easy to put on once the valve cover is removed.

Exelent thought Daniel.

- Jeff

Thanks for all the input guys!

I got it started today, but only for a few seconds. I used some starter fluid and it started right up. Few seconds later my float bowl was spitting fuel out because of a bad gasket. I had to make a new one witha sheet of cork. I made it and put it on but the thing was flooded when I tried to start it back up.

I was so happy when it started up. Having done this project has made me feel a sense of acomplishment. I couldn't have done it without the help of the Z community online. Thanks guys.

Anywho, I'm going to let it sit over night. Is that the way to uh.. unflood the car?

Thanks ,

isaac

Spunky,

You're right on about the people on this site making rebuilding a Z so much easier. Would have taken me 10 times as long to get my Z in shape without all the excellent free advice and ideas offered here. Leaving it overnight should allow the excess fuel to evaporate. So does this mean your fuel pump is now working well? Hearing your rebuilt engine start for the first time really is a rush. Did it run long enough for you to make sure you're getting oil up on the valve train and pressure is adequate? Victor.

Originally posted by spunkysandoval

Few seconds later my float bowl was spitting fuel out because of a bad gasket. I had to make a new one witha sheet of cork.

Actually, the gasket is not the problem here. In fact, you don't really need those gaskets as the fuel in the float bowls should never reach that level. The whole point of the float bowls is to keep a constant fuel level. When the float goes up it presses on a needle valve that shuts off the fuel supply. When it goes back down it lets more in.

The needle valve can stick open or closed. Yours was stuck open which never shut off the fuel supply hence the flood. If it sticks closed you'll have 3 cylinders not operating and can sometimes beat on the float bowl cover to unstick it. Beating on the cover may help you as well but you can easily remove the lid and try to clean it up. The best solution are replacement valves called Grose-Jets. Unfortunately they don't seem to be readily available anymore; I'm not sure why:

http://www.ztherapy.com/products/ReplacmenCarbParts/grosejet.htm

The reason I say the gasket doesn't really matter is that there are hoses that attach to the top of the bowls that run to the air cleaner. If the needle valve gets stuck open the fuel will go straight to the air cleaner where it will pool up in the back and then leak out onto your exhaust pipe. If it simply leaks out of the bowl itself if will bypass the exhaust manifold by a bit.

The fact that the fuel made it up to the gaskets, and then started spitting out of them, leads me to believe that you have a clogged system. Take out that small hose on the bottom of the SU's and clean it out.