VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 No gas flowing…help needed

Hello All,

I'm a newbie with a '32 Confederate that won't start. Cranking fine but it won't run but once briefly with some starting fluid. Choke doesn't seem to help at all so I pulled the plugs were all dry when removed.

I removed the fuel line at the carb and no gas dripped out. I then removed the sediment bowl, cleaned out some crud. Still no gas flowing into it after reconnecting and cranking engine over.
The car was bounced around in a trailer for 2 weeks on a cross country trip. I noticed visible sludge in the tank containing little gas. I poured in a gallon of fresh gas but still no flow through the fuel line after cranking.
Question: Can these fuel pumps lose their prime, get obstructed, and result in a complete blockage ?
Any suggestions greatly welcomed. It's my first day with her. She ran fine recently as per the prior owner (a video sent) and I believe him. He suggested some starting fluid and choke. This is a very nice older restoration. I'm trying the obvious things first.
Thank you !

Hi Hardag,
Been there done that. I have just bought a 29 Chevy which ran OK at first until I started fiddling. Amongst fiddling with the timing,plugs and points, I cleaned out the fuel bowl.
After all this I couldnt get her going again. I got lots of support from this site re the ignition system, which at first I tought I misunderstood.
Eventually, I realised that the fuel pump was letting me down. The streatched fuel pump diaphragm, worn cam lobe contact and low 6 volt starting RPM was just not good enough to get the fuel to the carb in time for the battery to start fading.
I planning on rebuilding the distibutor, fuel pump, carburetor and going 12 volt.
Regards
Chris
Cape Town

I strongly urge you to forget the conversion to 12 volts. Will pose problems and is not needed. A well maintained 6-volt system will work fine.

Hello Floats, why do you need 12 volts? I have been running my 32 for years on 6 volts without a problem? Many of us are running 6 volts. May I ask why you think you need 12 for this car?

Hello Hardaground!

First I would like to welcome you to the group and the joy of owning a 32 Chevrolet! May you get many years of service and fun from your car. As most everyone knows, I'm a 32 nut and should be able to help. I have rebuilt many of fuel pumps for the 32 and they work great!

First thing I would do.....take the gas cap of and have someone put there ear near the opening, while you blow in the line. Do you here air? That is good. Also check that you don't see crap in the bottom of the tank.

Next, check your fuel pump if it is working or not. Do you have a vacuum gauge? It will also check fuel pumps and what the pump will pull or push. If you took the bowl off, some times the cork seal will get old and not seal again so you can't pull gas. The gauge will tell you that. Also you will find out if the pump is working if it is pushing up the carb.

Why don't you start with that and let us know how it goes. Also you can call me if you need more help and I will walk you through it.

I would scan this thread
No start, New Install 1931 194 Engine
Similar issues and concern, may be helpful with your issue

Stay with the 6 volts.

Start with the basics ,make sure you have a good spark. Remove the spark plugs clean, gap and replace. If you don't have a compression problem then remove the air cleaner add a small amount of gas down the carb. It should start. Might not run for long but it should spark to life. If the fuel pump has sat for a bit it might have gummed up. There are two check valves in the pump if ether one of them stick the pump will not pump. Good luck.

Thanks guys and 32 Confederate !

I'll check the fuel line for obstruction tomorrow. Right now,
I'm exhausted and since I'm a newbie and I didn't know what a 6 volt starter sounded like, I may have misdiagnosed the problem entirely.
The starter is spinning like champ, making a low growl but NOT engaging the flywheel. After removing the starter,I found a broken distorted bendix spring. One of the 2 "ear's sheared off leaving rendering it useless. I bought the car with numerous parts, amazingly one is a NOS bendix spring. As to the correct positioning on the shaft, I'm unclear. If you or someone can walk me through the re-assembly, terrific ! If not, off to the local alternator/generator/starter repair shop. Ill try to post a picture. http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n48/ckestrel/IMG_3051_zps198df05a.jpg

According to the photo you have the Bendix spring installed correctly. Put in the front Bendix bolt and lock and you are good to go.

Just make sure that the key is installed on the shaft and the ends of the two bolts extend into the depressions on the shaft before locking them in place. It is extra work to have to take the starter off and then apart to keep the parts from rotating on the shaft.

When trying to start have the spark knob pulled out to retard the timing. That may help to prevent kick back and breaking of the spring or spring bolts.

Okay, I'm about to tighten down the 2 bolts, but first need to fashion one of those funny lock washers out of something. One got ripped up and is beyond recognition. Would adding some blue Threadlocker on the threads help ?

I didn't see a depression on the shaft for this bolt. I'll snug it down good though. The key is on the shaft okay.

The assembly could use some new clean oil. I had to wipe it down and clean off the metal filings.
Maybe some 3 in 1 or heavier oil ? Thank you.

There is a depression on the armature shaft for the rear Bendix bolt and a depression on the Bendix Drive for the front Bendix bolt. The rear Bendix bolt MUST be in the armature shaft depression! Also, don't use Loctite...get some Bendix bolt lock washers from your local starter shop. They are only a few cents each.

Copy that, but can't find that 2nd depression. It's not an issue now anyway. If you can see this photo, you'll see a bigger problem I pointed to with a pen. The shaft end has a nice fracture in it. An accident waiting to happen...
I'll call it a day, wife's yelling at me, I'll go see the repair shop in the AM. He might have a replacement, part I mean, not wife.

Meanwhile, I appreciate the help. Again, the car just arrived here last night so I'm going to take my time. I suspect the transport guys may have inadvertently done something when transferring it between trailers.

It came back from Washington state to CT after a life in upstate NY's Hudson Valley area., restored there in late 80's. I intend on freshening her up and routinely using her.
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n48/ckestrel/IMG_3053_zps9f3aa003.jpg
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n48/ckestrel/Image_zps5838b47e.jpg

If you plan on driving your car a lot, It makes good sense to add an alternator. Be it 6 or 12 volts.

I put 4000 miles on my car this summer and did not have to do battle with a three brush generator. (They either under charge, or they boil your battery depending on your speed and/or electrical load.)
Alternators are cheap and the modification does not PERMANENTLY alter the car nor does it de-value it. It just looks out of place under our hoods. Save the old generator and mount.
My respect goes out to those that have an antique auto in its original configuration and drive it daily.
Dale

The three brush generator on my 1932 has been going strong for 82 years and it has never failed or been repaired. Can't say the same of any of the alternators on my modern cars.....they have all been rebuilt at least once.

I guess my statement was misleading. The generators work well-----The problem lies more with the switch that doesn't regulate current and lets the generator destroy batteries, or lets them go dead. I guess what I was trying to say when I said "Do Battle..." Was, I don't have to adjust the third brush at irregular intervals.

In my 50 + years of driving, I have had to replace 1 alternator. And I usually get more than 7 years out of my batteries and with NO maintenance or adjustments.
Dale

My last 6 volt battery with the 3 brush generator lasted 9.5 years and I never had to adjust the third brush. Once the output is set correctly (not too high or too low) the battery should be fine...but the key is to have the correct output adjustment.

Yes, a 6 volt alternator would be better and that's a given, but for a 3 brush generator to last for 82 years and keep on going that ain't too shabby.

Hardaground,
The damage is the result of not having the bolt fully seated and or no key on the shaft. It allowed the Bendix assembly to move on the shaft. New Bendix assemblies appear on eBay occasionally.

Car really looks good.

You can also get new Bendix drives from the Filling Station, your local starter shop and from NAPA.

I lucked out with the generator/starter repair shop. Just dropped them off. The owner is intimately familiar with these 2 old vintage components and he has all the parts.

Just as I started to show him where the crack was, he stopped me and said I already know where it is. He was right. A real oracle, good guy to know. Just like you expert fellows here.

By the way, he said replacing the cut-out with a diode is like putting lipstick on a pig. That should start a lively discussion ...

I could be up and running by early next week. Thanks again !

I don't know much about pigs and nothing about lipstick but I do know that the diode cutout keeps you from having to stop on some road some day and clean the frozen contact points in the original cutout. Also, you are right, without a regulator, the generator will boil batteries. The answer is available from Jim Peterson - he sells a great hidden regulator that works perfectly. You will not have to drive with your lights on in daylight to keep from battery boiling!

Happy Motoring!

I have not had to clean any cut out points yet in 14 years and 12000 miles. Just installed my third battery and only added
water once or twice in each of the previous batteries. I rarely drive at night so the generator is set for about 8 amps. If I did do much night driving then I would have the headlamps resilvered and vacuum sealed and the Peterson regulator added, along with LED taillight conversion and turn signals. I think at this point just getting the car to run and drive without problems would be a good starting point.