How long should it take for a mechanical fuel pump to prime/get fuel to the carb when you’re cranking over the engine? The car will start if I pour fuel in the carburetor. I installed the same fuel pump that worked fine before I took it out 3-4 months ago, could it have went bad sitting?
You can crack the line at the carb and have someone crank the engine over once or twice (have a bunch of rags under it in case there's pressure) to see if you're getting fuel to the carb. If not, that should tell you something between the carb and the tank is faulty. If you get pressure but nothing at the carb, then it could be a stuck float needle keeping fuel from filling the bowl.
Check your oil for fuel. If the diaphragm is leaking, fuel can contaminate the oil, and you will have serious wear issues. "There I was..." ...had a 1967 VW Squareback catch on fire from a backfire that belched "kerosene" out of the carbs at Bitburg in late 1981 that put on quite the show in the BX parking lot. (I had noticed the oil level went up the day before, but it was cold, so I did not smell it.) But after pulling the engine and draining prior to tear down, in the warm auto-hobby shop, the fuel odor was very obvious. Split the crankcase and saw fine metal flake everywhere and junked the car. (could not find an engine ready to swap, and I had to have a vehicle to get to work, so no time to waste trying to get an engine). Bought a nice German '73 411 with a Porche eengine a guy swapped in. Made the Autobahn funfernoogin!
Disconnected the line at the carburetor nothing, plus I have a clear filter between the pump and carburetor so I should see it fill up. Pulled the dipstick, no evidence of gas. After several 20-30 second cycles of the starter shouldn’t I see fuel to the carburetor?
If it was a bone dry system, it should get the fuel to carb in no more than 10sec tops,..I got a 71 GS that wouldn't pull fuel ,...I haven't tore it apart but I'm expecting to see a very worn pump lobe on the cam,..as I've put 3 known good pumps and the rubber has been replaced,..I put a cheap electric pump in line and now it goes vroom vroom
How much gas is in your tank? Some will pull at two gallons others need 15 before they start to pull.
Make sure that the hose between the sending unit and hard line isn't cracked. I worked on a friends AMC last year. He started having problems starting it after it sat for a few weeks. After several months of that, it couldn't make it up a long hill in the neighborhood. I told him it was an AMC thing and he needs to buy a GM! I found the line dry rotted. It never leaked fuel, but it would suck air.
