Just towed home a '72 LeSabre 455 and am trying to get it started. I'm told it was running a few months ago, but it now has a dead battery, so that will be the replaced. The oil looks good (no coolant in it), and the coolant looks good (no rust or oil in it). Here's what I'm going to do, please tell me if you think there is something else that I'm missing: - install new battery - drain oil and flush with another quart of oil - change oil & oil filter - check/change plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points - check fuel lines for leaks - put new gas in tank - prime carburetor Two dumb questions... any safety tips when priming the carb? Don't want any fires. o No: I also read about priming the oil pump and turning the engine over by hand. I've never done this before... any help here? Thanks!
Since you will have the plugs out squirt a little light oil in the cylinders. To prime the engine just unhook the coil and crank it over for about 30 seconds or so. To prime it by hand you will need to remove the dist. insert a priming tool into the oil pump (where the dist. would go) and use a drill motor to turn the oil pump. As for priming the carb, just make sure it has clean gas in the lines and when you hook the coil back up it should come to life.
Yeah, I will second what Chris said! It worked on the 67 GS 400 (455) I bought that had been in storage for about 6 years. Make sure it is a strong battery, as it will wear down quickly if it isn't. If you have time to wait, let the motor sit over night after spraying oil in the cylinders.
Well, I got it started, but it'll only run for about 10 seconds at a time. I'm guessing it just burns through the gas that I put in the carb vent tube and then poops out? I guess I'll check the fuel filter next... I hope there isn't a fuel pump problem. I did put new gas in the tank... Any ideas on how to troubleshoot a fuel pump problem? Should I disconnect the fuel line from the carb and run a fuel line into a gas canister? o No:
Well I decided to let the car sit for 30 minutes and then give it one last try... and YES, it started! :grin: This thing runs fantastically. Still wonder what was causing the stalls though... o No:
Keep in mind that it takes that little arm on a mech. pump a little while to fill the lines on a car that has sat for a while.
