Idling too long?

[braxton]

Anybody have any clues as to why my car won’t get fuel when taking off after idling for a long time? Got stuck on the phone with my mom for maybe an hour and it’s cold out so i wanted to run the heater. Idle seemed fine, took off and it died like it’s not getting fuel. this is the third time it’s happens in the last year or so where when I take off after a long idle, she gets tired and needs a break. Gotta let the engine cool completely and then use starter fluid to get the fuel system back in action.

Obvious solution is just don’t sit there letting it idle for an hour, but it’s my first carbureted vehicle and I’m mostly just curious and interested in learning how these things work if anyone has any ideas.

[Phatcat]

My first guess is thermodynamics and fuel vapor lock. When the car isn’t moving with air flowing over the engine and radiator, heat builds in the engine bay and causes liquid gasoline to become vaporized. Especially modern ethanol blended gasolines. However, this doesn’t explain why the engine idles fine right up until you attempt to go, so I have no explanation for that. Just a first thought out loud.

Second guess would be carb needle and/or float level, which also could be effected by vapor lock in the bowl of the carb.

I have noticed that my car will periodically do random idling down low when it sits for awhile. But it’s really rare and random it seems.

[Nordical25]

Does it change with start spray? Drive engine warm again and turn it off. Then start spraying start spray or brake cleaner into carb and see if it will start.

[xirdneh]

Is it stock carb or Weber?

[braxton]

Is it stock carb or Weber?

weber (that definitely needs at least a new gasket set. headed for a rebuild soon.)

[braxton]

My first guess is thermodynamics and fuel vapor lock. When the car isn’t moving with air flowing over the engine and radiator, heat builds in the engine bay and causes liquid gasoline to become vaporized. Especially modern ethanol blended gasolines. However, this doesn’t explain why the engine idles fine right up until you attempt to go, so I have no explanation for that. Just a first thought out loud.

Second guess would be carb needle and/or float level, which also could be effected by vapor lock in the bowl of the carb.

I have noticed that my car will periodically do random idling down low when it sits for awhile. But it’s really rare and random it seems.

vapor lock was my intuition too, but thought that only happens in hot weather(?)

i think i really just need to get into this carb and get everything sorted out nice and tite.

i have come across posts about webers preferring an electric fuel pump instead of the oem, or even just a pressure regulator ?

my car often either starts right up excitedly or takes quite a bit of feathering the throttle to get going, and this is seemingly random/unaffected by hot vs cold start

[dlb]

i have come across posts about webers preferring an electric fuel pump instead of the oem, or even just a pressure regulator ?

There is no need for an electric fuel pump, but a fuel pressure regulator is important with a weber because the stock fuel pump and carb use a fuel pressure of 6 or 7 psi, and the weber only used 2 or 3. My numbers there might be a little off so search through the forum to confirm the exact PSI's but first and foremost, you should get a fuel pressure regulator installed so the Weber is getting fuel at the correct psi.

[Phatcat]

My 95 pickup with the 22RE has vapor locked for the entire 15 years I’ve owned it. Doesn’t matter what time of year or how hot it is. It can be 20 degrees F out and on hot starts after heat soaking for a few minutes, it will struggle to fire. Long long looooong story there with those motors and heat soak starting if you want to read hundreds of posts on yotatech. Great, fun motors, terrible with hot starts. But it doesn’t take much to get heat soak occurring.

Oh, you have a Weber? Okay. Then yeah, absolutely get the fuel pressure regulator on there and make sure that’s correct. Also great Weber 32/36 write ups in Yota Tech for setting up. Webers are super easy. Don’t be intimidated to open up the carb and check float levels, etc. I absolutely love Webers. Simple as it gets.

[Toyotise]

My first guess is thermodynamics and fuel vapor lock. When the car isn’t moving with air flowing over the engine and radiator, heat builds in the engine bay and causes liquid gasoline to become vaporized. Especially modern ethanol blended gasolines. However, this doesn’t explain why the engine idles fine right up until you attempt to go, so I have no explanation for that. Just a first thought out loud.

Second guess would be carb needle and/or float level, which also could be effected by vapor lock in the bowl of the carb.

I have noticed that my car will periodically do random idling down low when it sits for awhile. But it’s really rare and random it seems.

vapor lock was my intuition too, but thought that only happens in hot weather(?)

i think i really just need to get into this carb and get everything sorted out nice and tite.

i have come across posts about webers preferring an electric fuel pump instead of the oem, or even just a pressure regulator ?

my car often either starts right up excitedly or takes quite a bit of feathering the throttle to get going, and this is seemingly random/unaffected by hot vs cold start

Yeah definitely needs a pressure regulator with a Weber. You cannot accurately set the carburetor float with inconsistent fuel pressure. Get you a good one pressure regulator. Cheap ones are as bad as worse.