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Posted By Discussion Topic: No-start on '42 Engine -- page: 1 2     wrosenkrans 04-03-2011 @ 11:39 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 134 Joined: Oct 2010 I have been starting our '42 Sedan every week or so during the winter and she's never failed to start. So, first decent weekend and she won't start, won't even fire. I checked spark at each plug, and have a good spark. Pulled the cover off of the fuel pump to check the sediment screen and it was bone dry (sediment screen was clean). Appears I'm not getting fuel to the pump. Last action a month or so ago was to fill the tank, so there'a fresh tank of gas. Any thoughts on what I can try next. My niece wants to use the car as her wedding car at the end of May, so I've got 2 months to figure out what's going on. Wayne & Barb '42 Super De Luxe Tudor supereal 04-03-2011 @ 11:56 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 If the fuel pump is older, there is a good chance that the diaphragm or one of the valves in the pump has been attacked by the alcohol present in all gas. Over time, the rubber disintegrates. Pump replacement is the cure. As you report the sediment bowl is dry, disconnect the flexible section of the fuel line at the firewall and blow compressed air into the line and listen for it at the tank filler to be sure the line isn't plugged, or the interior of the flex line hasn't collapsed. My bet is on a failed pump. Better to find it now, than at the church! 42ford 04-03-2011 @ 11:57 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 104 Joined: Oct 2009 Remove the fuel line from the pump and blow air very slow back toward the tank and listen for bubbles. The old lines get a lot of crud and need to be changed. Also the tank gets a lot of rust and that sometimes plugs up the line 37RAGTOPMAN 04-03-2011 @ 1:16 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1965 Joined: Oct 2009 Did you try priming the carb with fuel to get it running,? I think you lost your prime.maybe the flex line fitting are letting air in the system, letting the fuel flow back into the tank,flex lines if dried out present a problem, if the lines were clogged you should have experienced slowing up or lack of power, but then again you might sucked up dirt and there is obstruction in the system, I would try priming the carb, if it starts, do a vacunm test on the fuel pump,on the inlet side and a pressure test on the outlet side, sometimes removing the fuel line going to the carb, will start the fuel pump to work, just when doing this becarefull of the spilled gas, also if you need a modern rebuilding kit for the fuel pump, TRY Antique Parts Cellar in MASS, www.then-now.com or call 781-335-8660 also have a rebuilding service, if you do not want to do it, try staying with original parts,they are better then the stuff they make today,and it it came off it will go back on, my 3 cents 37 RAGTOPMAN lets hear how you made out,!!!!!!! Henryat1140 04-03-2011 @ 2:30 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 110 Joined: Nov 2009 Suggestion for a good source: You can go to www.Fordbarn.com and look for a gentleman named Kenct. He is very good on fuel systems and has lots of experience on what goes wrong and how to correct it. He rebuilds parts, and usually has items in stock. I am not saying he's the only source, but he has been very helpful for me in the past with advice and assistance. wrosenkrans 04-03-2011 @ 3:16 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 134 Joined: Oct 2010 Thanks all for your recommendations. Well, I studied the fuel system section in a 32-41 Service Manual and saw a note about priming the pump. So I went out, took the cover and screen off and filled the bowl with gas. As luck would have it, I bumped the cover off of the fender and spent the next half-hour searching for the top bolt. Cleaned everything off well, put it all back together, and holding my breath hit the starter button. She cranked about 10sec and fired off settling into her usual nice idle. So it does look like I lost the prime. I checked everything over and looked OK, so we went for about an hours ride and she ran flawlessly until just before we got home when I noticed some blue smoke from the exhaust in first and second coming off a stoplight. No change in performance, but do I have a ring going? Wayne & Barb '42 Super De Luxe Tudor MG 04-03-2011 @ 3:21 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1262 Joined: Nov 2009 wrosenkrans, Tell me you didn't prime it with 2 cycle fuel. :o) This message was edited by MG on 4-3-11 @ 3:54 PM wrosenkrans 04-03-2011 @ 4:40 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 134 Joined: Oct 2010 Nope - gas out of the Model T, maybe Model T gas doesn't like V-8s despite both being Fords... Wayne & Barb '42 Super De Luxe Tudor supereal 04-03-2011 @ 5:22 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 A fuel pump in good condition needs no priming. Crud in the fuel line can keep one of the pump valves off it's seat, preventing the pump from drawing fuel from the tank. If you don't have an inline fuel filter close to the tank, chances are you will have a repeat of the problem. We are finding lots of rusty fuel lines now that alcohol is present in gas. It either, or both, loosens contamination and accelerates internal rust where the copper coating has failed. If you install a filter, be sure to use fuel proof hose secured by worm gear clamps, not the spring clamps that are supplied with the filter. wrosenkrans 04-05-2011 @ 6:05 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 134 Joined: Oct 2010 Added bonus from searching for the fuel pump cover bolt - feeling around under a couple brackets I not only found the bolt, but a stray wire with a bullet connector. Looked a little further and found a similar wire coming off the horns with a female end. Cleaned them up and put the two together and voila, my horn now works. Wonder how long it was disconnected, might have been decades from the amount of crud on each end. Wayne & Barb '42 Super De Luxe Tudor

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