1976 Ford F-250 Truck wont start

Yup. Next time you know it's going to need starting fluid, don't try to start it yet. Remove the air cleaner cover, hold the choke plate open, look down the bore, and work the throttle by hand. You should see two strong squirts of fuel each time you work the throttle. If you do not, the fuel has leaked out of the float bowl. That usually doesn't happen in only two hours, but it would explain the easy start-up. Normally that causes a flooded condition with lots of black smoke from the tail pipe when you start the engine, but it depends if that fuel is puddling in the intake manifold or running into a cylinder and past the piston rings into the oil. Check your oil level right away. If it is too high and / or smells like gas, change it immediately. Gas will reduce the oil's ability to lubricate the bearings and pistons. Major engine damage can occur in as little as 50 miles when there's a lot of gas in the oil.

Another symptom of gas leaking out of the float bowl is the engine will start and sputter for a few seconds, then stall and not restart. That happens when a little gas stays in the accelerator pump. Holley carburetors used on most Fords don't have a very significant chamber to store gas in the accelerator pump, so you typically will not get that nice two squirts of fuel.

When the fuel leaks out of the float bowl, the engine will start without starting fluid but you have to crank the engine long enough to refill the bowl. That can take up to half a minute but you shouldn't crank the engine non-stop that long. Doing so is hard on the starter motor and the battery. Crank the engine for about five seconds, stop, pump the accelerator a couple of times, then crank the engine another five seconds. Do that multiple times but let the starter cool down for five to ten seconds in between.

If a seal is leaking on the carburetor, the fuel will run onto the top of the engine and you will definitely smell it. More commonly a lead plug on the bottom that is used to plug holes after passages were drilled will start to leak. The best repair for that is to clean the area, then seal the plugs with epoxy.

You can also have a hard-start condition if the float and fuel level is too low in the float bowl. That rarely changes on its own. That is a result of adjusting the float level incorrectly when the carburetor is rebuilt or repaired.

JUST SET 10 PICS AND A NOVEL. TO MUCH, IT GOT LOST.I TRY AGAIN

. NOVEL WILL BE SHORTER THIS TIME.I'LL SEND 5 PICS AT A TIME

SOUNDS LIKE YOUR CHOKE MAY NOT BE OPERATING PROPERLYMAY NEED A GOOD SPRAY CARB CLEANER CLEANING. OR NEED REPAIRED AND/ OR ADJUSTING

I HATE 'EM.I HATE AUTOMATIC CHOKES!

I WANNA BE IN CHARGE!----I WANNA KNOW IT'S POSITION!

I'VE GOT 2 JEEPS NOW---HAD 5 OTHERS IN THE PAST. NUTHIN' BUT, SINCE I WAS ALLOWED ON THE ROAD IN '81

I LEARNED QUICK---A MANUAL CHOKE WAS FOR ME!

USUALLY IF IT'S "LIGHT OR NO JACKET WEATHER"---I PUMP THE GAS 3 TIMES, FIRE IT UP AND GO.I TAKE NO "RISKS" (JUMP INTO TRAFFIC) FOR ABOUT 2 MILES WHEN I FINALLY REACH OPERATING TEMP

IF IT'S "HEAVY JACKET WEATHER"----I'LL PULL IT 100%, THEN AS I TRAVEL I'LL "NURSE IT" TO HALF CHOKE (1/4 MILE). AT 2 MILES OR SO (OPERATING TEMP) I SHOVE IT ALL THE WAY IN

. AT OPERATING TEMP, I DRIVE NORMAL, JUMP OUT INTO TRAFFIC!

YOU DO FINALLY GET USED TO PULLING IT OR PUSHING IT IN. FINALLY YOU WILL REALIZE IT'S "HOLDING BACK" AND YOU NEED TO PUSH IT IN. AFTER A WHILE, IT'S LIKE USING THE CLUTCH TO SHIFT----IT WILL BECOME HABIT IN USING IT

NO DOUBT, IF IT'S HOOKED UP CORRECTLY, AND YOU USE IT RIGHT (LIKE. YOU MUST PUSH THE GAS PEDAL SLIGHTLY TO UNLOCK THE LINKAGES---SO IT WILL MOVE). YOU WILL KNOW WHAT POSITION THE CHOKE BUTTERFLY IS IN BY LOOKING/ FEELING HOW FAR THE KNOB IS OUT (WHICH IS AROUND 1 INCH OF COMPLETE TRAVEL)

. THIS IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT WITH AN AUTO CHOKE, NOT ONLY THAT, IF THE AUTO CHOKE IS NOT FULLY OPEN. PERFORMANCE AND MPGs WILL LACK. BUT YOU WON'T KNOW!

IF YOU WANT MORE INFO---JUST ASK

I'M GONNA SEND SOME HOME MADE PICS OF SORTA THE MEAT AND POTATOES OF HOW ONE IS INSTALLED. MOST OF THE TIME, INSTALLATIONS ARE CLOSE TO THE SAME ON OTHER VEHICLES

1) "MR. JEEP"---THIS IS WHERE MY CHOKE PICS ARE FROM

2) "WILLY", MY '46 WILLYS, HIS CHOKE HOOKS UP IN A SIMILAR MANNER

3) THE LOWER KNOB IS MY CHOKE IN "MR. JEEP", MY '77 CJ 5 258 STRAIGHT 6 W/ HOLLEY 390 4 BBL CARB INSTALLEDTHE UPPER KNOB IS MY "POOR MAN'S CRUISE CONTROL" MODIFICATION (ACTUALLY IS A THROTTLE CONTROL, IT DOES NOT COMPENSATE GOING UP AND DOWN HILLS. HITTING THE BRAKES DOES NOT CANCEL IT!)

4) ROUTING OF THE CABLE

5) BRACKET THAT HOLDS THE OUTER SHROUD STILL

6) THE MANUAL CHOKE COVER IS INSTALLED ON THE CARB--I'M HOLDING THE AUTO CHOKE COVER IN MY HAND. NOTE THAT THE BI-METAL SPRING HAS A "HOOK" BENT ON IT. THIS USED TO CATCH THE "TAB OR TANG"WHICH MOVED THE CHOKE LINKAGES FOR THE CHOKE BUTTERFLY

7) THIS IS THE MANUAL CHOKE COVER REMOVED--NOTICE THE FORKS. THEY NOW "CAPTURE" THE TAB AND MOVE IT EITHER DIRECTION. THE TAB IS THE GOLD THINGEE IN THE MIDDLE

8) INSTALLING THE COVER--INSURE THE TAB GETS CAUGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE FORK

9) THE "ARM", IN THIS POSITION, THE CHOKE IS OFF (THE CHOKE BUTTERFLY IS VERTICAL IN THE CARB)

PUSH GAS PEDALAS YOU PULL THE CABLE HALFWAY OUT, THE "ARM" TRAVELS TO THE RIGHT, THE "ARM" IS NOW STRAIGHT UP, THIS IS 1/2 CHOKE (BUTTERFLY IS ABOUT AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE)

PUSH GAS PEDALPULL THE CABLE THE FULL EXTENT. THE CHOKE BUTTERFLY IS NOW CLOSED (HORIZONTAL). THE KNOB IS ABOUT AN INCH OUT. IF YOU COULD "FLIP" THIS PIC SIDEWAYS (MIRROR IMAGE) THIS IS WHERE THE ARM WOULD BE. TRAVEL OF THE ARM, IS ABOUT AN INCH OR SO. JUST LIKE THE KNOB

10) VIEW FROM DRIVERS FENDER---YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE ARM STRAIGHT ON---NOTICE THE "BRASS DEALEE" AND IT'S SCREW THAT HOLD THE CABLE

RETURN WITH GOOD NEWS!

THE MEDIC