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Automotive/1980 Cadillac Eldorado

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Expert: - 5/1/2007


Question
Car was in good running shape prior to my taking it of the road for 6 months , tried starting it a couple of days ago and it started up ok then died , started up again then died , a third time the same , now it wont sart at all. I checked the feul filter holder and it had gas in it , then I checked to see if the gas was getting into the carb but it did not appear wet, what could be the problem??

Answer
Being a 1980 model, this car would most likely be carbureted and equipped with a mechanical fuel pump; most US cars were so equipped at that time.

Clearly, the carburetor is not getting fuel.  It could be that some sediment settling in the fuel tank or some sludge formed over the years is limiting flow into the fuel pickup at the tank.  If further investigation suggests that this is the cause, disconnecting the line at the filter and blowing low-pressure compressed air back through the line to the tank should clear the line and allow fuel to flow.  (You should thereafter consider getting the tank cleaned out.)

A second possibility might be a stuck fuel pump lever ... not too likely, but I include it only because such has been known to happen where mechanisms are left idle for a time in any environment (crankcase) where gums can form.

The third possibility is a very simple one.  You did not indicate how long the engine ran when it first started.  If it ran for seconds only, it may have run only on whatever fuel might have remained in the fuel bowl(s) of the carburetor, and not run long enough to pull fuel from the tank to refill the bowls.  It takes only a few seconds of running to do this, but if the engine did not run for a few seconds, you would not get sufficient fuel into the line to make it to the emptied carburetor.  In that case, the carburetor would need to be "primed" ...

DO THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY, and do NOT do it if you do not feel comfortable with the idea.  Obtain no more than half an ounce or so of gasoline.  Remove the air cleaner cover and, with the choke and throttle held open, pour that small amount of gas into the intake manifold below the carburetor - again, DO NOT OVERDO THIS!  We are talking only a couple of table spoons or so of fuel!  Let the throttle reclose (and the choke should remain in the open pre-start position at this point, and crank the engine.  The engine should catch, and run for a few seconds ... at least long enough to bring fuel to the carburetor, if a lack of time for the pump to do its job was the problem.

Putting any vehicle on the road after a period of storage is a good time to do a complete preventative maintenance check-out, including cleaning and lubricating of electrical terminals and mechanical linkages, checking all fluid levels and conditions of fluids, hunting down leaks, etc.

Good luck ... EGK

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Ernest (Ernie) Kenward

Expertise

The challenges I most enjoy are thoughtful technical questions of a trouble-shooting nature in both electrical, power electronic and mechanical systems, mainly automotive but also machine control and small-machine PLC applications. Please note, however, that I am NOT a walking shop manual! I DO, however, make it a point to have those manuals and other service literature for those vehicles I DO own, and highly recommend that anyone serious about maintenance or modification of their vehicles do the same; MOST of your answers WILL be found there. For that matter, I do NOT go out of my way to acquire shop manuals for any vehicle I do NOT own! That being the case, any general query to me along the lines of "What is the meaning of this code read from the ECU of my 2015 XYZ?" or "Where is the fuse for the windshield washer pump found?" (try your car's electrical distribution panel for a start!) will not go far. What I do offer is a pretty good collection of literature, insights and hands-on experience with 1950s to 1980's Ford products (plus a developing database of information and practice with the Mercedes diesel cars), along with an engineering perspective and the ability to design and implement custom control, electrical and mechanical subsystems for vehicles. For that reason, I am happy to make my thoughts and efforts available to those who are of like mind and/or are seriously making a point of learning about their vehicles. Use the Opportunity to Learn!

Experience

A key skill in my work and hobby pursuits both is STRATEGIC TROUBLESHOOTING. I am a senior instructor in Electrical Engineering Technology at a leading Canadian polytechnic, my areas being Electrical Power and Industrial Control, electrical and electronics design and manufacturing, and AutoCAD and related CAD/CAE software - plus equipment problem-solving and new equipment design and prototyping. Hobby-wise, I have 30-plus years of experience in auto restoration, mostly in electrical and mechanical systems. Ongoing projects include a 1959 Edsel Corsair, my 1978 Ford E250 class-B motorhome conversion, and the care and upkeep of my Mercedes 300CD. My vehicles become engineering test beds for electrical and mechanical upgrades as ideas present themselves. This includes the design and production of circuit boards to restore or enhance features for which no OEM replacement parts are obtainable, or where better specifications or reliability can be had via newer concepts. Regarding the E250 RV conversion, I designed and continue to revise a custom power distribution system, managed by a Programmable Controller (PLC); this has made most revisions as easy as uploading new firmware as I develop it. The "mini" PLC is a powerful device for custom automotive control systems. One good example (there are many) would be the Moeller "Easy Relay"; these offer a wealth of control, monitoring and variable-and-status display options for such projects. A good example project which has worked well is that one for my RV noted above, which has been on the job - revised in firmware only - for a decade now. It is a load management and charging control system to avoid the sulfation-induced early failure that often befalls deep-cycle batteries used in RV power applications. The battery installed in 2003 lasted long enough to more tnan pay for the PLC that contributed to its longer life ... and the PLC will be there for the next battery as well!

Organizations
IEEE - senior member ... past WCC Student Activities; SME - senior member ... past chair, greater Vancouver chapter chair 318; Edsel Owners' Club - have served in various capacities on chapter executive during seventies; have been Power and Driveline resource on the Edsel Owners' Club "E-team" for more than a decade.

Education/Credentials
Graduate of UBC

Awards and Honors
Certificates of appreciation from IEEE and SME for work in student and chapter activities

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