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This is driving me nuts. I started the car but it ran roughly and only for less than a minute. I have not been able to start it again. It does try to catch but can’t quite make it. I removed the fuel line at the carb and had the wife crank the engine while I held the gas line in a clear container. I was rewarded with strong shots of gas. I tried to buy a length of fuel line long enough to hook to the fuel pump and reach the gas can containing new fuel, but O’Reilly’s was out. I’ll pick up a piece tomorrow in the next town over. I’ll have to run it toward the floor because the generator belt and the fan are too close to the fuel pump to get the line up by the fender. I haven’t figured out a way to run the gas from a can directly to the inlet in the carb. Is that even a good idea?
Yes, run the line directly to the carb, this will bypass any tank or fuel pump issues, gravity feed is all you need as for fuel pressure. Close off the gas inlet from the tank , a vice grip will do that if it is rubber. You will need to keep eliminating potential areas till an obvious area is discovered. It's got to be something we are overlooking. How long will the engine run at a static fast idle? When it dies does it stumble (like running out of gas, or like you turned the key off? I'm thinking as I type and it may seem a bit disjointed on my replies. If it seems like the key is turned off you might hot wire directly from the battery + terminal to the + side of the coil after start up. This would eliminate wiring from switch to starter to coil issues. I don't think it is that, but the cost is a piece of wire and a little time and it eliminates another area of potential trouble. Tedd
I checked out the photos of your car, really nice, I especially like the wheels.
Here are some things I noticed from the engine compartment pic, I circled them in red.
I found a pic of another compartment from the net to compare.
1. The nut is pretty mangled and leads me to wonder about the rest on the manifold and is there possibly a manifold leak.
2. The nut is missing and looks like it was sheared off the stud, again possible leak. And bracket should be 180* and the spark plug wires attached.
3. Is there something missing here that the nut isn't fastened down. I don't know what the rest look like on the manifold but after seeing these I would check the rest.
4. Cradle for spark plug wires is missing. Nothing to do with your problem, just an observation.
5. Missing a clip for wire? Nothing to do with your problem, just an observation.
6. Should this be attached somewhere? Nothing to do with your problem, just an observation.
Showing bolt intact
This picture was taken when I first got the car. The now missing bolt was intact at that time. I guess I’ll need to have a discussion with the mechanic about that.
The wiring harness is unused right now because I’ve been adjusting the throttle linkage. The missing clips? I’ll look to find some. The nut that is holding nothing? I’ll look at my earlier pictures to see if was that way when I bought it. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
Hello Dave “The nut that is holding nothing?” is on the threaded stud of your engines’ Temperature Sending Unit for your Engine Heat "T E M P" gauge. Notice the black insulator just under the stud. Check the part description and pic Rock Auto, Temperature Sending Unit '55 Olds Super 88.
There should be a wire on the intake manifold w/a rounded eyelet connector, or similar, attached to the end. This is where the engines’ Temperature Sending Unit is located on my ’54 324. Your mechanic may have forgotten to reattach it.
