Warning, never pour fuel... into the throttle body air inlet opening in
an attempt to start your car. Could result in flash fire..."

I did this 2 or 3 times with carbureted cars, but I'm sure the same
warning would be given for those cars if they were sold new now.
However it worked well. I only needed to do this when I ran out of gas,
and after a few times, I learned** to turn the engine off the moment it
started to show signs of running out of gas, so that when I got a gallon
of gas and tried to restart it, there was still gas in the gas line and
it always restarted after a few seconds.

Clearly, wih a current, fuel injected engine, gas poured into the air
intake will not be injected into the cylinders, but it may be slightly
vaporized and sucked in with the air.

So my question is, will pouring a little gas into the air intake help to
start a car that has run out of gas


**Actually there were three stages:

1) At first, I'd pour the whole can of gas into the gas tank, and then I
might run down the battery or risk overheating the starter motore before
the car started. Maybe I had to get a jump, I can't remember.

2) I learned to not pour eveything into the gas tank and save some for
the carburetor. I'd guess between a quarter and an eighth of a cup,
maybe less. That always worked well. I think I tried starter fluid
earlier, but maybe the car didn't run as long on starter fluid as it did
on gasoline.

3) I learned to turn the engine off the moment it started to show signs
of running out of gas, and iirc I didn't need to pour anything after
that.

On 7/5/2017 7:45 AM, micky wrote:
Warning, never pour fuel... into the throttle body air inlet opening in
an attempt to start your car. Could result in flash fire..."

I did this 2 or 3 times with carbureted cars, but I'm sure the same
warning would be given for those cars if they were sold new now.
However it worked well. I only needed to do this when I ran out of gas,
and after a few times, I learned** to turn the engine off the moment it
started to show signs of running out of gas, so that when I got a gallon
of gas and tried to restart it, there was still gas in the gas line and
it always restarted after a few seconds.

Clearly, wih a current, fuel injected engine, gas poured into the air
intake will not be injected into the cylinders, but it may be slightly
vaporized and sucked in with the air.

So my question is, will pouring a little gas into the air intake help to
start a car that has run out of gas


**Actually there were three stages:

1) At first, I'd pour the whole can of gas into the gas tank, and then I
might run down the battery or risk overheating the starter motore before
the car started. Maybe I had to get a jump, I can't remember.

2) I learned to not pour eveything into the gas tank and save some for
the carburetor. I'd guess between a quarter and an eighth of a cup,
maybe less. That always worked well. I think I tried starter fluid
earlier, but maybe the car didn't run as long on starter fluid as it did
on gasoline.

3) I learned to turn the engine off the moment it started to show signs
of running out of gas, and iirc I didn't need to pour anything after
that.


I pour gas into the intake of garden equipment, but have never found a
need to with a car. With a car, I pour the gas into the tank, turn on
the key, and give the pump time to fill the gas line, then start the car.

On 7/5/17 10:45 AM, micky wrote:
Warning, never pour fuel... into the throttle body air inlet opening in
an attempt to start your car. Could result in flash fire..."

I did this 2 or 3 times with carbureted cars, but I'm sure the same
warning would be given for those cars if they were sold new now.
However it worked well. I only needed to do this when I ran out of gas,
and after a few times, I learned** to turn the engine off the moment it
started to show signs of running out of gas, so that when I got a gallon
of gas and tried to restart it, there was still gas in the gas line and
it always restarted after a few seconds.

Clearly, wih a current, fuel injected engine, gas poured into the air
intake will not be injected into the cylinders, but it may be slightly
vaporized and sucked in with the air.

So my question is, will pouring a little gas into the air intake help to
start a car that has run out of gas


**Actually there were three stages:

1) At first, I'd pour the whole can of gas into the gas tank, and then I
might run down the battery or risk overheating the starter motore before
the car started. Maybe I had to get a jump, I can't remember.

2) I learned to not pour eveything into the gas tank and save some for
the carburetor. I'd guess between a quarter and an eighth of a cup,
maybe less. That always worked well. I think I tried starter fluid
earlier, but maybe the car didn't run as long on starter fluid as it did
on gasoline.

3) I learned to turn the engine off the moment it started to show signs
of running out of gas, and iirc I didn't need to pour anything after
that.


On a fuel-injected car, (or any with an electric, in-tank fuel pump)
you should only need to turn on the ignition, wait a few seconds for
the pump to pressurize the line, and then start the motor.

You might even hear the pump running, and then stop when pressurized.

I had a 1956 Dodge p/u that had an electric, in-line pump, and it
would start almost instantly upon turning the key. Not like most
carbureated cars that would take 3 or 4 turns to start while the
mechanical pump re-filled the fuel bowl.

On Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at 10:45:14 AM UTC-4, micky wrote:
Warning, never pour fuel... into the throttle body air inlet opening in
an attempt to start your car. Could result in flash fire..."

I did this 2 or 3 times with carbureted cars, but I'm sure the same
warning would be given for those cars if they were sold new now.
However it worked well. I only needed to do this when I ran out of gas,
and after a few times, I learned** to turn the engine off the moment it
started to show signs of running out of gas, so that when I got a gallon
of gas and tried to restart it, there was still gas in the gas line and
it always restarted after a few seconds.

Clearly, wih a current, fuel injected engine, gas poured into the air
intake will not be injected into the cylinders, but it may be slightly
vaporized and sucked in with the air.

So my question is, will pouring a little gas into the air intake help to
start a car that has run out of gas


**Actually there were three stages:

1) At first, I'd pour the whole can of gas into the gas tank, and then I
might run down the battery or risk overheating the starter motore before
the car started. Maybe I had to get a jump, I can't remember.

2) I learned to not pour eveything into the gas tank and save some for
the carburetor. I'd guess between a quarter and an eighth of a cup,
maybe less. That always worked well. I think I tried starter fluid
earlier, but maybe the car didn't run as long on starter fluid as it did
on gasoline.

3) I learned to turn the engine off the moment it started to show signs
of running out of gas, and iirc I didn't need to pour anything after
that.

The one and only time I ever ran out of gas in a car was back during the supposed "gas
shortage" in NYC during the 70€˜s. That was time when you could only buy $5 worth
of gas on odd or even calendar days based on the last digit of your license plate.

It was my girlfriend's car and she always pushed the limits of running out of gas. One
Friday night we were in a long line for gas. I made it to the 6th car in line when it
ran out of gas. She and I were able to push it along until we were 3rd in line, when the
attendant pulled out the dreaded "Out Of Gas" sign. People were ****ed, but the out of
gas sign was a common sight during that period.

I walked over to him and asked him what I should do since we were out of gas. He quietly
told me to wait until everyone else left and he turned off the lights. Then we would push it
up to the pump and get gas. He said "It's 11:00 on a Friday night. We want to go out and
party. If we stay open, we'll be here all night. Let me get everyone else out of line, close up
and then I'll pump your gas."

We waited about 10 minutes and then he helped us push the car to the pump. "Fill her up?"
he asked. "Uh, sure" I said. A few minutes later we drove away with the first full tank that
car had seen in a long, long time.

On 07/05/2017 07:45 AM, micky wrote:

2) I learned to not pour eveything into the gas tank and save some for
the carburetor. I'd guess between a quarter and an eighth of a cup,
maybe less. That always worked well.

We always did that. Never a fire.

I think I tried starter fluid
earlier, but maybe the car didn't run as long on starter fluid as it did
on gasoline.

Long ago we bought a motorhome that had been sitting for quite a while.
We drove it home slowly, but it didn't have enough power (marginal
fuel pump, maybe?) to make it up the "hill" out of the railroad
underpass. BUT by feeding starting fluid direct to the carb (engine is
right there between the front seats) we made it out.

--
Cheers, Bev
"I can't stand this proliferation of paperwork. It's useless to
fight the forms. You've got to kill the people producing them."
-- Vladimir Kabaidze

On Wed, 05 Jul 2017 10:45:08 -0400, micky
wrote:

So my question is, will pouring a little gas into the air intake help to
start a car that has run out of gas

If the vehicle is fuel injected, the answer is "maybe" but, the
potential hazard far outweighs the possible benefit.

More importantly, in cars made since 1980ish, it is possible the fuel
pump is mounted in the fuel tank. There are several reasons this is
done, one of which is the fuel pump uses the gasoline to cool itself.

You should get out of the habit of running the tank so low, 1. Because
you can damage the pump. 2. Because you have a good possibility of
picking up contaminants in the bottom of the tank, everything from
rust and dirt to water.

All of the above can result in very costly repairs, so, keep at least
1/4 of a tank of gas in the car at all times.

On Wed, 5 Jul 2017 11:33:39 -0400, Retired wrote:

On 7/5/17 10:45 AM, micky wrote:
Warning, never pour fuel... into the throttle body air inlet opening in
an attempt to start your car. Could result in flash fire..."

I did this 2 or 3 times with carbureted cars, but I'm sure the same
warning would be given for those cars if they were sold new now.
However it worked well. I only needed to do this when I ran out of gas,
and after a few times, I learned** to turn the engine off the moment it
started to show signs of running out of gas, so that when I got a gallon
of gas and tried to restart it, there was still gas in the gas line and
it always restarted after a few seconds.

Clearly, wih a current, fuel injected engine, gas poured into the air
intake will not be injected into the cylinders, but it may be slightly
vaporized and sucked in with the air.

So my question is, will pouring a little gas into the air intake help to
start a car that has run out of gas


**Actually there were three stages:

1) At first, I'd pour the whole can of gas into the gas tank, and then I
might run down the battery or risk overheating the starter motore before
the car started. Maybe I had to get a jump, I can't remember.

2) I learned to not pour eveything into the gas tank and save some for
the carburetor. I'd guess between a quarter and an eighth of a cup,
maybe less. That always worked well. I think I tried starter fluid
earlier, but maybe the car didn't run as long on starter fluid as it did
on gasoline.

3) I learned to turn the engine off the moment it started to show signs
of running out of gas, and iirc I didn't need to pour anything after
that.


On a fuel-injected car, (or any with an electric, in-tank fuel pump)
you should only need to turn on the ignition, wait a few seconds for
the pump to pressurize the line, and then start the motor.

You might even hear the pump running, and then stop when pressurized.

I had a 1956 Dodge p/u that had an electric, in-line pump, and it
would start almost instantly upon turning the key. Not like most
carbureated cars that would take 3 or 4 turns to start while the
mechanical pump re-filled the fuel bowl.


That may work or it may not. A lot of newer cars will only run the
fuel pump when the starter is engaged or when the computer detects
that the engine is actually running. I found that with a GMC pickup
and a Chrysler LeBaron (just looking at the wiring diagram and theory
of ops). The good news is that an electric fuel pump moves so much gas
that you might not notice as long as everything else is working OK.
Squirting a little gas in the intake will get the motor to spin a
second or two if the other 2 parts of the equation are present.

In rec.autos.tech, on Wed, 5 Jul 2017 08:52:08 -0700, The Real Bev
wrote:

On 07/05/2017 07:45 AM, micky wrote:

2) I learned to not pour eveything into the gas tank and save some for
the carburetor. I'd guess between a quarter and an eighth of a cup,
maybe less. That always worked well.

We always did that. Never a fire.

I think I tried starter fluid
earlier, but maybe the car didn't run as long on starter fluid as it did
on gasoline.

Long ago we bought a motorhome that had been sitting for quite a while.
We drove it home slowly, but it didn't have enough power (marginal
fuel pump, maybe?) to make it up the "hill" out of the railroad
underpass. BUT by feeding starting fluid direct to the carb (engine is
right there between the front seats) we made it out.

Wow, what a great story, and I'm impressed that you thought of it.

How long were you stuck in the underpass before you thought of it?

The closest I have is the '67 Pontiac, I think it was, that for a while
wouldnt' start on cold days. I'd get out, brush the snow off the hood
so it wouldn't shut again after I opened it, and spray in starting
fluid, and then rush back to the driver's seat to start the car before
the vapors escaped (not sure if that really happened, but seemed
likely.)

This was a nuisance, so I put a little plastic tube in some aquarium
tubing which went through the firewall into the glove comparment where I
put the can of starting fluid. This worked great for the whole cold
part of the winter.

On 07/05/2017 08:59 AM, micky wrote:
In rec.autos.tech, on Wed, 5 Jul 2017 08:52:08 -0700, The Real Bev
wrote:

On 07/05/2017 07:45 AM, micky wrote:

2) I learned to not pour eveything into the gas tank and save some for
the carburetor. I'd guess between a quarter and an eighth of a cup,
maybe less. That always worked well.

We always did that. Never a fire.

I think I tried starter fluid
earlier, but maybe the car didn't run as long on starter fluid as it did
on gasoline.

Long ago we bought a motorhome that had been sitting for quite a while.
We drove it home slowly, but it didn't have enough power (marginal
fuel pump, maybe?) to make it up the "hill" out of the railroad
underpass. BUT by feeding starting fluid direct to the carb (engine is
right there between the front seats) we made it out.

Wow, what a great story, and I'm impressed that you thought of it.

I don't think it was me -- either hubby or friend.

How long were you stuck in the underpass before you thought of it?

Minutes, if that.

The closest I have is the '67 Pontiac, I think it was, that for a while
wouldnt' start on cold days. I'd get out, brush the snow off the hood
so it wouldn't shut again after I opened it, and spray in starting
fluid, and then rush back to the driver's seat to start the car before
the vapors escaped (not sure if that really happened, but seemed
likely.)

This was a nuisance, so I put a little plastic tube in some aquarium
tubing which went through the firewall into the glove comparment where I
put the can of starting fluid. This worked great for the whole cold
part of the winter.

Excellent!

On a vacation with the '68 Dodge van it inexplicably lost significant
power, such that we couldn't make it up the on-ramp in Gallup, NM. A
convertible full of happy Indians volunteered to push us up onto the
freeway, and we were OK from then on. A little later we figured it
might be the fuel pump, so I sat in the back of the van with a can of
gas on my lap which fed into the carb by a long rubber tube (hi-tech
gravity feed!). Ultimately it was determined that there was a kink in
the fuel tank vent hose :-(

Good times...


--
Cheers, Bev
"I can't stand this proliferation of paperwork. It's useless to
fight the forms. You've got to kill the people producing them."
-- Vladimir Kabaidze

In rec.autos.tech, on Wed, 5 Jul 2017 11:33:39 -0400, Retired
wrote:

On 7/5/17 10:45 AM, micky wrote:
Warning, never pour fuel... into the throttle body air inlet opening in
an attempt to start your car. Could result in flash fire..."

I did this 2 or 3 times with carbureted cars, but I'm sure the same
warning would be given for those cars if they were sold new now.
However it worked well. I only needed to do this when I ran out of gas,
and after a few times, I learned** to turn the engine off the moment it
started to show signs of running out of gas, so that when I got a gallon
of gas and tried to restart it, there was still gas in the gas line and
it always restarted after a few seconds.

Clearly, wih a current, fuel injected engine, gas poured into the air
intake will not be injected into the cylinders, but it may be slightly
vaporized and sucked in with the air.

So my question is, will pouring a little gas into the air intake help to
start a car that has run out of gas


**Actually there were three stages:

1) At first, I'd pour the whole can of gas into the gas tank, and then I
might run down the battery or risk overheating the starter motore before
the car started. Maybe I had to get a jump, I can't remember.

2) I learned to not pour eveything into the gas tank and save some for
the carburetor. I'd guess between a quarter and an eighth of a cup,
maybe less. That always worked well. I think I tried starter fluid
earlier, but maybe the car didn't run as long on starter fluid as it did
on gasoline.

3) I learned to turn the engine off the moment it started to show signs
of running out of gas, and iirc I didn't need to pour anything after
that.


On a fuel-injected car, (or any with an electric, in-tank fuel pump)
you should only need to turn on the ignition, wait a few seconds for
the pump to pressurize the line, and then start the motor.

Oh, yes. Great answer. The carbureted cars had mechanical fuel pumps.

By the time I got fuel injection, I'd learned not to run out of gas.

You might even hear the pump running, and then stop when pressurized.

I'll listen.

I had a 1956 Dodge p/u that had an electric, in-line pump, and it
would start almost instantly upon turning the key. Not like most
carbureated cars that would take 3 or 4 turns to start while the
mechanical pump re-filled the fuel bowl.

Oh, yeah.

BTW, I never really inconvenienced myself by running out of gas. Once it
was on the BQExpressway and I just coasted to the next ramp and down the
ramp and into a gas station.

Twice it was on the Manhattan Bridge, and I just coasted down and across
Tillary into a gas station. (There arent' many gas stations in Manhattan
and I assumed they were more expensive than in Brooklyn) One of those
times, the guy behind me helped me push it about 10 feet to get over the
crest.

Another time I was going to a wedding in a town of 300 in western
Illinois, and I ran out of gas just as I crossed the sidewalk into the
town's only gas station. Coasted up to the pump.

Another time I just had to walk up the hill from the sunken xway and a
half block to a gas station, and it only took maybe 20 minutes, but the
worst part of that was I missed the action at work that morning. We
would start at 7 to avoid the heat between 3:30 and 4:30 and we still
had lunch at noon and one "coffee break" before that, so one guy used
to, on his own, I guess used to drive his chevy with the trunk filled
with ice and soda pop and sell them at store prices. One day, I was told
after the fact, the foreman told him to get his car out of there, and he
didn't move it, so the foreman said, "Move it by the time I get back or
your fired", and he walked a block or so to some other part of the job.
Apparently the guy with the car thought the foreman couldn't or wouldn't
fire him so he didn't move, and when the foreman got back, he fired him.

All that I missed, but I think I was there for act 2, even though I
didn't see it. The guy came back with a gun and threatened the foreman,
who then just walked up the hill from the sunken xway we were working
on, went to a payphone and called the police. When the police came and
carted him away, he was still threatening to kill the foreman, and the
foreman said if it werent' for that, he would have forgotten the whole
thing, but instead he stopped by before going to court a while later.
Instead of the work clothes and beat up pickup-truck, he was snazzy in a
suit and a red sports car.

Leon had been in a cave-in, and had broken his leg, his hip, and iirc
his back, and they told him he would never walk again, but he was in his
40's and tougher than any of the guys in their 20's. And he walked
fine. The last hour of the day, he would join in putting down the steel
rods, so that there were none left lying around.


The good part was that if the boss hadn't been busy with the soda
vendor, I might have been fired for being 15 minutes late. I was never
late again.

In rec.autos.tech, on Wed, 5 Jul 2017 09:09:49 -0700, The Real Bev
wrote:

On 07/05/2017 08:59 AM, micky wrote:
In rec.autos.tech, on Wed, 5 Jul 2017 08:52:08 -0700, The Real Bev
wrote:

On 07/05/2017 07:45 AM, micky wrote:

2) I learned to not pour eveything into the gas tank and save some for
the carburetor. I'd guess between a quarter and an eighth of a cup,
maybe less. That always worked well.

We always did that. Never a fire.

I think I tried starter fluid
earlier, but maybe the car didn't run as long on starter fluid as it did
on gasoline.

Long ago we bought a motorhome that had been sitting for quite a while.
We drove it home slowly, but it didn't have enough power (marginal
fuel pump, maybe?) to make it up the "hill" out of the railroad
underpass. BUT by feeding starting fluid direct to the carb (engine is
right there between the front seats) we made it out.

Wow, what a great story, and I'm impressed that you thought of it.

I don't think it was me -- either hubby or friend.

How long were you stuck in the underpass before you thought of it?

Minutes, if that.

The closest I have is the '67 Pontiac, I think it was, that for a while
wouldnt' start on cold days. I'd get out, brush the snow off the hood
so it wouldn't shut again after I opened it, and spray in starting
fluid, and then rush back to the driver's seat to start the car before
the vapors escaped (not sure if that really happened, but seemed
likely.)

This was a nuisance, so I put a little plastic tube in some aquarium
tubing which went through the firewall into the glove comparment where I
put the can of starting fluid. This worked great for the whole cold
part of the winter.

Excellent!

On a vacation with the '68 Dodge van it inexplicably lost significant
power, such that we couldn't make it up the on-ramp in Gallup, NM. A
convertible full of happy Indians volunteered to push us up onto the
freeway, and we were OK from then on. A little later we figured it
might be the fuel pump, so I sat in the back of the van with a can of
gas on my lap which fed into the carb by a long rubber tube (hi-tech
gravity feed!).

Excellent!

Ultimately it was determined that there was a kink in
the fuel tank vent hose :-(

I wonder how that happened.

Good times...

One remmebers the bad things more than the good things, and if the bad
things aren't that bad, like these stories, they are good memories.

On Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at 11:57:54 AM UTC-4, Stormin' Norman wrote:
On Wed, 05 Jul 2017 10:45:08 -0400, micky
wrote:

So my question is, will pouring a little gas into the air intake help to
start a car that has run out of gas

If the vehicle is fuel injected, the answer is "maybe" but, the
potential hazard far outweighs the possible benefit.


I would never do it. And it also depends on where in the intake
system the gas is poured. If it's poured before the MAF, IDK how
that is going to react. Plus, you'd have to put the intake system
back together again, otherwise the normal airflow past the MAF won't
be there and it may never start. I know my car just died suddenly
from the intake system coming open when a clamp came loose.
So now you have gas fumes in a
confined intake system space, a space that is very different than
pouring a couple TBSP of gas into an open carb. Chance of it
exploding seems low, but I don't see the need either.

micky wrote:


So my question is, will pouring a little gas into the air intake help to
start a car that has run out of gas

Not since about 1984 when gasoline powered vehicles put the pump in the fuel tank.

On 07/05/2017 02:28 PM, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
micky wrote:


So my question is, will pouring a little gas into the air intake help to
start a car that has run out of gas

Not since about 1984 when gasoline powered vehicles put the pump in the fuel tank.

Our 70 Dodge pickup has its pump in the tank, which is right behind the
seat. Kind of scary when you think about it.


--
Cheers, Bev
You need only three tools: WD-40, duct tape and a hammer. If it doesn't
move and it should, use WD-40. If it moves and shouldn't, use duct tape.
If you can't fix it with a hammer you've got an electrical problem.

The Real Bev wrote:
On 07/05/2017 02:28 PM, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
micky wrote:


So my question is, will pouring a little gas into the air intake help to
start a car that has run out of gas

Not since about 1984 when gasoline powered vehicles put the pump in the fuel tank.

Our 70 Dodge pickup has its pump in the tank, which is right behind the seat. Kind of
scary when you think about it.

Our Ford pickup trucks had the tank behind the seat.
Never heard of one doing bad things in a crash but that was a long time ago.

On 7/6/17 1:40 AM, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
The Real Bev wrote:
On 07/05/2017 02:28 PM, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
micky wrote:


So my question is, will pouring a little gas into the air intake
help to
start a car that has run out of gas

Not since about 1984 when gasoline powered vehicles put the pump in
the fuel tank.

Our 70 Dodge pickup has its pump in the tank, which is right behind
the seat. Kind of
scary when you think about it.

Our Ford pickup trucks had the tank behind the seat.
Never heard of one doing bad things in a crash but that was a long time
ago.


Yeah, I had a '77 Ford F-150 4WD with the 400 inch engine. That baby
came with two 25 gallon fast-draining fuel tanks- one of which was
right behind the seat. You could hear the gas slosh when you hit the
brakes or made a sharp turn.

In yet another another stroke of design genius, the filler necks were on
opposite sides of the vehicle. A real PIA at gas up time.

--
Don't cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time or money
making it.