Won't start on gas

I recently bought a used, 1984 royal se dodge ram pickup, it's been sitting outside for the past five or six years. mice are bad.
As I said in the title the thing don't start, the gas doesn't get to the engine from the tanks so i tried to mount a small portable gas tank on the front (no pump) hooked up the portable tank to the carburetor still don't start. there are no signs of mouse in the carburetor, but i'm wondering if something is plugged because it started with starting fluid

any help would be nice

3 components - air, fuel, spark

I don’t know much about that year of Ram pickup, but given the mice, chewed-up wiring, etc, you will need to verify air, fuel, and spark, the basics of engines.

First, clean the carb. That thing has to be gummed up after all these years. Do some googling to figure out how to service the carb. If you remove the jets, you are going to need to balance the carb. Is the fuel pump mechanical or electric? If mechanical, you’ll never get gas to the carb. If electric, how are you getting gas to the cab? Empty the floats, try and figure out how you are getting gas there. When cranking the engine, open the butterfly and see if you have fuel mixed with the intake air. You can also pull your plugs and see if they are wet with fuel. PAY ATTENTION to the base settings of the jets before you remove them. If you don't, make sure you get the factory defaults when you put it back together. Factory presets are a good place to start then tune from there. This also assumes you are running Base settings will also make sure you have the best chance for it to fire up after you clean it.

While you are at it, pull one plug and check for fuel, and also check by grounding the plug and cranking the engine to check for spark.

There are a few areas to start. If what I said above seems like wizardry, I recommend finding a local friend who wants to work on the truck with you and also has some basic mechanical skills. If it ran when it was last parked, my guess is a gummy carb.

Good luck. Since this is your first post as a new member, take a minute to introduce yourself, show a pic of the truck, and try not to dump and run. Be a part of the community if you can Not here, but in the introduction thread.

Ok thanks I’ll have to do some reconnaissance on my truck. I had to pull the front off so I could get under the hood

You should probably just let me take the truck, and all the hair pulling problems with it, off your hands! I hate seeing you suffer through this...lol

It would make a nice companion for my '85 Royal SE.

I would but I bought it from my grandpa so it’s got sentimental value to it

Do not use the gasoline in the fuel tank
I would drop the fuel tank & clean it, as good as you can

Both tanks are plastic I don’t know when they were put in, should I still clean them

Phantom411 said:

Both tanks are plastic I don’t know when they were put in, should I still clean them

Click to expand...

It won’t hurt to at least think about flushing them since you don’t know the condition but it’s not a small job. The bottom line too, watch a lot of YouTube.

They could of installed the plastic tank(s) anytime after Ethanol became the normal gasoline
It absorbs water & water corrodes metal
Ethanol also has a very short shelf life

Ethanol-Blended Gas: Up to 3 Months
This type of gas has a shorter shelf life than pure gasoline and typically only lasts for up to three months. Unlike pure gasoline, ethanol-based gas easily absorbs moisture, which can lead to contamination.

I pulled the carb off and apart and found that the needle valves leading to the float chamber get stuck shut, the tips of the needles are rubber. My Dad was saying there is some kind of spray to clean it or get a carburetor kit. Any thoughts?

On a side note I’m going on vacation and won’t be around my truck, but I would appreciate any tips or advice on what I should do when I get back

I'd give some carburetor spray a shot at cleaning up the gunk and if that doesn't do the trick, then weigh the cost of a rebuild kit vs. just purchasing a new carb. They are pretty cheap on eBay and might be a better value and use of time. Good luck. Sounds like a fun project and good on you for keeping it in the family.

Hey all I'm back and started working on my pickup again, I sprayed out the carb and put it back together then put it on the truck and hooked up the portable gas tank, wouldn't start so i tried to spray some starting fluid in but it still wouldn't start

I pulled a couple of the spark plugs off and tested them but didn't get any spark, then i figure i did something wrong with testing the spark plugs because that one time before i pulled the carb off it did start on starting fluid

Not sure if i should continue with the spark plugs or the carb now

Anyone got anything?

I feel stupid now, I told my dad what I did and went to look at it and right away told me that the rubber on the coil wire was shot so it wasn’t holding on to the distributor cap very well. So I hooked that up and that baby started without the choke, I was excited to say the least
The mystery now is why won’t the gas come up from the gas tanks

Follow the fuel line from the carb and see where it goes. You will more then likely have a mechanical fuel pump. You can either replace it or get a electrical one and mount in the fender well and splice it in. If it is mechanical it will only pump when the engine is running/turning over. It will take about 45 seconds to a minute to get the fuel from the tank to the carb.

Lift the bed, don't drop the tanks. With the bed off everything is right there, held in place easy to clean out. Use a cherry picker to lift the bed. Or do one side at a time.

I got it running!!!
I dropped the spare tank, cleaned it out then ran a gas line straight to the fuel pump and then cleaned out the fuel filter and it ran. Took it out and drove around the block

Thanks everybody for all the advice I’ll probably start a couple more threads concerning the interior and the exterior of the truck