I started the bird today.  I let it run steady for 4-5 minutes.  I'm feeding fuel from a gas can, until I can get my fuel tank cleaned.  Question....I noticed the fuel bowl is about 1/3 full.  It didn't get higher and the engine never sputtered.  Is it supposed to be full?  The gas can was at a higher level than the fuel pump  and it is connected into the fuel pump, so I expected it to fill the glass bowl,  providing the fuel pump is working to capacity.  Any ideas?

Maybe I'm wrong but I think he is talking about the fuel filer bowl. I don't think a Bird has a carb with a glass bowl..

Yes it does.


~DJ~ AKA "Bleach"
1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan 30K original miles

Carb does NOT have a glass bowl.  The filter housing is a glass bowl inline to the carburetor from the fuel pump.   On my '55 Thunderbird, I had to clean the filter as well as the bowl in carb cleaner.  The gunk builds up in that little ceramic style filter.  After that, the whole housing filled with fresh fuel as the engine was running.  Joe-JDC

JDC

I guess I meant to say the carb has an inline filter bowl.


~DJ~ AKA "Bleach"
1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan 30K original miles

Ditto on what Joe said. Should be full of fuel.

Durham Missouri

I believe you are all correct.  The glass fuel/bowl filter located between the fuel pump and the carb. should eventually fill full......providing the fuel pump is working.  Since the fuel container I was using was higher than the fuel pump my filter bowl was1/3 full, probably  because of syphoning instead of being pumped full by the pump.  I may have a bad pump.  What do you think?

Glass bowl fuel filter. On my 55 Tbird the original filter was a Carter and it had a solid filter. The glass cracked when I tried to overtighten the screw on the bottom so I replaced it with a glass bowl fuel filter made by A/C. The A/C uses a paper filter. I believe the Carter filter bowl did not fill completely and the fuel level in the A/C is about 1/2 full. Pete

I have a see through plastic inline filter between the fuel pump and carb on my 56 Victoria. I think it is a Wix. Even after putting on a new fuel pump the filter never seemed to get more than 1/4 full if that at idle. However, it has run fine for a long time so I quit worrying about it. I would be curious to know why It doesn't fill up all the way or how the fuel even makes its way into the carburator. 

That is my question.  With engine running at idle, how does fuel get to carb. if the bowl is 1/3 full?