Buddy swore by starting fluid on a cold carburetor, nearly took my eyebrows off

Last winter my 68 Chevelle wouldn't fire up after sitting for two months. A guy at the parts counter told me to just spray starting fluid straight down the carb and hit the key. Did that, and a backfire blew the flame right back at me through the air cleaner. Lucky I wasn't leaning over it. Anyone else had a close call with that stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

linda_mason826d ago

My 67 Impala had the exact same trick played on me back in 02. I was told to give it a quick spray and it would fire right up, but that backfire sent a fireball straight up through the carb and scorched my arm. Ever since then I just pull the air cleaner off and give it a tiny squirt, crank it over a few times to check for a spark, then try again with the choke set right. Usually if it's been sitting that long, the gas has gone bad anyway so I dump some fresh fuel in and let the fuel pump prime a few seconds before I even touch the starter. That starting fluid is for getting a tractor going on a cold morning, not for coddling a carb that just needs a little patience.

young.emma7d ago

Nearly took my eyebrows off" - man, that's a perfect way to describe it. I've noticed this pattern where people insist on the quick fix for everything, like starting fluid or some shortcut, without ever thinking about the real danger. In my experience, it's the same mentality that gets people hurt with chainsaws or even just cooking with a pressure cooker. Everyone wants the magic solution, but nobody sits down and reads the manual or watches a few basic safety videos first. Your mileage may vary, but I've learned the hard way that taking ten minutes to check spark plugs, fuel lines, and clean the carburetor properly saves you from a trip to the burn unit. That stuff's basically canned fire, and people treat it like it's a can of soda.