need a little help

[palazzola]

looking to buy a 73 series 3. been sitting for about 2 years. guy said it had carb problems but didn't fix it. the guy says it wont start so im a little weary. any ideas on what could be wrong with it. dont want to buy my first series and not be able to drive it. thanks guys.

[LaneRover]

If you are not mechanically inclined this may not be the Rover for you. Check for rust in the frame and bulkhead.
Is the engine frozen or can you turn it using the crank? On the plus side not being able to start and drive it should make it nice and cheap.
Remember you also can't check the brakes, clutch and the rest of the drivetrain.
Either get it cheap and deal with the fact that there may be a lot you need to do to drive it OR you may get lucky and it just needs battery, gas and a carb adjustment.
But if taking that chance makes you too nervous I'd stay away.

[palazzola]

thanks for the input. i didn't want to waste the gentleman's time by tire kicking

[SafeAirOne]

From the "Don't try this at home" file:

If it ran before the carb went bad, it should run now. You just have to be your own carb and stand there and with a can of starting fluid while somebody cranks. Once it fires up, just give it short, metered squirts into the carb to keep it alive--done right, you can maintain something closer to stalling than blowing up. Don't do this for too long--Just long enough to know that the engine has the ability to run.

I've done something like his before to verify that a problem is a fuel delivery issue rather than an electrical issue. Of course it's risky if the ignition timing or valve timing is way off, so stand back.

[artpeck]

You can get a sense of the truck overall by cosmetically inspecting it for how it has spent it's life. While not certain if its in good shape and has been cared for the engine has also probably been maintained. Buy a compression guage and hand turn the engine with the plugs out and the guage in each cylinder. That will clue you in on whether the internal workings are doing what they are supposed to and no valve issues, head gasket, worn cylinders or cracks etc. Bad or worse compression indictes you have some form of major work in front of you. If I recall correctly the factory compression is 160 but I haven't looked in the green bible recently. If the bits are working properly and it has a battery you can then check for spark by turning it and arcing with a screw driver. Asssuming all is fine then it's a fuel issue and what can be wrong is limited to really only a few things. Pick up in the tank, lines, the pump and e carb. Ok, it's van seem more comp,ex than that but at mostly it. All of those things are easy to fix and fairly cheap in terms of parts in the scheme of things.

[cedryck]

If he said it was running, you should not leave, and purchase it without hearing run. Driving is a different thing, bring a battery, fresh fuel, jumper cables, some essential tools, and if you are truly interested in buying makes sure it runs, just a thought,

[thixon]

Where is the truck located?

[cedryck]

if you have truck specific extra parts, like a working carb, working fuel pump, (battery of course), I have started truck that I was told had been sitting for a while, all of them we eventually started, they take time but most started, remember fuel, spark, and compresion.