wont start after leaving for a few weeks

Ever since I've had the Jeep it's been a pig to start if left for more than a week without starting. It just turns over for ages. Eventually it does fire and I think it has to be fuel related. The engine is a AMC 360 with a MC2100 on it. Any ideas. Can the fuel bowl in the carb empty? Any cures.

 

Yes, fuel in the float bowl can evaporate away and a fuel pump can’t sit there holding positive pressure forever especially since, as mentioned, the fuel evaporates from the float bowls.
My uncles had the same issue with their Chevelles. They would take them to a cruise night or car show then the cars would sit for a couple of weeks until the next one and they would practically kill the battery trying to get them to start. For a cure they’ve both gone with electric fuel pumps so they just turn the ignition on and wait a few moments for the pump to push fuel to the carburetor then start it up.

 

Electric fuel pump is safer than filling the carb vent with gasoline from a shampoo bottle (which also works).

 

This problem is common with the Motorcraft carburetors. It is worse if you have an open element air cleaner.

The electric fuel pump works, or put a little gas or starter fluid down the carburetor when you start it after it's been sitting.

 

Your vapor recovery equipment is not hooked up, is it.

X2 on the open element air cleaner not helping.

Also, it sounds like your fuel lines are losing prime causing you to have to draw fuel all the way from the tank.
What kind of fuel pump and how old is it?
Also the vapor recovery system will keep the expansion cycles of the tank from drawing fuel from the lines.
Any minor leaks on the suction side of the line, or improper routing can also cause loss of prime.

 

Manual choke or fix your auto choke.

Mine did the same thing and all I did was adjust the choke.

On my daughters I adjusted hers and my son has a manual.

Try it, you might find that is your answer.

 

My old 55 would do that regularly. I found a couple pumps on the gas pedal made all the difference.

 

Since they started adding more ethanol to the fuel it seems to have aggravated this problem especially here in the dry hot country (west Texas). Some of the problems I have seen that are fuel related were not unexpected. Yet some did catch me unawares, such as how rapidly fuel lines started deteriorating from the inside out with the new blends of fuel. So what everyone has said about open filter air cleaners accelerating the fuel bowl drying out I agree with, I also believe today's fuel blends have something to do with it as well. I know that if it is hot here and I don't start the Jeep at least every other day it will take a good bit of cranking to get fuel back in the carb. Can't do anything about the fuel and I love the performance of the 258 with the 2100 so that is not going to change, maybe one of these days I'll add an electric fuel pump as others have suggested it does make sense. jm2c