i own a 1962 corvette (since 1976) with a 327 / 360 fi motor. i have the car placed in a hollywood movie. the car starts fine and runs well. after it's warm and turned off it won't start until it cools down. after it cools down it starts with no problem. i've been told that it's a vapor lock. i've tried clothspins on the fuel line with no success. i was told that it's because of the bull%#*& gas that's oxygenated out here in calif. i've put 5 gallons of 110 octane race gas but it still does this. what can i do?? i'm about to loose this gig because of this. i remember as a kid a spray can that instantly would freeze a martini glass. as a quick fix, can this hurt anything if i spray the fuel line and / or the brass injector lines that go into the heads? this is killing me! HELP!! thanks; paul jamieson
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Re: fi vapor lock
remove starter motor(if the engine turns SLOWLY after its heated up) and have it rebuilt by compotent starter rebuilder.mike -
Re: fi vapor lock
Later FI's used a electric solenoid that shot gas to the spiders when cranking the engine over , if you hide and add it (like later FI's) your FI will start every time when hot.Comment
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Re: fi vapor lock
If it's the common problem that most owners report, they restart hot but do not run too well for a minute or so until fuel vapors are pushed out of the spider lines. It may take a wide open throttle for it to start, but it should run unless you have a problem out of the ordinary. Some people have said a straight dose of racing gas will stop the problem. No blends, just straight. Another guy claimed he had good luck installing a marine bilge blower and piped it under his plenum to blow cooling air across the spider lines. May work. I don't know.
It's not just your gasoline in Ca. It's probably everywhere now. I have some aggravation out of my '63 on a hot restart sometimes. Sometimes not. It idles rough and tries to stall but clears up within less than a minute after restart. It hasn't failed to restart and I haven't heard of others except yours.
If it really WON"T restart because of vapor lock, look at pulling a vapor hose off or something similar and just squirt gasoline in the intake before you crank it. It should go without saying to take the necessary precautions if you do this.Comment
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Re: fi vapor lock
Paul, This is a common problem everywhere but there are some fixes or patches I should say. Better fuel helps but you say you are using 110. Put a one piece gasket between the FI and the intake.(ugly but effective) That helps some. Dale Pearman once showed me his black 62 FI car that he drove all the time and he cured the problem but his fix wasn't pretty. He insulated all the spider lines, insulated big time between the bottom of the plenum and the base plate, insulated the fuel line going from the engine fuel pump to the filter. Lets stop there. That line is dangerously close to the engine and boy does it get hot. A big helper is one already mentioned by someone else. Get some cold air pointing under the middle of the FI. That works great.
Recap; blower motor for air, one piece gasket between FI and base plate (intake), insulate the fuel line, hold the pedal to the floor when starting, make sure you have a good cranking signal valve. If you have a new repro valve they don't hold up to the heat for sure. Get one of the good rebuilt originals and they work a lot better. You will never cure the problem 100% though. It's only going to get worse with out crappy fuel boiling at lower temps. Use some AC 46 spark plugs and a hot coil also. Good luck, John D.Comment
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Re: fi vapor lock
I drive a 59 FI car in Northern California, and have had some terrible hot starting problems this winter. I think some of the gas floating around the CA market boils off at about 72 degrees.
The previous posters have offered some very good advice.
In addition, you should try a different gas station or brand of gas. Sometimes that can make a big difference, especially in the winter.
I run a 160 degree thermostat, just to help the car stay cooler. I think that helps.
But the thing that helps the most - pure racing gas. My FI unit loves the racing gas. I still can have about 15 seconds of a hot start problem. I have to keep the rpms at 1500 to 2000 or so for about 15 seconds. Then I am good to go. And my car idles just fine. I tried blending the racing gas with the winter gas, and I still had a problem.
Good luck.Comment
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Re: fi vapor lock
Mike,
I agree on rebuilding the starter. It sure cleaned up my hard starting problem on my 63.Comment
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Re: fi vapor lock
John: Don't forget that it could be a stuck "anti dribble" valve in spider manifold. When developing the new 58 to 62 spider we ran into all kinds of fowl balls while doing flow tests and pressure drop. We built a spider flow bench where we could measure the exact fuel flow from each spider line and measure the pressure where the Needle lifted off the seat and allowed fuel flow to the spider manifold. When test a number of NOS spider - still in sealed GM boxes there was a lot of variation in flow and pressure.Comment
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Re: fi vapor lock
Larry, You are correct in that I forgot about the spider check valve.Nice to see you on the DB. HBaven't seen you on before. When these fuel cars sit around the check valve in the fuel meter and the spider tend to stick and therefore cause hydraulic lockup of the engine. That's why the shut off solenoid under the unit is a good idea. With all the additives being used today sticking check valves are definitely an issue. JohnComment
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