Starting Troubles

[Mike M.]

My '65 Coupe (TF 11/12) has most everything either new or rebuilt. Orig Carter Carb (rebuilt by a good carb guy), new correct fuel pump, new correct water pump, new correct radiator on and on. If you drive the car (327/300; PG) for a few minutes (or for an hour) once it is allowed to sit for just a short time, it is hard to start (I drove it the other day in cool outside temps for 10 minutes, killed it for 10 minutes and then it was very difficult to start). You must grind on the starter (new also) for what I think is too long and the car will finally crank. It sometime coughs up some black smoke (not always). I thought this was just a heat related issue (back in the summer) so I installed a phenolic plate (I have not closed off the heat riser ports in the intake but I have wired open the heat riser on the exhaust) and insulated the fuel line from the pump to the carb. The car never runs hotter than about 180 degrees (I cannot remember what temp thermostat is in the car but it is no more than 180). Any thoughts on this problem? I run only non-ethanol gas in the car. My carb guy thinks it is still a fuel percolation issue.
Thanks for any insight.
Mike

[Gerry P.]

Re: Starting Troubles

Mike - I had a similar problem this summer with my '57. Would start ok when cold but not when hot. I replaced battery, plugs, points, and overhauled the carbs but it still would not start once warmed up. Finally replaced the ignition coil and problem solved!! Starts and runs like a dream now.
Gerry

[Edward J.]

Re: Starting Troubles

Mike, what I can tell from your post is a fuel percolation problem, sometimes what I see is the carburator float levels set at a level that maybe to high.You may want to lower the level in the float bowls maybe 1/16 of a inch, from the factory setting.

One other thing that you may want to do is after a extened run shut the car down and that a look in the throat of the carburator and see if you maybe dripping fuel, This will cause hard starts after shutting down for a hour or less.

another thing to do is to wire open the heat riser valve. just in case there is a problem with it.

[Stuart F.]

Re: Starting Troubles

Mike;

Just to cover all bets, what procedure do you use when hot starting? After many years I learned I was doing it wrong and since correcting my procedure, I no longer have a problem. First, we've been taught and it has been reinforced over and over, that when the engine cranks for a short period longer than normal (or we expect it to start hard) we put the gas pedal to the floor as if to counter a perceived flooding condition. This only exasperates the problem and, when it finally fires, we get black smoke and some coughing and sputtering, if we get it going at all. What they advise now is to let the engine crank for a few seconds with your foot OFF the gas pedal (which allows the cylinders to clear out the overrich mixture in the intake manifold), then apply a little pedal. Again, it may still cough and sputter some, but just goosing a few times will usually clear it out. This works great for me. Only wish I had learned it 50 years ago.

Not saying this is a cure all for any AFB percolation problem, but if you've done all the things you can think of to correct a hot soak percolation and you still have starting problems, that might be the trick for you as it was for me.

Stu Fox

[Mike M.]

Re: Starting Troubles

This is a follow up to my original post. I have found the solution to my hard starting trouble. It was pretty simple. You must give the car a bit of gas when you crank it (this is after it has been operated and you are starting it after it has been killed). If you leave your foot off the accelerator, it will be difficult to start. If you mash the accererator pedal just a bit, it will start like a champ. May not work for all but this solved my problem.

[Stuart F.]

Re: Starting Troubles

Mike;

I resently posted in another thread about a starting problem I had on a few of my last weekend drives; I was used to stopping at two of the local drug stores to pick up a Sunday paper and their sales fliers. Each stop was for just a couple of minutes. When I went to restart, the engine would crank a few revolutions, then hesitate about a second and finally fire. It acted like either too much timing or a low battery condition. This same thing occurred several weeks in a row, and even with two different carburetors, so I knew it wasn't fuel related. I always put my trickle charger on as soon as I got home in my garage which would bring the battery back up in a short time. On further inspection one day, I found the "F" connection on the alternator had come loose in the connector which was allowing the battery to discharge instead of charge, and I was experiencing a low battery condition on my restarts.

Stu Fox