Hard to start when cold, moreso when hot
#1
Until about 2 weeks ago my car has been easy to start when cold and difficult when hot. When it's cold I could just pump the pedal once and it would crank well and start right up. When it is hot it's doesn't crank very well and seems to bog down. About 2 weeks ago it was really hot when I tried to start it up (I had driven somewhere and the temp gauge was pegged. Ran inside for about 5 mins and came back out to leave). At that point it was nearly impossible to start it. I had to try for about 5 mins. The engine barely cranked at all and I'm failry sure I flooded it but eventually it started, and subsequently sent a big plume of white smoke out of the tail pipe.

Ever since then I've had a much harder time starting the car even when cold. The single pump of the pedal no longer works and the cranking doesn't sound very strong at all. I'm just starting to learn about these cars and mechanics in general so I don't really know where to start. Would you guys say these two events are related or just coincidence? I had thought after a day or two the problem would clear itself up but it hasn't gone away.

Thanks for your help, as always.
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#2
If it's cranking slower then usual. you'll have to check every thing starting with the battery. have it tested at a battery warehouse or auto repair shop. Hopefully they will have a carbon pile, load tester which actually puts a load on the battery, and in my opinion is a much more acurate way to test a battery. If the battery is good, check your cables, size, length, and especially the connections at the battery, ground/block, the solenoid both sides, and at the starter. if all is good take your starter to a rebuilder and tell him you think its "draggin". He should be able to do a load test on it and see if it's pulling to many Amps. If this doesn't correct the starting issues. You will need to start checking the ignition system. Starting with the timming. Lets us know how you make out, and give us some more symptoms SCo_hmmthink and we'll figure it out. JTS 71 Mach1
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#3
Thanks! This is a good list to get me started. It'll take me a bit to get through these so I'll report back when I have more information/test results.
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#4
If the car is hard to start when the motor is hot you might be experiencing vapor lock in the fuel line running along the manifold. Basically, the heat from the motor is evaporating the fuel before it reaches the carb.

Quick fix would be to install a 1/2 inch to inch carb spacer plate.

***CAUTION - check air cleaner clearance before slamming hood shut***

I had the same problem with my car. Although my car started right up cold it did not want to start when it was hot. Installed a 1/2 inch spacer and never had the problem again.

Good luck




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#5


The symptoms are easy to fix.

Alot of guys dont realize they dont have a spacer plate or have a metal spacer which still through conduction finally gets hot with the engine.
They used to have spacer plates made out of a material called bakelite, which was excellent. They now have new multidimensional plates that incorporate cork into the layers used in construction. This stuff insulates the carb from the heat quite a bit. The plastic ones do pretty good as well.

After checking the overheating condition in maybe the thermostat area, I would start as previously mentioned with the engine timing.

Next thing I would do is get the 16 dollar rebuild kit for that two barrel carb and several cans of carb spray. Get a 4 dollar welding torch cleaner tool that has the tiny stainless steel wires on it . This you will use to clean your jets when you dissassemble the carb. You can leave the two air screws at the base of the carb alone and you wont have to re-adjust the carb when you get it back together.

Clean the carb , put in the new gaskets and remount it.

Replace the fuel filter with a new one.
Prime it with a cup of gas, crank it and adjust the idle if necessary.

If the distributer cap is old then replace it and the rotor and check the points if it still has points.

Double check that the plug wires are still snug and re start it up.

Ill bet that this fixes the problem. Hopefully you are using a fan shroud.

Biggrin
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#6
Thanks for the extra tips guys. I'll report back once I have a chance to go through this list.
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