I am the original owner of this car and recently have had difficulty starting the car when it is cold. Once started and warmed up it starts as it should without any problems. The choke is free and working correctly. I am having problems diagnosing what the problem may be. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

Based on a limitied amount of information, I would guess your accelerator pump in the carburetor is getting weak.

A couple pumps of the gas and then crank it over, it should fire instantly. Even if the choke is not working.

Take the air cleaner off and look down in the carb. You should see two good streams of gas shooting into the center of the carb when you do this.

Do it with the engine off, please.

Check the point dwell if the above is okay and/or provide a little more detail.

 

Yep, need more info. Does it take a long time to fire, starts but dies?

 

I generally do give it a couple of pumps prior to starting. Lately it does take quite awhile to get it fired, once it starts it runs fine. Also once it is warmed up, it starts immediately.

 

Sounds like a failing accelerator pump to me. Possibly a leaking or weak fuel pump as a distant second cause. Just see if fuel is being pumped into the carb when you press the accelerator (engine off as stated before).

 

Could also be a bad power valve.

 

Went through the samw thing with my 63 just last month. The distributor blew up one night on the way home from a local show. Since installing a Mallory electronic I have no problems what so ever and it generally ony takes 30 seconds to warm up and idle on its own. With the original distributor it was about a 20 minute process to get things going when I wanted to take a spin

Scot

 

When you check your accelerator pump make sure you do it after the car has been running for a while and then shut off. With todays gas, all the gas in the bowl and evaporate pretty quickly so if you check the pump after a long sit, there won't be any gas to pump so you may get a bad read on the acclerator pump. ( but shut the car off like everyone said before checking but after it ran for a while)
Don

 

As suggested, I ran the engine to warm it up, then turned it off to check the accelerator pump fuel flow as suggested and there are 2 good streams of fuel going into the carbuerator. It was suggested elsewhere when starting cold, you should crank the engine for 20 to 30 seconds without pumping the accelerator, then pump the accelerator 3 or 4 times and then reattempt to start the engine. This process seemed to work much better and will remember this when starting cold. It was also suggested, in order to minimize excessive wear on the starter, priming the carbuerator with an eyedropper through the bowl vent prior to cranking the engine. I would like to try priming, but would like some information on how much does it take through the eyedropper, and where exactly to place the fuel. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for everyone's help in dealing with this problem

 

Bad idea - all that's going to do is fry your starter and run the battery down. If your choke is properly adjusted and the accelerator pump works, it should fire instantly (unless it's been sitting for weeks and the fuel has evaporated from the float bowl).

 

Your car should start following the instructions in the owner's manual. For a cold start, it says something like "push the gas pedal to the floor and let off". "Then crank the engine to start". If your engine has been run in the last couple days, it should start right up using that method.

If your engine hasn't been started for a week or two, you probably don't have any gas in the carb bowl. Pumping the gas at this point won't do any good. You'll have to get gasoline in the bowl (so the pump will work) one way or another.

There's at least three ways to do it. One is to crank the engine for 20-30 seconds and the pump will push the gas into the bowl. Then, you can pump the gas a couple times and it should fire right off.

Use a basting bulb to fill the float bowl with gas. You have to remove the air cleaner lid to do this. This would allow you a normal cold start.

Or, you can use a squirt oil can with gas in it to squirt a little gas in the carb opening. Remove the air cleaner lid for this also. The engine will fire and then probably die but should start right back up and run.

I don't like cranking on the starter but I like yanking on the hood release even less. Sooner or later that will lead to a broken hood cable.

I don't think anything about using these methods but if you're a stranger to handling gasoline, proceed with caution and don't put too much gasoline in the carb. If you do it a few times, you'll get the hang of it.

If you don't get the hang of it or don't feel comfortable doing these things, you can install an electric fuel pump in your fuel system. That will give you almost instant starting even if the car hasn't ran in six months.

 

These old Carter carbs are notorious for being hard to start when they get older. The fuel tends to evaporate or leak from the fuel bowls when they set for a few days. That would account for why it doesn't start untill you have
cranked it for a while. The bowls have to refill, then the accelerator pump can pick up fuel and it starts. Probably needs a good overhaul. There is a good article in this months Corvette Fever magazine. It shows step by step how to overhaul and afb carb. The kit is about $45.00.

 

I don't know that an overhaul will help. There's no way for the fuel to leak out. The OP indicates his pump is good. Now, if you could do something to stop the evaporation?

 

Here's what I use to prime a Holley that's gone dry from evaporation - same size as a restaurant ketchup dispenser bottle; 2/3 of a bottle will fill a Holley float bowl through the bowl vent tube, let it sit a minute to fill the accelerator pump, and instant start.

 

JohnZ, In your post you mention that it is the same size as a ketchup dispenser bottle. Is a ketchup dispenser or is it made of a different material? I would like to obtain one but not sure if I should get a ketchup dispenser or a dispenser made of a specific material. Where should I look to buy one? Great suggestion. Also I am trying to determine where exactly is the carbuerator bowl vent tube, I will continue to search, perhaps someone can advise me. Thanks again for all the help!

 

You can find the plastic dispenser bottle with the kitchen stuff at K-Mart, Walmart, etc. Photo below shows a WCFB - the brass tube in the primary venturi is the bowl vent tube; if you have an AFB, there are two of them.

 

JohnZ, I want to thank you again for your help! I do have an AFB and there are 2 tubes. I will pick up the dispenser and give it a try.