67 Power Wagon 383 start up question?

[67 Power Wagon]

Guys, you know, I thought maybe this would be a good place (if not thee best place to post this)

In my truck, it has the original 383 from Mopar, and in the winter its a cold hearted beast......I got a hotter ignition in it, and have the timing advanced just a touch, and with the plugs being split fires, it still starts hard in cold weather..... any one have tricks that can make this thing turn over a bunch easier and not "grind" when starting in cold weather?

Its NEVER failed me, or have had a dead battery, I'm just wondering if it is good for the motor to start like that!

Anyone got ideas?

 

[67Dart273]

As always, determine if the problem is ignition or fuel, or engine condition, or a starter / battery problem, an example:

Let's say the battery is "on the edge." Maybe it's a "budget" battery, or a little old. Maybe the starter is getting a little dry in the bushings. So what? So the starter draws too much current, and this does TWO things...........

The combo starter / battery problem makes the engine turn over "just a little slower"

and it drags down voltage to the battery, so that even if the ignition is "tip top" maybe the voltage is low enough that the spark starts to sag.

Get a voltmeter. Clip it to coil + and ground, and crank the engine USING THE KEY. You should have "same" as battery voltage and in no case less than 10V. More is better.

Now move the ground lead of your meter over to the battery POSitive post. Crank again, using the key. Now you should read, "the less is better." More than about .3V (three tenths of one volt) indicates you have a voltage drop problem. Might be a loose connection at the bulkhead connector or at the ignition switch, or the switch itself.

Get a spark gap tester, or build one from a good / new plug. "Rig" this to the coil tower, and do not use the resistor coil wire. "Rig" it so you can see through the hood gap, etc, and crank USING THE KEY. You should get a nice fat spark, at least 3/8" or 1/2"

Examine the plugs, cap, rotor. Test the wires and don't forget the coil wire. Remove the wires one at a time, check with an ohmeter and "shake" them to see if there are intermittent opens.

Then attack the fuel............

You have good fresh fuel? Does the choke operate correctly?

Next time it sits "awhile" before you try it, go look down the throat and see if the accelerator pump shoots any fuel. Crank it just 3-4 seconds, check again. If no fuel, you might have a fuel supply problem.....leaking air into old connector hoses, bad pump, tank venting problem.

What is the engine condition, mileage, compression? You run a compression / leakdown test lately? With the cheap prices at Horrid Freight, and destructions on the www to build your own, there's no excuse not to have a leakdown tester. You can even use a typical "quick connect" compression tester to make one in many cases.

 

[67 Power Wagon]

Well here is the things and why I ask....

The 383, has a new battery, high cranking AMPS like 1100 or so... and then regular amps is like I think 900 or so....(I'd have to look to be sure) BUT it has 2 of these batteries, and has 2 Alternators to power them as I got 2 winches on the truck, one in the front bumper one in the head end of the bed. One with a voltage regular to be not over charging the second battery.

Both batteries are turning around 13 volts and go as low as about 11.5 but average 13 volts!

Then the starter is less then a year old too! Its not a rebuilt one, I actually found a new one in a friends garage that was a factory Mopar in a pretty much beat up box but, was a good one.....

Gas has never set long enough to turn so to speak, so..... plus I add in additives to prevent that, and moisture out of it as well.....The 383, fires terrible with un treated fuel that may have condensation in it....

Motor however has been freshly done a tune-up oil change filter, plugs wires you name it, air filter the whole works. I even had checked the carb for float levels and mere adjustment need, nothing! Everything seems correct so far.

The choke works, I will check it to be sure on it but it seems to function properly.....Not hard control or anything. I will check the carb tho to see and make sure its operating at location in the carb as well as the line to it.

I haven't checked the compression of the engine, it seems good, but I will check it and see, I will also check fuel supply, lines and such and the pump works (This one I'm sure of),. I had to free it up and instead just bought a new one. so it has a new fuel pump on it.....

When I got the truck it was running, but things I do when I by any "new" to me vehicle is fuel lines, brakes, air cleaner and anything that's just a step above a full tune-up it gets.....and being a 67, it needed/deserved it so.. it just seems to turn over hard......

I do know that Dodge was known for "Cold hearted beasts" back in the day, I was wondering if there is a way around it! is all. and I also run 100% antifreeze so. I don't bother with the concentrated stuff that's 50/50 so....My old 78 I had a while back was cold hearted but with the same things advanced timing a bit, and a hotter plug and ignition remedied that, but that was a small block Mopar too, 360, this one has the big 383 4bbl in it......

 

[67Dart273]

100% antifreeze is not necessarily a good thing, but not the problem here

I've never known Mopars were "cold hearted"

But do the volt. test and check your spark.

Check the carb for fuel supply and pump shot

Before I converted to EFI, I didn't run a choke on the dart, a mild 360 at the time, with a 650 Ed. Turn on the key, let the pump run a couple of seconds and pump it three times. Crank it about 3 seconds and it fires. It might die once, maybe twice, but it DOES fire

I've started it down to 10F with no troubles.

Just like always, you need compression, fuel and spark.

 

[sireland67]

What carb are you running?
My 78 318 power wagon will fire up with the first roll of the starter in -0 degree temps.
Look in to the carb for a fuel issue.
I have about 10 deg inital in the timing, and a HEI set up for ignition.
Sometimes the truck sits for weeks at a time but it fires instantly on the first try and will idle smooth. A good carb and choke set up does wonders for cold starts.

 

[67 Power Wagon]

100% antifreeze is not necessarily a good thing, but not the problem here

I've never known Mopars were "cold hearted"

But do the volt. test and check your spark.

Check the carb for fuel supply and pump shot

Before I converted to EFI, I didn't run a choke on the dart, a mild 360 at the time, with a 650 Ed. Turn on the key, let the pump run a couple of seconds and pump it three times. Crank it about 3 seconds and it fires. It might die once, maybe twice, but it DOES fire

I've started it down to 10F with no troubles.

Just like always, you need compression, fuel and spark.

Well I don't run the 100% Antifreeze all year, only in the winter months.....The stuff you buy that says not to add any water to it, its already mixed, I do believe (I went to look for a container to read on it) and don't have anything to read.....I run water down stuff in the summer.

It turns over on the first crank, BUT nearest the end of the spin so to speak. It just seems to turn over hard....Noticed this a week or so ago, when we got our car back from its tune-up that it needed and it turns over rather, easily....The truck, tho its different but then again, the trucks motor is after-all a 383 too, where the car has a 231 in it. Could just be me with this one but I do plan to check the carb on it, it has a Carter, the factory unit from Mopar that has been checked over and seem to work great.

HOWEVER, I will check the lines and the mechanics of the carb to see if its squirting gas after the pump is running.....This could also be a crushed line too I would imagine so will check that too!

Then something I'm not thinking about is, the car, we have had since going on 2 years, the truck I just got this summer so haven't had the Mopar BB in any recent memory, PLUS the recent extreme cold weather I bet is adding to it. As the Buick seems to turn over hard first thing in the AM too (specially in minus 20 degree temps).....

I made sure in that weather the truck tho, was started and idled for a bit to warm it, and then to make sure the batteries were strong and being charged and all.........Will look into these other few things over the weekend as I have a chance......I got a place to get the truck into to have a look at these without doing it in the damned cold LOL so. will keep everyone posted on what if anything that I find.

 

[67 Power Wagon]

Well found a little bit of an issue. as I said, I'd go through and check the fuel line, and low and behold, down nearest the frame from the motor, just before it goes under the firewall.....the bend in the line was sort of....crushed? NOT broken open, with any leaks, BUT almost smashed closed......

A friend of mine allowed me to use their garage to have a look at it, and see what I could find. and this was the first issue I found, climbing in and around the motor...


Then after replacing the line with bendable line with pressure fittings, I went on looking... to the gas tank, nothing line is perfectly, OK....Not even rusted (It looks to have been replaced at some point due to the "looks" of the line), as there is no way, this line dates to 1967!!!!

Got to looking, in and around the carb. IT checked out OK till I got inside and looked at the pipe that the gas squirts out of, into the carb. it looks as tho, it was "plugged" with something, and sure enough, a small chunk of rust, NOT clogging the whole line, but enough if pressure was pushing against it... it would act like a butterfly door and close off the flow....Removed it with tweezers.

Then while at it, I checked the filter, it too needed a new one and done that. and now, it fires up no issue, the poor ole 383 was starving! AND I got twice the pick up, (No pun intended) and power as it EVER had since I got it last June!

Spring time, I plan to redo the whole truck, anyways. BUT the fuel tanks are goijng to be removed, cleaned and then refueled....... I think that will go along ways to keep the ole girl happy.....IF money allows, I want to see about getting new fuel tanks for it.......... Income tax time will tell me what that might allow!