My car's pissing me off.

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ValiantBandit

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So after the whole smog fiasco, I had to re-tune my carburetor.

Well now she really doesn't want to start up after sitting overnight. Here's what happens:

1st crank : Starts right up and dies.
2nd crank: Crankie,crankie,crankie,crankie,etc.
3rd crank: Sometimes it starts right up, sometimes it just cranks and cranks.

In that case I have to get my instant starting fluid, spray it 3 times into the air filter hole...(You know that hole that sticks out..I can't remember the name right now.) and boom, it starts right up and runs /idles perfectly.

I have a feeling that the float is messed up or the whole carb is crap. When I bought it last year the owner told me he "Put in a new carburetor." ...Judging from his previous "repairs", I'd say he messed up the carb in some way.

Any troubleshooting tips/techniques? I'm not going to be able to get under the hood until Sunday though...But hey I have 5 days off in a row so I should be able to fix it...I just need ideas...I have 4 Plymouth books and I'm kinda scared to take apart this carb...I've taken apart SU and Weber but never Holley and I've heard horror stories about taking them apart!

This is what's going through my head with every problem I have with this car:
Previous owner ->:violent1: <-Me
 
well i would have to guess its not getting fuel...

did you check your choke operation?

is the fast idle cam system working?

have you tried pumping one full to the floor and then holding it half way and crank?
 
805moparkid said:
well i would have to guess its not getting fuel...

did you check your choke operation?

is the fast idle cam system working?

have you tried pumping one full to the floor and then holding it half way and crank?
Click to expand...

I know for a fact the fast idle cam works. The choke? Not so much.
If I pump it, I'm gonna flood it...I've tried it lol...I think too much gas is being dumped into the carb because you can usually smell a faint smell of gas coming from the carburetor.
 
I dont know what car or carb you have but.. check that the accelerator pump returns all the way to the top.
The new cold start issue could be coincidence and not related to the adjusting.
A failing ignition ECM could cause the described condition but I dont know if you have one of those either. Good luck with it
 
ValiantBandit said:
I know for a fact the fast idle cam works. The choke? Not so much.
If I pump it, I'm gonna flood it...I've tried it lol...I think too much gas is being dumped into the carb because you can usually smell a faint smell of gas coming from the carburetor.
Click to expand...

but do you hold it half way open and crank?
 
ValiantBandit said:
I know for a fact the fast idle cam works. The choke? Not so much.
If I pump it, I'm gonna flood it...I've tried it lol...I think too much gas is being dumped into the carb because you can usually smell a faint smell of gas coming from the carburetor.
Click to expand...

How is your fast idle cam working and your choke is not? They go hand in hand. Start with the simplest part.

Do this when the car is cold. Go out there and floor your gas pedal for a second. Take the air cleaner off and see if your choke has closed all the way. If it hasn't, then stomp on the gas again. Now check and see if the choke has closed. If it has closed, then you have some kind of obstruction with your air cleaner. If it doesn't close, then you need to adjust the choke so it completely closes when you push the gas in before starting. After you get it to close all the way on its own, it should fire right up. Check your manual or carb kit instructions for how far the choke should open after its been fired up.
 
just put a EFI carb on it and it will always start for you
 

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ValiantBandit said:
The gas pedal I'm assuming? No I don't do that.
Click to expand...

well you need to...

and im not saying there isn't an issue that needs to be fixed but your not starting a 2008 EFI blah... need to pump once to get fuel in there and hold it open a bit so it wont flood
 
remember that startig procedure will vary, each car with a carb has its own "personality" and will be a little different than the next. holding the throttle about halfway down is a good guideline but yours may vary. mine starts in the morning with two pumps, not one, not three, but two. after that i dont touch the gas pedal when starting or else it will flood. if you have gotten into other carbs dont be afraid of that holley. here is alot of carb info for you:http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33102
good luck with it and if you need help drop me a PM.
 
sounds like they leaned out the carby to pass the smog test. Probably just needs to be richened back up. But yes pump several times then hold about 1/4 throttle to start.
 
ESP47 said:
How is your fast idle cam working and your choke is not? They go hand in hand. Start with the simplest part.

Do this when the car is cold. Go out there and floor your gas pedal for a second. Take the air cleaner off and see if your choke has closed all the way. If it hasn't, then stomp on the gas again. Now check and see if the choke has closed. If it has closed, then you have some kind of obstruction with your air cleaner. If it doesn't close, then you need to adjust the choke so it completely closes when you push the gas in before starting. After you get it to close all the way on its own, it should fire right up. Check your manual or carb kit instructions for how far the choke should open after its been fired up.
Click to expand...
This is a good start. You also need to check to see if there is gas in the carb when you have the no-start condition. When it first fires up and dies, pull the lid off the air cleaner and work the throttle. There should be a good stream of fuel being squirted down the throat. If not either your accelerator pump isn't working or there is no fuel in the float bowl. I've seen many slant 6 vehicles that had a drain back problem in the fuel system where you had to crank the engine forever to get fuel back up to the carb. There is a check valve in the fuel pump so you may have to get a new one if it's draining back.
 
805moparkid said:
well you need to...

and im not saying there isn't an issue that needs to be fixed but your not starting a 2008 EFI blah... need to pump once to get fuel in there and hold it open a bit so it wont flood
Click to expand...


It seems like pumping the pedal twice and holding the pedal 1/2way down as I crank does the trick as it's starting up for me every time now.

I agree with you man, there probably is an issue. I'm getting plenty of fuel to the carb and the choke is fine...I really, really don't know the name of this part...It sits on top of the valve cover, it's cylindrical, about 2 1/2 inches long and has 2 ports to plug 2 vacuum lines in and it says "TO CARB" on it. Well whenever I plug the lines into that, the car wants to die and the idle drops substantially!

To be honest I feel like a n00b asking that question about pumping the pedal, but I never had to pump the pedal before on my car... I DO remember that my dad's 1968 Shelby Cobra GT-350 requires 4 pumps before starting....God that car is so beautiful.:cwm21:
 
ValiantBandit said:
I agree with you man, there probably is an issue. I'm getting plenty of fuel to the carb and the choke is fine...I really, really don't know the name of this part...It sits on top of the valve cover, it's cylindrical, about 2 1/2 inches long and has 2 ports to plug 2 vacuum lines in and it says "TO CARB" on it. Well whenever I plug the lines into that, the car wants to die and the idle drops substantially!
Click to expand...

OSAC valve I believe. Is the vacuum line going from the distributor to the carb supposed to connect to that first? You want your distributor's vacuum line connected right to the carb at all times. Any widget's should be bypassed. They just cause the timing to be retarded and kill your hp and fuel mileage. My car had a NOx canister that did the same type of thing. Ran much better once I got rid of it.
 
Do you have an electric choke on the Carb?

If not, I highly recommend it. It works great on my 73 Dart /6. A good upgrade from the old type.
 
usdart said:
Do you have an electric choke on the Carb?

If not, I highly recommend it. It works great on my 73 Dart /6. A good upgrade from the old type.
Click to expand...


No sir it's a manual choke.

I put 120 miles on her yesterday. I drove her from North Las Vegas all the way to Red Rock Canyon, and all around Red Rock Canyon's sharp inclines and declines. After doing that pump technique, she's started up for me EVERY TIME.

I really would like to upgrade to EFI or at least an electric choke. I love the fact that she only used 1/4 of a tank of gas too...I really feel like this car is the best of both worlds - I get great gas mileage in a muscle car and she's reliable...I mean how cool is that? lol

I still wish I painted her "The Joker" colours from the original Batman like the Plymouth Satellites/Belvederes(?) were painted...That would've been epic...ahaha
 
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