Topic: run great but...


46fordnut    -- 09-14-2011 @ 3:23 PM
  all is good now ..if i let the car warm up then let it sit for around 2 hours it is hard to start unless i set choke. then it will start run fine once i take choke off. lots of power. if it sits over night needs choke to start runs fine other wise . ideas?? vapor lock caused by slow leak in carb?

100 horse running wild


oldford2    -- 09-14-2011 @ 3:35 PM
  Forget the "vapor lock" theory. Sounds like your carb is leaking into the manifold. In this weather you should not have to choke to start. First thing to check: in the morning, take your air cleaner off and with a light look down the carb throat. Pull the throttle lever and see if the acc. pump squirts. If so then take the top of the carb off and check the bowl level. Report your findings for further steps


46fordnut    -- 09-14-2011 @ 4:16 PM
  ok i will check out let you know what the findings are.

100 horse running wild


supereal    -- 09-14-2011 @ 8:45 PM
  Cranking a hot engine usually requires more power than a cold one. This reduces the power to the coil. Be sure all your battery cables are the right size, and your starter is grounded. There is a support bracket for that purpose. My '47 used to start hard when hot. I installed a bypass circuit to provide full battery power to the coil when cranking. It is just a wire with a diode in the middle. It compensates for cranking loss, and the car pops off, cold or hot. I never use the choke. I just give the gas a couple of pumps and hit the starter.

This message was edited by supereal on 9-14-11 @ 8:48 PM


46fordnut    -- 09-16-2011 @ 3:44 AM
  its not cranking slow it just won't start with out the choke on. it will stay running with out choke but needs it to start when cold or sits for more then an hour.

100 horse running wild


supereal    -- 09-16-2011 @ 10:31 AM
  If the carb float is set correctly, I suspect that your fuel pump is weak. I use an electric pump to refill the carb after the heat soak has caused the bowl to evaporate the fuel. A carb holds a very small amount of fuel because the float takes up much of the bowl. If the mechanical fuel pump doesn't immdiately replenish the fuel when you crank the engine, the choke helps enrich the mixture until the pump catches up as the engine starts and gooses the pump. If the check valves in the pump are leaking, it takes a long time to reprime it. If you have to use the choke, other than in cold weather, it isn't usual for most old Fords, and may result in flooding.


oldford2    -- 09-16-2011 @ 1:56 PM
  I think you should remove the carb and rebuild it. Blow out all passages and install a "good" rebuild kit from Ken CT or Charlie NY. Then if you have questions doing the rebuild they will be right there to answer your phone call. Don't fool with kits from the big guys. Better yet have them rebuild it for you. John


51f1    -- 09-16-2011 @ 2:45 PM
  Unless I misunderstand, 46fordnut is saying that, when his engine is cold, it won't start w/o the choke. If it sits for two hours or over-night, it's cold enough for the choke. That sounds normal to me.

Richard


Stroker    -- 09-16-2011 @ 3:53 PM
  51f1:

I concur. If the car was newer, and had an automatic choke; it would have re-set itself into the choke position after a couple of hours of downtime.

Not wanting to flame 46fordnut, but I believe there is a whole generation of drivers who perhaps didn't grow up with manual chokes. The function of a manual choke completely escapes my kids and grandkids.

Much better to use the choke than to expend effort pumping the accelerator pump, sending raw
gas into the cylinders.


46fordnut    -- 09-16-2011 @ 6:01 PM
  i have had some minor time around these flatheads . but they run well with so little work you just got to love them. nothing sounds the same or works like a flathead.
its almost time for its shake down. i have been working with some small things for almost 7 months. i can't wait to drive her again never pump the gas she fires right up.

100 horse running wild

This message was edited by 46fordnut on 9-17-11 @ 7:54 PM


supereal    -- 09-16-2011 @ 6:25 PM
  Dan: I'm certainly old enough to know how to use the choke, but if I use it on my '47, it doesn't help much, if any. After sitting for an extended period, it usually required a big shot of starting fluid to get it going without draining the battery. I assumed it was flooded, or close to it. Then, it came to me that, if starting fluid helped, the problem was actually lack of fuel, not flooding. I tried pumping the gas a few times before hitting the starter, and it popped on at once! I don't need to do it if the engine is warm, of course. I know that using the choke is supposed to do the same thing, but my method is much faster. Over the years, every one of my cars has had a personality of it's own, and we just have to experiment to learn what it needs. My Model A's all needed lots of choke, but my ragtop never does. As for automatic chokes, the best ones I've seen used an electric "pull off" directly run by the alternator output. The ones with a bimetallic "choke stove" were a pain in the you-know-what. I advise trying different approaches until the right one is discovered.

This message was edited by supereal on 9-16-11 @ 7:13 PM


46fordnut    -- 09-17-2011 @ 8:07 PM
  i worked for a few shops over the years and did remove the auto choke on a few cars and put manuals on them. its just sometimes before you fix something that may not be what the issue is, it's just good to ask before doing what is not necessary repair . books don't give all of what you need . so i ask to learn . thats how i do it anyway . some of you have been around these type car a long time . i'm just glad you people can help. if the information i have gotten here was in a book.. it would be HUGE! THANKS TO EVERYONE HERE. another flathead is safe.

100 horse running wild


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