Cold Weather = No Start
 

I have a S-10 with a 350 that I built over the summer. It's getting cooler now and early in the morning before work I try to start my truck and end up having to take the lady's car. My timing is set at 12*, electric choke, electric fuel pump. It floods out to the point where I can smell fuel, from the exhaust. Truck ran fine all summer and in the evenings when it warms up. I am running fuel with ethonol in it, because it's really all that's available. Can I adjust my timing to get the fire lit a little easier? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

no start
 

Boy I wish I had your cold weather up here. Sounds like you need to change jets or at least get your carb adjusted. You don't say what you have. It also could have some crud in it, with Ethanol, and if you have some rubber for gas line, not a good mix.

Bob

If your choke is adjusted properly you should be able to pump the gas once or twice and hit the key and it should start. Does it try to start at all. Most chokes have a vacuum mechanism that crack them open a 1/4" or so as soon as the car starts to keep it from flooding.

You might have it running rich enough you don't need the choke. Try blocking it open and see how it acts. :D

Be careful what you wish for! A couple more mo's. and you'll be crying for warmer weather. :mwink:

starting problem
 

You said you were running a electric fuel pump. Are you running a fuel pressure regulater and what kind of ignition system?

I agree, what`s the fuel pressure? Also 12 degrees timing is not enough. This can cause the idle to be open so far it`s creating fuel drip from the boosters making the problem worse. If you have vacuum advance, connect it to a full time manifold vacuum source, one that pulls vacuum full time including idle, now recheck the timing, it should be 20 - 24 degrees, you`ll notice right away the idle went up, then you can lower it back down so it`s idleing off the idle circuit instead of the main boosters. You`ll also notice it picked up alot of low end power and throttle response.

I set the electric choke and this morning with one pump it started right up. My initial is 12 with 24 mechanical, giving me 36. I have my regulator set at 4.5 psi. I'm using an HEI ignition with new module, msd coil, new wires, and new plugs, no vac advance. All in all, things went well this morning and I was able to drive the 25 minutes to work, although it wasn't extremely cold this morning. I am using an eddy 600. I adjusted my carb this summer, should I readjust it now that the weather is changing?

Just to add what my engine set up is: It's a .060 over 350 with +5cc flat pistons, 62cc chambers, 1.6/2.02 valves , eddy 600, air gap intake, lunati 262 cam, HEI ignition set for 36 degrees all in.

no start
 

What are we talking when you say cold, 40 degrees or warmer. I know you guys had it pretty hot down there this summer.

Bob

Don`t think you understood what I said. I said base timing should be around 24 degrees, this is base timing at idle. 12 alone is not enough. This is where the vac advance comes in. It seems like knowing how to tune a engine is a lost art as everytime I mention this or someone else It gets looked at like it`s in another language. By trying what I mentioned you got nothing to lose but you have something to gain power and mileage wise. Why does it need vacuum advance at idle? Because idle mixtures and off idle mixtures are lean and lean mixtures burn slower than do richer ones and this is why more advance is needed. Running without it also causes it to run warmer than it would with it.

I understand completely what you are talking about. I have played with vac. advance but now that I have an engine with a smaller cam than my previous one, my vac can is too sensitive. I can't remember the part number of the can but it's the one that comes it with a very low vac signal. As soon as the engine is running vac advance is all in and when I'm at cruise I'm pulling about 20 inhg. I ditched the vac advance when I broke the lands on two pistons. I couldn't get rid of the pinging with it, and that's hooked up to manifold vac. Maybe I should get a stock can or an adjustable one.

If vac advance causes ping you disconnect it and back down on the base timing 2 degrees then reconnect and try again, you keep doing this until the ping stops or you can do as we did and get a adjustable vacuum advance.

will do, I didn't really think about it like that. Thanks for the advice, I hope to get it right and get some good driveability.