Hot Rod Forum banner

starting issues

3K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  cobalt327 
#1 ·
Hello guys great site well oi have a 85 camaro z28 with a 72 vette 350 that has a 268h comp cam 650 cfm 1406 edelbrock carb. well mt problem is it takes forever cranking and pumping of the gas to get here to start but when it fires up it drives fine i do notice some legg when i punch it but no to much. it never stahls after its running i can shut it off and come back after a hour and it will start right up but when i park it and try to start it the next day it back to cranking and pumping the gas like crazy. I have bought and installed a rebuilt kit for my carb and nothing. Just wondering if there is anything else i can try. Oh my engine does run really hot but never overheats. thanks
 
#5 ·
Connecting the choke wire back to the choke should make the light go out. All that's wrong w/your choke is the fast idle is out of adjustment. The manual (links below) gives instructions on how to adjust it. There's no reason not to use the choke, but if you want the light off and do not want the choke to work as it was intended to, hook the wire up to the choke and adjust the choke to be wide open all the time.

If hooking the choke wire to the choke doesn't put the choke light out, the first thing to check is for a blown fuse- that can cause the choke light to come on and is the easiest thing to check.

The alternator malfunctioning will also cause the choke light to come on. Funny thing, the choke being bad will not make the choke light come on, but that's another story.

Something to check for the excessive pumping of the gas to get it to start is the accelerator pump. It's easy to check: With the engine OFF, look into the primary side of the carb (side w/the choke blades) using a flashlight and work the throttle open and closed. Every time you open the throttle there should be two streams of gas coming from the accelerator pump discharge nozzles. The streams should be nice, full shots like from a small squirt gun, and not bubbly or frothy/drippy, if you follow me. And the streams should come just as soon as the throttle blades start to open.

The Edelbrock owner’s manual is here. With the info from it and from Edelbrock Performer Series Carburetor- Complete Guide to Set-Up, Tuning, and Performance Jetting, you should be able to tackle most any carb related problem.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Your engine does not have to run hot to boil the gas from the carburetor. Try a heat shield to prevent the gas from boiling away after you shut your engine down. Edelbrock 9266 Edelbrock Heat Insulator Gasket. Holley and Mr.Gasket sell them also. Be sure to have your fuel pressure set at 5.5 psi. Another problem you could have is the way you have your timing curve setup. You might have your throttle blades open to much uncovering the transfer slots. You must remove the carburetor to adjust this setting. To start, the primary is adjusted to have .020 of the transfer slot showing. The secondary transfer slot will be closed. You will not have to open this unless the idle is too low. Reinstall the carburetor and start the car to see what rpms it idles at. 850-900 rpms would be good for idle after it is warmed up. You will need a timing light with an advance knob. Set the knob to zero. Unplug the vacuum hose from the distributor and plug it. Set the initial timing at about 10*-12* BTDC. If the idle is too low advance the timing until your rpms read 850-900. This might take around 16* BTDC. Then have someone hold the rpms to about 3000-3500. Point the light at the scale and turn the the knob on the back of the timing light until the line on the balancer aligns with zero on the scale. You will want 36* on the timing light. Turn the distributor until you get 36* then lock the distributor. Read this article it has all about setting your timing curve and your carburetor's transfer slots. http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/Hot_rodding_the_HEI_distributor Here is the link to the Edelbrock 1406 manual http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_new/misc/tech_center/install/1000/1404_manual.pdf
 
#9 ·
hello guys so today i checked for leaks and hooked up the choke. got in the car turned the key and she fired right up it idiled at 2000-2500 for ten min and never kicked down i checked for power at the choke on the carb and there is power now its been 15 min still no kick down on idle so i got in it took it for a boot for 5 min got home still high idle like 1500-1800. any clues or tips to get her to kick down when she is hot. thanks
 
#10 ·
What position is the choke plate in?
(It should be wide open when the engine is at operating temperature.)

If it's not ... is there still power at the choke cap with engine running?
12V or 15V?

Have you tried adjusting (rotating) the choke cap so that the choke IS open at operating temp?
 
#11 ·
the engine when its hot the choke flap has a 1/4 in gap. i have never messed arorund with the choke plate the one with the 3 screws holding it. i dont want to mees it all up i have no clue what way to turn it when the engine is hot. and when the choke is not hooked up when the car is warmed up it idles fine 500-700rpm. thanks for all your info
 
#12 ·
With the engine OFF and the key OFF, run a jumper wire to the choke from the battery positive terminal. Block or hold the throttle open a little bit so the fast idle cam isn't under the pressure of the throttle return spring. The choke flap should open wide open in a few minutes if the choke heater is good. Don't worry- doing this will not burn anything out or hurt the carb or choke. Just don't short the jumper wire against a ground and you'll be fine. Be sure the choke has a good ground, also. If it doesn't it will not open.

What puzzles me is you saying it idles down when the choke is disconnected. Does that mean the choke is fully open when the engine is hot and the choke disconnected?

But the choke will not open fully, allowing the engine to idle down off the fast idle cam when the choke is connected to power?:confused:
 
#13 ·
cobalt327, the way I understand what he said is the the choke plate only has a 1/4 gap. It was idling about 2000-2500 rpms for 15 minutes. He jump in and took a ride for about five minutes and when he got back it was idling about 1500-1800 rpms. When he diconnects the wire and drives it the idle will drop to 500-700 rpms. The choke is still fully engaged after warm up. May be he doesn't have a ground wire hooked up. Or maybe he needs to loosen the 3 screws and adjust the choke cap until the choke plate opens.
 
#14 ·
If that's the case, with the engine fully warmed up, rotate the choke cover (the round black plastic part that has the electrical terminals on it) counter clockwise until the choke is fully open. This will be a rough setting, the cover will very likely still need fine tuning.

There are notches on the choke housing and cover to use as a guide (circled on image below), keep track of the setting by using them. In fact, the notches should be way off if the choke cover is out of adjustment. Putting the cover back to between "RICH" and "LEAN" marks should be the default setting unless something is amiss w/the choke coil.

 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top