A starting gremlin...

[CubSmurf 10]

So, I have a bit of a gremlin..and not sure where to start. My car was always a 'long' starter. Meaning, I would turn the key...and it would spin a bit before firing. But it would ALWAYS fire up. Today, it almost didnt fire. Held the key a LONG time...much longer than normal. Eventually fired up, and ran normally. Is it my starter? Distributor? Something else? Please help. I dont want to drive it, if it's going to strand me somewhere.

[69RavenConv 286]

As long as it cranks, it's not your starter. Hard starting is usually a fuel or spark problem, assuming your engine is in good shape otherwise (good compression; rings, valves, etc) Start with the obvious and work your way down....

 

Is the choke working - closed when cold; open when hot? Air filter clogged? Carburetor and fuel filter clean? Spark plugs clean & gapped right? Condensor good? Points pitted or gapped wrong? Spark plug wires, distributor cap & rotor in good shape and hooked up snug? Obstruction in the exhaust? Good gasoline?

 

Let us know what you find, chances are good somebody else will have the same problem someday.

[69RavenConv 286]

Before somebody else corrects me, I should have said as long "as it cranks at normal speed, it's not your starter". If it's cranking real slow, it could be a starter or battery problem.

Edited October 9, 2008 by 69RavenConv

[CubSmurf 10]

No, it cranks at normal speed...but just takes a few seconds of cranking before it would fire. Doing a little reading, and going to check the distributor first..but wanted to see if anyone had experienced this, and might point me in the right direction. THANKS for the reply!

[Pakrat 1,043]

Well, since you say it was always a long starter let me start with this, how much do you prime your carb prior to turning the key? In my experience quite often people used to driving EFI cars tend to skip this old school step.

[CubSmurf 10]

I turn the key to on, quick push of the pedal to the floor....turn key to start. Should I push it more than once??

[Pakrat 1,043]

I turn the key to on, quick push of the pedal to the floor....turn key to start. Should I push it more than once??

 

Every car is different, learning what your car likes the best is part of the trick to it.

 

For me, I do not turn the key to on, that does nothing really. On a cold start I do one full pedal push to the floor and release then hold it at half way and turn the key, fires up imediately. On a hot start I just hold it at half way, no full push prior and again it fires immediately. When it has been in storage for half the year like every spring I sometimes have to do two full pumps first before holding at half, I've seen cars that have to do that all the time and I've seen some flood on anymore than one push. It depends on type of carb, size of fuel line etc....

 

It certainly would not hurt though to go thru all the things Raven mentioned, these cars require constant tweaking and maintance to be sure timing and spark are optimal at all times.

[CubSmurf 10]

Thanks for the input everyone! I am gonna tinker with it this weekend, in the mean time I will try Pak's way of starting. Maybe it will help. Certainly not going anywhere long distance while it's acting up!

[CubSmurf 10]

So, I did some investigating..and found that the wires going to my ignition coil, were just barely connected. They were extremely loose. So, I pinched them tight, re-attached, and HUGE difference. Starts with no issues now. Just something else for you to check if this happens to you. Thanks all for the help!

[PennStateStang 11]

Hey all,

I seem to be having the same problem as CubSmurf with the starting. I tried the pedal pump method suggested and it varies on getting the car to start (recently not starting at all). The timing is at 7 deg and runs smooth at idle (when it starts). I checked the spark plug wires and they are all good. I changed out the spark plugs yesterday. I did notice that when I changed the left back two (when looking at the engine from the radiator) that the threads on the old spark plugs had liquid on them and that some liquid ran down the block. Not very much, maybe a teaspoon and it didn't smell like gas. I read somewhere in the Forums that it might be my head gasket thats causing water to leak into the combustion chambers, is this true?

 

Also, how do I check if my condensor is good? It was one of Raven's suggestions.

 

Any other input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[95venom 10]

could he not get a high torque starter and give it another pedal push or two?

[69RavenConv 286]

Also, how do I check if my condensor is good?

 

There are ways, but the simplest is to just replace it and note any difference. You should keep spares in the glove box anyway if you're still running a point and condensor setup.

[PennStateStang 11]

Thanks Raven. This might be a simple question, but I have an Petronix elctric starter, so that means I don't have a condenser, right? Still trying to learn the ways around the engine compartment.

[Pakrat 1,043]

Thanks Raven. This might be a simple question, but I have an Petronix elctric starter, so that means I don't have a condenser, right? Still trying to learn the ways around the engine compartment.

 

Correct, the pertronix unit replaces traditional points and condensor. Always good to keep a set of these in your trunk emergency kit (if you have one that is) just in case though. Should your electronic ignition ever fail and leave you road side you could swap this in and be on your way within minutes with little more than a dime and a matchbook as tools.

[PennStateStang 11]

Thanks Pakrat. So now that I know I don't have a condenser, I'll concentrate on figuring out why my car still has a problem starting :( It took me almost 20 minutes today to get the car going. When I turn the key, the starter goes and then it sounds liek a fan winding up but thats all it does. I tried the pedal-push-to-floor-to half-way sequence in many different combos adn still nothing. Finally I was so frustrated that I slammed my foot on the pedal nearly broke the key turing the ignition and it fired up! What gives?!

[Justafordguy 10]

When you say "sounds like a fan winding up" what do you mean? Is the engine turning over or is the starter just spinning without engaging the flywheel. Also you may want to get someone to help you test to make sure your coil has power while someone else turns the key. You may have a bad ignition switch. This could cause no power in the start position.

[PennStateStang 11]

By fan winding up, I mean that i turn the key and the enginedoesn't turn on but something goes "whhiirrrr", like a fan on your computer. I'll check this weekend about the starter engaging the flywheel, need to read the shop manual first though.

 

I did notice another thing about starting the car: I turn the key and sometimes the engine starts to catch but as soon as I press a little gas, the engine shuts off. Isit the choke? Thanks for all the help. Tuning engines is not my forte..

[Gazoo 10]

That whirring sound means your starter is spinning but the starter drive is not engaging the ring gear/flexplate. Sounds like you need a new starter drive.