For some reason, my 350 has become VERY hard to start first thing in the morning. When I do get it to fire it is tough to keep it running. It just sputters alot and won't make any power. Then like a light swtich it will suddenly run fine for the rest of the day. It has plenty of fuel. The cap,points, rotor, and plugs on this engine are several years old and have some miles on them. Could the age of these components make a difference for cold starts?
Cold starts? Your in Houston. Haha. It doesn't get cold there! I agree with Jim. Check your choke operation. May need some adjustment.
I would bet your choke pull off stopped working. that's the doohickey that opens the choke slightly after the car fires. If that isn't working or adjusted properly it will run exactly as you say.
The choke has been disabled for years. I never had an issue in Alabama and it gets much colder there. This morning I manually closed the choke and it did not help. It has to be ignition related. ---------- Post added at 09:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:09 AM ---------- It has been in the 30s the past two mornings and I have been late to work twice because this car won't start. I'll have to see how Ken disabled this choke.
Without a choke, the Q-jet is totally dependent on a very good accelerator pump to start. It's exactly why Holley's are easier to start with no choke.. the vast majority of them have two accelerator pumps. Verify the operation of the accelerator pump by looking down the carb, and working the throttle. Do that in the morning, when the car is cold, as temp may be affecting it's operation. Ignition wise- if you have lost the starter feed to the coil, during cranking, it would be very hard, if not nearly impossible, to start. It would tend to want to start just as your releasing the key, from the crank position. Verify that feed, by disconnecting the yellow wire at the coil, use a test light to verify + hot power with the key in the crank position. And check your tune up.. timing and most importantly dwell. JW
.. also gotta have that good -20* windshield wiper fluid. The regular summer blend is no good for cold weather starts
No block heater Sean. This is Texas, not Canada!:laugh: ---------- Post added at 10:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:48 AM ---------- I don't even have a yellow wire going to the coil. Accelerator pump works well. I verified it this morning. Something has changed recently that is causing this. I might try moving my vacuum advance to manifold vacuum rather than ported as I messed with that this past summer. This engine used to fire right up with no choke in 20* Alabama weather. That's why I am reluctant to think the choke is causing this.
The yellow wire bypasses the resistance wire for full battery voltage to the coil during cranking ONLY. You need the bypass with points, especially during cold weather. Without it, you are trying to start the engine with reduced voltage to the coil. Are you sure there is no connection between the starter solenoid "R" terminal, and the + side of the coil? Normally, that yellow wire tees in just ahead of the resistance wire. A shorting switch in the solenoid energizes the "R" terminal during cranking only. The shorting switch can fail also in some cases. Check the system as described in this thread I wrote. http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.p...nd-HEI-System-function-tests-and-modification
Where exactly does this yellow wire Tee in? This would explain the tough starting but not the running like crap. ---------- Post added at 11:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:10 AM ---------- During lunch today I am going to move my vacuum advance to mainfold vacuum, check the dwell, and check for rotten vacuum caps.
Well, it can't be the vacuum advance vacuum source because that would only effect idle. I have to drive from Houston to Alabama Saturday. I can always bet on having car issues before these trips.
The resistance wire frequently has a cloth covering to it, and is easy to spot. The yellow wire would tee in where the resistance wire ends and continues to the + side of the coil. You will have to unwrap the engine harness to see. Burned points will make it run like crap too, not to mention fouling the plugs, hard starts, and altered timing. Check the whole system with a volt meter and see if it is functioning as intended.
I might go ahead and spring for new plugs. The ones that are in the engine have been there for at least 3-4 years and 15-20k miles. Although I hate just throwing parts at it, I have seen spark plugs cause poorly running engines in other applications. Not to mention I am confident the gap is no longer close to spec.
