Starting problems

[Oklahoma]

Have any of you guys had this problem, and found a solution?
I have new motor, with and edelbrock 600cfm, it starts by just barley clicking the ignition when its cold, or right after you shut it off, but if you go back in 5 min or so, I have to pump the accelerator a few times and turn it over about 10 times before it will start. I have never had this problem with a quadrajet before, so I'm wondering if it might be the edelbrock? This is the first time i have ever had an edelbrock and I'm not happy with it, could it be something else? If i don't get this figured out I will drop 300 for a goo old quadrajet.
Thanks Guys

[markeb01]

I'll be interested if anyone else has a solution to this problem. I've lived with this condition for years. I'm running a 350 with a Performer RPM manifold and a 600 cfm manual choke. If the car has been driven within the previous 24 hours it will fire right up (almost instantly). If it's freezing cold, a bit of choke helps, but it still starts right up.

If it hasn't been driven in a few days, it's like trying to start a radial aircraft engine, requiring a lot of challenging patience to get the right combination of choke and accelerator strokes to bring it to life. It never occured to me to do something different to try and eliminate this behavior.

[Oklahoma]

Yea its annoying, especially when you have a new motor, I have had sbc's with over 100k with quadrajets on them and they fire right up the first time every time. When friends come over to see how much work i have done and have to pump the throttle over and over and turn the engine over and over, its kind of embarrassing.

[protrash64]

Sounds like a thread that was just on here. I would say you have some sort of leak in your fuel line.....problem is somewhere!! My 'burb wouldn't start and I re-did the stuff from one end to the other and didnt find the issue until dropping the tank and finding a cobbled up sending unit. It was the hardline leaving the tank.

Look at everything.

[Oklahoma]

I just might have figured out the problem, only time will tell.
I notice that my clear inline fuel filter from the mechanical fuel pump to the carb was only filling around a 1/4 the way, so I went down and got a new fuel pump and it almost fills it all the way, so far it is starting a lot better, but like I said only time will tell.

[hossmann]

the fuel could also evaporating out off the bowl a insulating spacer wouldn't hurt

[Oklahoma]

Well that diden't work, not only that, after the truck is shut off all the fuel runs out of the filter, that should'nt happen, right? it should stay presured up, and stay full of fuel. Right?

[protrash64]

Originally Posted by Oklahoma

Well that diden't work, not only that, after the truck is shut off all the fuel runs out of the filter, that should'nt happen, right? it should stay presured up, and stay full of fuel. Right?

Yes, you have a leak in your system. It's letting air in somewhere.

[Oklahoma]

I would have guessed that too, but if it is letting air in, wouldnt it let fuel out?

[Oklahoma]

Well I went out and tighten up every connection and it still flows back, is the fuel pump suppose to keep fuel from flowing back?

[aerotruk63]

Here's a link to a thread with similar problem.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=350743

[markeb01]

I've been doing Google searches on this topic today and there are numerous related threads. The hard start problem is very common with the aluminum Edelbrocks regardless of car/engine brand, and worse with the manual choke 1405 model.

The solution consensus seems to be:

1. Fuel is boiling away in the float bowls since the manifold heat easily soaks into this area. Best fix is adding a heat isolator spacer under the carb, and if that's not enough also block off the crossover passages in the intake manifold, and check to make sure the heat riser isn't stuck closed.

2. Fuel may be evaporting from the float bowls. In reading the Edelbrock 1405 manual, the externally adjustable fuel bowl vent seems to have been eliminated. I haven't been able to confirm, but the bowl vent may be open all the time contributing to evaporation of fuel in the bowls, particularly when the vehicle isn't driven for extended periods.

3. There's an internal leak in the carburetor draining fuel into the engine. (I've had mine apart several times and never found any cracks evident).

4. The check valve in the fuel pump may be tired, allowing fuel to drain back into the tank, requiring more time to refill the bowls and the line leading to the carb. The easiest solution seems to be adding an electric pump near the tank, but for a variety of reasons this may not be desirable. The idea of a one way check valve in the fuel line gets discussed, but nobody seems to identify a compatible valve. The only check valves I have found are designed for 65 psi factory pumps, which probably wouldn't be suitable for a manual 5-6 psi pump.

5. There could be crud in the carb needles preventing them from sealing completely. (I've changed mine several times and the problem has never diminished).

6. I researched putting an electric auxiliary fuel tank cut off switch on the input line connected to the cold side of the ignition switch, but for the cost of the switch a person might as well change to a different brand of carburetor.

Bottom line, I'm no closer to an answer than I was yesterday. On my engine the crossover ports are already blocked and I have no heat riser. I will go ahead and install a 1/2" heat spacer I already have, but I'm convinced it won't help with hard starts after several days of inactivity. If I start the engine once and get it running, even if it never gets up to operating temperature, it will restart immediately any time during the day - so boiling gas in the bowls can't be the problem.

If anyone has other suggestions there's an enthusiastic audience waiting.

[fleetsidelarry]

Well, I guess I'm relieved to find out that I'm not the only one with these problems with the edelbrock. The hot start is the most annoying. Like Markeb01, I've been through the carb (actually 3 of them) and changed needles and seats, float settings, etc. I put an Air Gap manifold on which should have helped any heat related boiling in the bowl (but, maybe not, perhaps I need to also try the spacer).

For the hot start problem specifically, it is dependant on the time it sits. If I try after 15 minutes its hard to start, if I wait 30 minutes, it starts right up. To start it during the "short time" I have to hold the throttle down like you would a flooded engine. Its as if the heat is forcing the carb to flood initially.

A thought I just had is that the heat that is causing this doesn't have to be coming up through the carb base, it could be simply be the under the hood heat surrounding the carb, in which case all the spacers, manifolds and blocking of heat passages won't help. Its going to get awfully hot under there when you first park (now there's a good reason to punch a bunch of louvers in the hood, huh)
I won't have a holley (got 6 of them in a box in the garage, they're safe there, can't catch on fire). Friend of mine swears by the Q-jet.

[markeb01]

My last daily driver was a 46 Ford sedan, and that's why it received louvers in the hood. On a summer day, it got so hot under the hood the Edelbrock carb would literally percolate the gas into the carb throats killing the engine at every intersection. The louvers also looked cool, but were sure a pain when it came time to wash the car, needing a rubber garbage can lid over the engine to keep from soaking the distributor and carb. It also had the crossover blocked and a heat deflector under the carb, which obviously didn't help much.

[Oklahoma]

I havent really thought of heat being an issue, I use to live in Montana up untill two years ago and moved to Oklahoma. It must play a bigger factor that I had thought. How about it all you Yankies, are you having a hard time starting when the engine is hot? Like I said I use to have nothing but Q-jets on all my vehicles, changed to Edelbrock and seem to have nothing but problems with hot starts.

[Russ65C10]

I have a Edlebrock 1405 on my 65 with a presure gauge inline next to the carb. After it sits for a day or more the presure drops to nothing and you gotta crank it a while to get it to start, the longer it sits the longer you crank. Its likely flowing back into the tank. I haven't really paid close enough attention to see it it goes a way with a full tank....

It seams pretty much everyone with the Edlebrocks complain of this problem ;-)

[jonathan-m]

Wow, I thought I was the only one.... nice to know there are others out there cursing as they try to start up just like I am.

[Oklahoma]

Well I ordered a Quadrajet today, hopefully this will solve my problems with any luck, should be here on friday.

[Oklahoma]

I just took apart the old fuel pump and it has two one way valves, one when the fuel comes and one when the fuel goes out, so aparently I have a defective fuel pump.

[Winola73]

I just replaced a 500 Performer with electric choke for the same starting issue when it sits for more than a day. At first I thought it was heat related because my car has a very low hood line. It still did it in sub-freeing weather. I would start the car and let it run a minute or so but never let it get to operating temps. I could go out 2 days later and the carb would be bone dry. I think the bowl vents allow it to evaporate and/or siphon back out. I gave up and put a 390 Holley on it last weekend, we'll see how that works but I have drained the tank so I can have it cleaned and sealed. It looks good inside but it's 55 years old and I don't want any issues out on the road.

[Oklahoma]

Well I put my Quadra-extraodinaire on yesterday, and it works GREAT, I will never stray again and buy anything else ever again.

[lakeroadster]

I find this thread interesting ' cause every V-8 I currently own also needs to be cranked for a long time after sitting a while. And I have a variety of carb's. & fuel pumps, yet they all exhibit the long cranking start you guys are talking about:

-1927 Model T: 5.0 HO Ford, Holley 600 double pumper, Holley manual fuel pump,
-1930 Model A: 350 SBC, Holley 600 double pumper, Holley manual fuel pump,
-1965 Chevy C10: 350 SBC, Edlebrock carb, stock GM fuel pump,
-1969 Camaro SS: Stock 350 SBC, stock quadrajet, stock GM fuel pump,

At this point I just figure its the nature of the beast. They always start, just a bit of cranking...

I have read that excessive cranking can be bad for engine bearings but I have never experienced this, ever, with bearings in any cars I have ever owned.

What, me worry?