Help Brickboard...:)

So a couple of months ago my dad picked up a 122 (B18, dual carb) that is in great condition except it has a habit of not starting (once in a while) after its been driven and then parked. With the help of the Brickboard membership I thought we had solved this problem with a new fuel pump (replacing the original) and some new fuel lines.

We originally thought this problem only occurred when the car was parked with its nose up when on a slope, but this past weekend, it did not start on level ground after being driven for about one hour. This was after it had been driven a about 10 kms and then shut off before starting this drive. It started fine then.

Anyways, the car, when refusing to start on its own, will start if pushed and the clutch is dropped. So we're thinking its an 'starting amperage' thing. We are going to do an alternator conversion anyways, but does anyone have any other ideas?

FYI, The car may need the valves adjusted (as there is some pressure in the head forcing some oil up the hose in the oil filler cap to the front carb).

Fuel bowl levels were mentioned before, but since this problem is happening on level ground, I think that's ruled out. I'm thinking an alternator and some new spark plug cables may do the trick.

Please post if you've got an idea, as this problem is really taking the enjoyment out of the car for my parents and it would be nice for it to be reliable for them.

Thanks again.
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'Drive it like you Hate it!'

i cant help you with that. i just want to say i know how annoying it is because I, myself, had a 68 122s. I loved it do death but i got in an accident a while back, stupid me, never fixed it. i kept it in my garage up until last year, i sold it to buy a 67 220. I read somewhere online that the resistor could be the problem.

Sometimes an old and very used ignition coil and/or condensor can cause this problem. I was experiencing this same type problem about three years ago. I would get in my car after it had been sitting for days and fire it right up, then drive it at full temperature for 15 minutes or more, park it, go into a store or whatever, come back out and try to start the car. It would crank and crank and crank, but no start. Got some advice from someone about checking the condensor and coil. I just replaced them. Problem went away.

Deluxe

Thanks!!
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'Drive it like you Hate it!'

I remeber the ad campaign of "drive it like you hate it" and have followed the philosophy with all my Volvos. You may be experiencing to much draw with the starter hot--does it sound different? labored? A simple amperage draw tester will tell you if it's in the right range. With the warmer weather now, you may have flooding after shut off. The gasoline percolates in the float bowl and winds up washing down the carb throat. Starting it by pushing and clutch dropping gets the motor spinning much faster than the starter motor could ever do. Try the starter with foot to the floor to open the throttle to see if there's a difference-or pull a plug, check for wetness/gas smell. Another possibility--you aren't by chance using the choke (needed only for cold starts) on the warm condition attempts? Unless the car sits for many hours it should not require choke to fire up. A valve adjustment should be done so you know it is correct--but that will not stop oil from being pushed out the breather vent--often a sign of over pressure in the crankcase (maybe worn rings - or clogged up crankcase vent system), check the fitting on the intake manifold and the pcv valve.

Putting the foot to the floor works. It takes about 10-15 seconds of steady cranking and then it will catch. The carbs are going to be rebuilt over the winter to ensure they are up to spec. Would this fix the problem too?

Thanks again!
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'Drive it like you Hate it!'

Using the foot hard down to ensure a start is usually needed because the engine is flooded. The extra air being sucked in gets rid of the excess fuel and dries it all out a bit so that when you ease up on the pedal, still cranking, it will catch. It's possible that the engine is flooding a bit when you stop the engine. A bit of heat soak can raise the fuel level in the float chamber to above the top of the jet/jets and the fuel just flows in. With the float chambers full and the domes/pistons off you should be able to see fuel just below the top of the jets. Just a couple of mm down if I remember correctly.(Actually 1/16"/1.6mm) This corresponds with the level in the float chamber so if its high you might be able to lower the float level if it's a brass one and has a tab that you can tweak a bit. The specs say 3.2mm for early production and 4.8mm for late. Changeover date not known. Plastic floats not adjustable but you could try an extra fibre washer under the needle jet as an experiment. Make sure your needles have the mounting end level with the piston. I've just had a similar sort of problem with a Saab 96. The fault here turned out to be a leaky float which raised the fuel level in the chamber. This meant that fuel flooded into the manifold when you stopped the engine and the car refused to restart until the fuel had evaporated. It got so bad it would flood out and kill the engine under light throttle. It had to be trucked home and then I found out the problem by chance. So. you might want to shake your floats to see if you can hear fuel and then dunk them into very hot water to check for bubbles/leaks. Not much you can do with plastic ones other than replace. You might even be able to see fuel in them if they do have a leak.
Ain't old cars fun!
Derek UK

I would come nearer thinking it may be a bad starter winding or a brush/commutator
problem in the starter. If it doesn't crank at all that would certainly be a thing
to consider. In any case the engines are easy to crank and usually easy to start
so if it is cranking slowly it could be either in the cables and connectors or in
the starter itself as well as a weak battery. Some voltage checking might clarify
this issue. How much does the voltage drop at the starter and at the battery
when you crank? If it is greatly different look at cables. The engine/chassis
ground cable is a likely suspect.
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George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!