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Subject: 1973 144, B20B, HIF6 carbs.
Problem: Hard morning start.
I have been stumped for a few months with this problem. Every morning, it takes about 10 to 15 seconds for the car to catch. Then it will catch, but stall anywhere from 2 to 5 times. Finally, it will catch, but struggle a bit, and then run well (all with choke out). Once I get it out on the road, I can't push the choke in until the temperature guage is beginning to near the 1/4 range (usually a few blocks), or it will stall. After that, everything runs fine.
The interesting thing is that once I have gone through this procedure in the morning, it will start immediately and fine all day long.
So something is happening when it sits overnight, or for a long time during the day.
That says to me that either a) something is leaking overnight, or b) something happens when the car cools down.
I checked the fuel flow from the pump to the front carb, and it is fine. Right there immediately when you crank it.
I recently redid the choke assemblies on the carbs, and there is no appreciable difference in this behaviour from before. It runs a lot more smoothly, however, because one of the chokes was likely always letting a little extra gas in.
There is a new battery, so the started motor is turning the engine over strongly and quickly.
If it is caused by temperature, then something is expanding and contracting, possibly producing a vaccuum leak (?). Does that make sense? I havn't yet tried plugging in the block heater overnight to see if it makes any difference, to isolate that it is a temperature thing.
Anyway, can you all put on your thinking caps and give me an exhaustive list of everything to check for this problem. The car is running great, idling smoothly, etc., except for this hard morning start. And I don't want to think of how it will be once it begins to get cold overnight again.
Just as a side question, if the car were working really well, should I have to use the choke to start it in the summer? Was that how it was designed?
Greg, back in Ottawa
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