More carb crap...starting problems

[Machinos]

A couple months ago I rebuilt the WCFB on my '55 New Yorker, which fixed the running problem it was having. When it got cold I successfully recalibrated the "automatic" choke so on these cold mornings it always starts right up.

But for some reason when it's even SLIGHTLY warmed up (after driving) it just doesn't want to start. The first time I noticed this was when I went to the junkyard a few weekends ago. It was about 30 degrees out, and the car was off for over an hour but still wasn't fully cooled apparently. It doesn't overheat at all by the way, the highest I've ever seen it was slightly over the halfway mark on the gauge and that was at 80mph in the middle of summer.

Anyway, it just doesn't start. At the junkyard I tried starting fluid and that didn't even get it going. Every time I have to jump it with 12 volts and it always starts. Earlier today it was close to 50 degrees out and I did manage to start it after about 30 minutes of sitting by pushing the gas pedal all the way to the floor, but it was kinda slow on starting.

This problem combined with my weak-ass battery (it goes from empty to fully charged in like an hour...) has made my car VERY unreliable http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif I'm starting to think I'll need to recalibrate the choke every time I get in and out of the car. Blah.


A slightly related thing that's got me worried is that the starter is clicking as it runs sometimes now. I'm guessing this is related to the bad battery, but it started one day when I was letting the car idle to recharge the battery. After 15 minutes or so it killed (it always does this, I don't know why) and when I went to restart it the starter was clicking a lot. Now it does it a lot when it's working hard. What's breaking on it now?

[Humboldt Cat]

I'm not sure, but I'll give it a shot: starter relays are the only part of a starter I've heard making clicking noises. Is it possible that a short could cause a clicking noise from within the relay?
The thing that gets me is this is while the motor's already running. Never heard of that before.

[Deyomatic]

Get your starter problems sorted out first. There is nothing wrong with having to push the accelerator pedal to the floor when starting, it makes sure you get plenty of air in there. I have to do it if my Ford is hot.
You might try fiddling with the mixture screws, sometimes you'll think you have them right because it seems fine while driving the car, but there are other carb circuits that cover the fuel when driving. I would lean out the idle mixture a bit.
Have you tried starting this warm engine in cold weather without the choke? If the only drawback of NOT having a choke is that you have to pump it to allow the car to warm up, but it is fine otherwise, yank that choke mechanism off and call it fixed. I never hooked up a choke on mine when I was in New Hampshire and it never bothered me to NOT have one.
Good luck with it.

[Machinos]

The starter isn't doing it when it's running, it's just doing it when starting often times, now. I'll check into the starter relay...

Also, it only BARELY worked the last time with my foot to the floor because it was a warmer day. Maybe the choke isn't opening enough then? I'll find a helper to watch it while I floor the pedal.

[Gr8ballsofir]

Sounds like a Mopar! My 56 Desoto has the same problem sometimes. I always pump the pedal 3 times before starting to get gas down it's throat and to reset the choke. Then I just hold the pedal down SLIGHTLY and it usually starts. Every time you move the pedal, you're putting gas in the carb. Those auto chokes have a tendency to close after a couple of minutes in cold weather even though the engine is still warm. When it happens again, try propping open the choke slightly and see if it starts. If so you may want to set the choke open one more notch. If you have an electric fuel pump let it run for a few seconds first because the mechanical pumps have a valve in them to stop the fuel from draining back out of the carb but the electric ones don't.

[Shiva69]

Is there any way you could go w/ a manual choke and cable... takes all the fuss outta the electrical shit
Garth

[Gr8ballsofir]

Manual chokes don't work well with the WCFB's the choke is forced open little farther at wide open throttle and the manual choke part don't allow any movement. Or am I wrong...

Mark

[Machinos]

It's not actually electric, there's an adjustable housing with a thermostatic spring in it that has a vacuum line going to the exhaust crossover part of the intake manifold. I thought about a manual choke, but looking at the carb I don't know how I could even hook it up, the sucker's so complicated.

I'll try readjusting it, maybe there's more room to set it back closer to the "warm" setting while still keeping it closed when it's completely cold.

[DrJ]

My 55 Olds used to do that.
Actually it would start, make it two blocks down the road and die in the left turn lane at midnight when I was coming home from work.
I finally broke cdown and put a high output (read not a cheapie) battery in it and the problem went away like magick.
See, the battery has to crank the engine and fire the plugs at the same time. Not enough juice and it won't do both at once and the generator isn't putting out anything to speak of at low rpm to help.

Put a battery in it and see what happens... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[tommy]

You might try leaning up on the choke setting. You may have it flooded, if the choke stove isn't warm enough to open the choke butterfly. Flooring it will manually open the choke and let the extra air in to get it to start if you think it's flooded.