Clean up that carb

[BobRip]

Another update - cold starting and hot starting immediately after stopping are good. Letting it sit for 10 minutes or more requires extras cranking. Not a whole lot, bur not perfect. Any ideas here?

 

[MossRoad]

Another update - cold starting and hot starting immediately after stopping are good. Letting it sit for 10 minutes or more requires extras cranking. Not a whole lot, bur not perfect. Any ideas here?

Try leaving the throttle all the way off when restarting a warm engine.

 

[BobRip]

Try leaving the throttle all the way off when restarting a warm engine.

Ok. I usually have it wide open. Thanks for the tip.

 

[MossRoad]

Ok. I usually have it wide open. Thanks for the tip.

It usually works. If you think about it, we idle our engines at the lowest throttle setting often. Since it runs at the lowest setting, it should also start at the lowest setting if the engine is already warm. I have found on our almost 10 year old Kohler that if I give it too much throttle when starting it warm, I tend to flood it out, then it won't start at all. To get it unflooded, I just shut off the throttle and crank the engine. That clears out the cylinders with mostly air. As I keep cranking with no throttle, it will start to fire and then it takes off. Once it fires I increase the throttle and off I go again.

I had similar issues with 2 stroke engines flooding. I just leave the throttle off and pull the cord vigorously 10-12 times to clear it out. Then turn the ignition back on and it will usually fire right up.:thumbsup:

 

[BobRip]

It usually works. If you think about it, we idle our engines at the lowest throttle setting often. Since it runs at the lowest setting, it should also start at the lowest setting if the engine is already warm. I have found on our almost 10 year old Kohler that if I give it too much throttle when starting it warm, I tend to flood it out, then it won't start at all. To get it unflooded, I just shut off the throttle and crank the engine. That clears out the cylinders with mostly air. As I keep cranking with no throttle, it will start to fire and then it takes off. Once it fires I increase the throttle and off I go again.

I had similar issues with 2 stroke engines flooding. I just leave the throttle off and pull the cord vigorously 10-12 times to clear it out. Then turn the ignition back on and it will usually fire right up.:thumbsup:

I tried this today and it did not help. I moved it to mid throttle and it started on the next crank. I am probably being too picky. It now always starts on the first crank when cold and hot. The in-between takes two or three cranks. Just trying for perfection. Can I add fuel injection?

 

[MossRoad]

Yeah, electronic fuel injection is really great. Why don't you come up with an aftermarket kit for the do it yourselfers and make enough money to retire?

Hey, wait a minute... aren't you already retired? Maybe you could send me the plans.

I was just commenting to my wife last week while we were on vacation. We have a 2000 Impala with about 155K on it. It is on its 2nd set of spark plugs and I believe, the original set of plug wires. It has a 3.8 liter V6 and six fuel injectors. The thing starts up every time without a hitch and runs like a clock(not a sewing machine). I was reminiscing about the cars I grew up with where changing the plugs and adjusting the timing and [FONT=&quot]carburetion were a right of spring. I haven't done that in a decade! :laughing:[/FONT]

 

[ponytug]

I agree with you MR. I don't miss carbs. Everytime I work around a chainsaw or small motor, I am very aware of how much unburned fuel there is from a carb. Basically, carbs are set to work well at idle, WOT, and choked idle. In between is always a set of compromises.

There is also the issue of electronic sparks, which also improve the reliability enormously. I don't miss changing condensers and cleaning points either.

Then again, modern cars are pretty binary- either they work, or you need a replacement part. No more turning a few screws on the carb and cleaning some points. If I were taking a vehicle into the boonies, it becomes a tougher choice about a vehicle that is intrinsically reliable, or one that you might be able to fix...

There are of course diesels...The old Listers would run on pretty much any oil that flowed. YouTube - ‪Lister Type Single Cylinder Diesel Generator‬‏

All the best,

Peter

Yeah, electronic fuel injection is really great. Why don't you come up with an aftermarket kit for the do it yourselfers and make enough money to retire?

Hey, wait a minute... aren't you already retired? Maybe you could send me the plans.

I was just commenting to my wife last week while we were on vacation. We have a 2000 Impala with about 155K on it. It is on its 2nd set of spark plugs and I believe, the original set of plug wires. It has a 3.8 liter V6 and six fuel injectors. The thing starts up every time without a hitch and runs like a clock(not a sewing machine). I was reminiscing about the cars I grew up with where changing the plugs and adjusting the timing and [FONT=&quot]carburetion were a right of spring. I haven't done that in a decade! :laughing:[/FONT]