86 442 hard to start cold

[87National]

After my 86 442 sits for over 2-3 hours, it will crank but not start unless i spray a small amount of starting fluid in the carb - then it fires right up. Completely stock 307, and just bought the car a few days ago, so i don't have much history on it.

Anyone else ever have this problem?

 

[zjchevy1]

After my 86 442 sits for over 2-3 hours, it will crank but not start unless i spray a small amount of starting fluid in the carb - then it fires right up. Completely stock 307, and just bought the car a few days ago, so i don't have much history on it.

Anyone else ever have this problem?

Are you pumping the gas before you attempt the start up?

Check the spark plugs, see what shape they are in. A tune up may not be a bad idea. Make sure your cold-start choke on the carb is operating properly too.

 

[88hurstolds]

Sounds like the choke might need adjusting...

 

[87National]

How do i adjust the choke?

 

[ponchoman49]

Make sure your choke pull off is working also. Most 307 engines I have worked on have bad choke pull offs and are in a bad state of tune. The choke pull off is located on the passenger side of the carb as a small round barrel with a small vacuum line running to it. It will have a rod linking it to the secondaries also so the choke pull off serves two functions. Check it by pulling off the vacuum line, holding your finger over the vacuum line pushing in on the choke rod. If the pull off is good the rod will stay in, bad it will go right back out. Also check your plugs, wires and ignition. Thay all have to be in good shape for the car to start easily. The carb it'self has to be in good working order also. Float level, accelerator pump function and no leaks are mandatory. With the air cleaner pulled off peak down in the primaries, pull back on the accelerator linkage and see if your getting a good strong shot of fuel. If not you have a bad or worn disphram that will need to be replaced. As you can see there is a lot of stuff to check here and everything has to be in good working order for the car to start right up and run well. The 307 is a very easy starting engine. All it should take is two taps on the gas pedal and a quick turn of the key to fire these up.

 

[78 salon]

Make sure your choke pull off is working also. Most 307 engines I have worked on have bad choke pull offs and are in a bad state of tune. The choke pull off is located on the passenger side of the carb as a small round barrel with a small vacuum line running to it. It will have a rod linking it to the secondaries also so the choke pull off serves two functions. Check it by pulling off the vacuum line, holding your finger over the vacuum line pushing in on the choke rod. If the pull off is good the rod will stay in, bad it will go right back out. Also check your plugs, wires and ignition. Thay all have to be in good shape for the car to start easily. The carb it'self has to be in good working order also. Float level, accelerator pump function and no leaks are mandatory. With the air cleaner pulled off peak down in the primaries, pull back on the accelerator linkage and see if your getting a good strong shot of fuel. If not you have a bad or worn disphram that will need to be replaced. As you can see there is a lot of stuff to check here and everything has to be in good working order for the car to start right up and run well. The 307 is a very easy starting engine. All it should take is two taps on the gas pedal and a quick turn of the key to fire these up.

All good advise, but after only 2-3 hrs will the choke still be needed? He can check all of that stuff, and if it's still not starting without the fluid, I'd start looking inside. Mainly the well plugs in the float bowl. They may be leaking, thus draining the bowl until he gets it started.

 

[dan2286]

All good advise, but after only 2-3 hrs will the choke still be needed? He can check all of that stuff, and if it's still not starting without the fluid, I'd start looking inside. Mainly the well plugs in the float bowl. They may be leaking, thus draining the bowl until he gets it started.

Should he be able to look down the carb to see if it is squirting fuel when the throttle is opened, when the car is cold and not starting?

 

[ponchoman49]

It will depend on outside temps. If your car is sitting for only 2 to 3 hours it may not need choke and thus a properly adjusted float is required. If the fuel is leaking down the plugs then you will be dependant on a good shot from the accelerator pump to re-prime it. It sounds to me like the carb needs a good overhaul. Many times the original floats are out of adjustment and saturated with dirty old fuel. 9 times out of 10 you can pull off the top air horn on these, blast them out with an air hose, install a new float and accelerator pump diaphram, adjust it to spec and your good to go. If your car starts easily when cold I would think that you are getting a good shot of fuel. The amount of fuel in the bowl plays a big role in trying to start an already warm car. If there isn't enough there then the car will be hard to start. A tell tale sign of a bad choke pull off is piss poor running behavior when cold and sometimes stalling. Your problem centers around re-starting the car when warm. I just wanted to make you aware of all the things that need to be in good working order for these carbs to be happy warm or cold. Good luck with your car! 🙂

 

[ponchoman49]

All good advise, but after only 2-3 hrs will the choke still be needed? He can check all of that stuff, and if it's still not starting without the fluid, I'd start looking inside. Mainly the well plugs in the float bowl. They may be leaking, thus draining the bowl until he gets it started.

Should he be able to look down the carb to see if it is squirting fuel when the throttle is opened, when the car is cold and not starting?

You should be able to look down in the primaries while pulling back the accelerator and see two nice strong shots of fuel when the engine is cold. Doing this many times with a warm non running engine is not advisable for possible flooding of the engine. If the car has good off the line and midrange response then chances are the accelerator pump is working properly.

 

[pontiacgp]

I seen it where the seals in the accelerator pump are worn and would soften up when heated causing the accelerator pump not to work properly.....