hard starting

[beermonkey9417]

welli have a 350 sbc in my elky and for the last 5 times i tried to start it, it wont unless i pour gas in the carb, then it only stays on thill that gas i gone. i thought it was electrical, cleaned dis. cap and all connections, checked all plug wires. not the prob. then i decided to check the fuel pump, not the prob. then the gas tank flow, not the prob. guess what? i needed gas! HAHA :lol: boy was i red faced! any way i put 4 gallons in it and it still didnt run. so the other night i put in 2 more gals and pourd gas in the carb and did my manual choke thingy. it started and ran for like 30 seconds. i did that again and it ran untill i got it warmed up and shut it off. btw the front is on jackstands. and my fuel gauge is on the fritz. so in short: am i a dumbass and just didnt have enough gas or ya think its something else?. oh and idle isnt steady when warmed up. i have the idle kinda high because when it boggs a lil the engine dies. the idle is up for like 2 seconds and then it slows down for the same time, then back up again. sorry for the novel but any suggestions?

 

[megaladon6]

interesting problem. is the fuel pump electric? is it inside or outside the fuel tank? if it's outside the tank (electric or mechanical) there could be a pin hole pre-pump. but first things last, make sure that you have more than enough fuel--a min of 1/2 a tank.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

IT could be a number of things. I would see if the throttle shaft holes are worn as this can cause erratic idle speed. If it's an old Q-Jet, it probably needs the baseplate bushed. If not, check your advance mechanism to be sure the weight bushings are not totally gone. If they are, you will not get stable timing. If the advance mechanism is binding, it would be erratic too. It may be another problem as well, but without actually seeing the car, it is hard to say for sure.

 

[beermonkey9417]

its a 650 cfm holly carb on an edelbrock performer intake manifold. no power steering and no a/c. also no windsheild wiper motor, 'nother post...
hope this helps!

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

WAY wrong carb for a 283! The double pumper carbs are very sensitive to sizing compared to a load sensitive vacuum or air valve secondary carb. I would take the 650 off and replace it with a Quadrajet off a non computer 305 application. Why a 305? The idle feed restrictions will be close to the needs of a 283, and will have less tendency to run over rich at part throttle. Also, the Q-Jet's air valve secondary is tuneable and will only allow as much air as the engine can actually use. Keep the 650 carb though. It will be great for a 350 should you choose to install one at a later time.

P.S., Just in case I am wrong about the carb you have, what is the List # on the air horn? This tells you what carb it is, cfm, etc.

 

[beermonkey9417]

it is a 350 v8. well the other day i poured gas in the tank and some down the carb to get it started and now it just idles weird. but thanx for the info.

 

[beermonkey9417]

well it still wont idle right, but all that stuff that 85 cuttlass said sounds like chinese to me. maybe i need to learn more about carbs and sbc's in general.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Yeah, I mixed up your post with another in regards to the 283 thing, but yeah. Go study some more on carbs and the HEI ignition. I have read countless books and magazines on automotive technical issues since I was about 10 years old-I am now 33. I used to read service manuals during reading time back when I was in elementary school ( I got my copy of How To Hot Rod Your SBC when I was 12) , and still spend about 15-30 hours a week reading magazines and web articles on a variety of automotive subjects. There is an abundance of information available on the web on both of these systems if you only search for it. I like the Quadrajet because it is very intricate and tuneable, plus it is challenging. ( I also don't drive it every day) Holley's on the other hand, are simple beasts without the complexity of the Quadrajet. Read a few books, some web articles, etc and you will be able to learn all there is to know about Holley's 650 Double Pumper. Just be sure to reference the list# off the airhorn because there are 2 styles of aftermarket Holley carb. The old modular style everyone is used to , and the "new" style that was made for a few years in the late 80's/early 90's. These are a classic top down design like a Carter AFB or Quadrajet. They share the same jets as the old style DP carb, but little else. If I was not so lazy right now, I would take a pic of each style of carb and post it as I have several Holley's, Edelbrock's and Quadrajet's sitting around the house.

 

[beermonkey9417]

HAHA! guess what? well to day i put on new front tires and replaced the battery cause it wouldnt jump for $hit. As soon as i turned the key, it roars to life like nothing happened. it still idles a lil weird and leaks coolant but i know whats wrong with that part. thanx everyone for all yer help, its great to get new info even if it doesnt pertain to whats wrong. haha

 

[megaladon6]

sometimes that's what happens when you try and diagnose something over the internet.