Problem with Olds 350. Please help!

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Well it wouldn't be an alternator problem. I used the brackets off of the 307, and therefore the alternator off of the 307.

I am not running headers on the motor. Just the factory manifolds. It is an old original started that came with the 307 when I got it a couple years back. I have been thinking about replacing it with a high torque mini starter. Hoping it would clear up my problem.

But after I drove it on the interstate, the car ran just fine. Didn't overheat or try to stall at stoplights. I got home, pulled in the driveway, and shut the car off. I sat there about 30 seconds and tried to start the car back up. It slowly turned over a few times, but didnt start. A few minutes later I came outside and tried to start it, and it started up.... Slowly.

So I am thinking about a mini starter or maybe a heat shield. Am I headed in the right direction?
 
timing issue.ther to much, or the distributer has too much avance at idle.... Maybe light springs and light weights....

I time my 425 at 6 degrees and no vacumm advance and it runs like a raped ape! If I hook up the vacumm advance and it pings and bings all day long and barely starts....
 
You should not need a high torque mini starter. It is either the wiring or the starter in your case. If the engine clearances were too tight, you would most likely have overheating problems, so that most likely is not your problem. I would inspect all of the wiring for damage or corrosion. An easy thing to check is the resistance in the cable going from the starter to the battery with a dvom. Make sure all grounds are there and the starter is making good contact with the engine block. If that all checks out, have the starter tested at an auto parts store.

I should also mention, it would not be a bad idea to install a starter heat shield to see if the problem goes away.
 
when you say its hard to start when its hot,i tend to have the same problem with my cutlass.It sounds like the battery ranout of juice when i crank it.Silly Question though,but do you have an oxygen sensor on the exhaust manifold?is it hooked up or is it faulty.
 
Minion1186 said:
Silly Question though,but do you have an oxygen sensor on the exhaust manifold?is it hooked up or is it faulty.

I actually do have an oxygen sensor in the manifold, but that is just because I was too lazy to go find a plug with the right pipe thread. It isnt on the computer, and it isn't even plugged in.
 
wondering if you have found the problem? did you get a thick carb base gasket. and what size batt are you running. i had the same problem. my batt was a 650 for the 307 . the high comp 350 needs more juice to crank hot think i have a 1000cca batt now. and my edelbrock carb was boiling my gas if the car sat. vapor lock sucks. the edelbrock extra thick base gasket solved that problem too. hope this helps..
 
Well my problem is solved... well paritally solved. I was already running the thick quadrajet gasket under my adapter. But I had a starter laying around that came with the 350 I bought. The guy I bought it from said it was brand new, so I put it on the motor (had to get longer starter bolts). But the dragging, slow start, problem went away. The motor turns over hard and quickly. But sometimes, mostly when its really hot, the motor wants to act like it has no fuel. I have to spin the motor over for about 10 seconds before it fires up. If i pump the pedal a couple times it will fire. But then other times, usually at night when its cool, the motor fires up as soon as I turn the key.

I've got a brand new fuel pump, inline filter, and fuel line. The carburetor is a 600 cfm Edelbrock w/electric choke if it matters... I just want it to fire right up all the time consistently.
 
Well I didn't know edelbrock made an extra thick gasket... The one I am running is just a stock quadrajet gasket... The carb boiling my fuel is very probable... That carb gets fire hot after the motor has run for a while...
 
I caught this thread late, but I'd like to add something for G-body owners with similar starting issues FWIW: Check your battery cables, connections and grounds first, before spending big bucks on a starter. Most later cables are just too damn thin, and combined with the deterioration from age, can cause slow cranking when hot. Parts stores carry an assortment of heavier cables in various lengths, or raid the boneyards for cables off GM trucks, "77 and older "A" bodys, or even GM diesels. Avoid bolt-on battery terminal ends, and if your ground cable is bolted to an accessory bracket, relocate it directly to the block, preferably with serrated washers between the cable and block. Also make sure you have ground straps in place between the block and chassis and chassis to body. Cars with headers are a different issue, often needing some kind of heat shield around the solenoid, but I couldn't begin to count the number of hot-start problems we solved with just a cable and connection tune-up.
Bill
 
87cutlassw310lds said:
wondering if you have found the problem? did you get a thick carb base gasket. and what size batt are you running. i had the same problem. my batt was a 650 for the 307 . the high comp 350 needs more juice to crank hot think i have a 1000cca batt now. and my edelbrock carb was boiling my gas if the car sat. vapor lock sucks. the edelbrock extra thick base gasket solved that problem too. hope this helps..

Don't mean to jack the thread, but this past summer I was having the "boiling fuel" issue as well, particularly after a hard run. I could hear the fuel "perculating" in the carb. But really didn't suffer the no-hot-start condition as I'm running a wrap on the starter, good electrical connections, ceramic-coated headers and the like. Had this issue with my 66 Impala and resolved it after much trial & error and suffering...

Do you have a p/n for the thick gasket and how thick is it compared to the standard gasket?
 
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