Hello All, I have an ongoing issue with my 1949 Club Coupe. The car does not readily start after sitting
for a day or two. I have plenty of battery power and cranking amps ... the problem is with the carburetor.
If I don't prime the carburetor before trying to start, it will not start! It does fine once it has
started - meaning, I can shut if off after initial start and it will fire right up. The next day I can try to
start and nothing but, crank, crank, crank! I have replaced the carburetor with a new rebuilt unit and also
have replaced the fuel pump... still the issue persists. I do not want to install an electric fuel pump if
I don't have to. The car runs fine in every other way - what am I missing?
Thank you!!
After sitting for a day or two and it doesn't start, is there gasoline in the glass bowl at the top of the fuel pump? Also, if you take off the air cleaner and look down the throat of the carburetor, if you pump the carburetor by moving the linkage do you see gasoline squirting out of the two jets you can see down the throat?
Carefully check the choke setting. If the choke is not closing when the engine is cold/cool, it will be hard to start. You are artificially making it rich by adding gasoline to prime it in that instance and it starts up. Once the engine is warm, the engine doesn't need a terribly rich mixture and it restarts fine when warm. It is only when the engine has completely cooled down that it won't start.
Before trying to start it tomorrow, take off the air cleaner and pump the throttle one time. That should set the choke to be closed. If not, the choke is not adjusted correctly.
Jay and Art,
Thank you for all your input here. This morning I closed the choke just a bit more and the car fired right up!!
I knew this should be adjusted in this fashion but, for some reason I looked passed it! Thank you again
for your help!!
Scott