Ballenxj wrote:
eyeteeth wrote:
Latest problem... The old girl has gotten rather difficult to start. Runs fine... just doesn't like starting up.
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But other ideas are appreciated.
Just a thought, I wonder if they have upgraded gaskets etc in the newer carb rebuild kits to deal with the ethanol problems?
The boss at CarQuest when I worked there rebuilt carbs as a sideline. According to him, all carb kits now have the newer gaskets and seals as long as you don't buy the cheaper kits from less reliable companies. Also, avoid NOS (new old stock) kits.
I've rebuilt more carbs than I'd care to count. Back in the early '80s, I had to rebuild the BBD carb on our '77 B200 roughly once a year. The carb seemed to go bad every spring. Turns out the cheaper gas line anti-freeze we were using was mostly ethanol.
I'd also do a tune-up ... new sparkplugs, distributor cap, and rotor at a minimum. Also put a timing light on it to make sure the distributor hasn't shifted. (Electronic ignition is so much better than the old point systems.)
I usually also get a new set of plug wires and replace the vacuum advance hose. I also check the 12VDC wires on the coil to make sure they're in good shape and the connections are clean and tight. Do the same with the block negative/ground cable.
Check the polarity on the 12VDC wires on the coil. It's not unusual for people to switch the wires accidentally. That tends to make the ignition system less effective and the engine hard to start, especially if it's been a while since the last tune-up.
An old boy told me, "Ignition first, fuel second." Simply put, if you don't have a good, hot spark, at the right time, messing with the fuel system is a waste of time and effort. (He grew up with moonshiners and rum-runners, as well as the boys who started NASCAR ... he had Lee Petty's autograph, as well as a number of autographs from other early NASCAR drivers and crew chiefs.)
