Any tips on starting a carbureted motor that's been sitting for 4 months?

"InfinityAero" (infinityaero)
07/28/2016 at 10:46 • Filed to: None

Attempted to start up the Fiat yesterday; no dice. I’m thinking I’ll start by pulling and cleaning the plugs, top off the oil, disconnect and clean the fuel feed line, try the cold start/choke activated start, then try putting a few drops of gas into the carb manually to start her up.... any other suggestions?

DISCUSSION (23)

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > InfinityAero
07/28/2016 at 10:49

Starting fluid. That’s pretty much what it’s invented for. Oh, and make sure your bettery’s good.

random001 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
07/28/2016 at 10:52

This. A few drops of fuel ain’t gonna do it.

crowmolly > InfinityAero
07/28/2016 at 10:52

Looks good to me, although the gas in the float bowls might be bad. Be prepared for that.

4 months isn’t too bad.

Cé hé sin > InfinityAero
07/28/2016 at 10:52

Make sure there’s something in the tank....

You’d be surprised just how many people overlook this!

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > InfinityAero
07/28/2016 at 10:54

Getting some starting fluid down in there, that’ll get it moving real nice. A couple drops isn’t going to do much to fire it up. Needs MOAR go juice.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > InfinityAero
07/28/2016 at 11:02

Not starting fluid. It’s designed to go “boom” very readily, which can make it easy, but it’s hard on rings. My own preferred methods are a squirt bottle of gas (for situations that you can be sure gas will “flow” to the cylinders) or a bottle of carb and choke cleaner. The carb and choke cleaner is expensive, but it evaporates completely and burns less violently than starting fluid.

Does the Fiat have mechanical points? They may need attention.

450X_FTW > InfinityAero
07/28/2016 at 11:03

Drain the float bowl for one. If it has anything other than gas coming out of it, remove the float bowl and spray a crap load of carb cleaner inside.

Berang > InfinityAero
07/28/2016 at 11:26

Prime the engine/carb/pump by turning it over with the sparkplugs out. Assuming it has a carb and mechanical pump. Then put the plug back in and give it go. If it doesn’t start, drizzle a little gas down the carb throat and try again.

InfinityAero > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/28/2016 at 11:45

Yeah, I’d been seeing some info advising to stay away from starting fluid— didn’t realize the carb and choke cleaner burned readily enough to use as a starter fluid— that might be worth picking up as well.

What would mechanical points be? Tuning screws and whatnot?

InfinityAero > 450X_FTW
07/28/2016 at 11:45

Will do, thanks!

InfinityAero > crowmolly
07/28/2016 at 11:46

I’ll bet you’re right that the gas in the float bowls is bad— I should have drained that...

InfinityAero > Berang
07/28/2016 at 11:46

It is a mechanical pump...Would it be OK to turn it over using the starter, or do I need to turn it over using the crank bolt?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > InfinityAero
07/28/2016 at 11:48

Points are something in a distributor which started to phase out around the early 70s (in some cases before). Basically a pair of little metal buttons, one on a spring, that make and break contact to control the spark. They can get gummed up or hot or corroded, and then you have no spark - hence why replacing them with electronics is popular.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > InfinityAero
07/28/2016 at 11:49

The carb and choke spray is worth having regardless if you find yourself working on old carbs - washes things out, can be used with a straw to clear out befunged jets - just generally handy to have.

InfinityAero > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/28/2016 at 11:56

Thanks for the advice, I’ll pick up some of that this afternoon and give it another go after some cleaning. Looks like I do have a point-based distributor; if all else fails I’ll look into whether that system is functioning correctly (I guess it advances the timing 10 degrees during start)...

Berang > InfinityAero
07/28/2016 at 12:05

I would just use the starter. As long as you’re not cranking it over for 10+ seconds at a time, it should be fine. It’ll turn over easily without the plugs in which why I’d take them out.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > InfinityAero
07/28/2016 at 12:07

Starter, because the crank bolt might be really, really slow. On the other hand, if it’s the right kind of external AC style pump, you may be able to reach down and hand pump it.

Kinja'd!!!

crowmolly > InfinityAero
07/28/2016 at 12:25

You should avoid using the crank bolt in almost every case. Probably not an issue with this engine, but on others you can snap it off and that’s bad.

InfinityAero > Cé hé sin
07/28/2016 at 14:30

Heh, I have the opposite problem, too much in the tank— I’m going to regret it if I have to drain it.

Die-Trying > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/28/2016 at 15:54

THIS.......stuck points......... rub an old dime between them and reset the max opening to ........ matchbook cardboard thickness....... 17 thousandths-ish?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Die-Trying
07/28/2016 at 15:57

Something like that. I was cleaning a set of points just yesterday - ‘67 Rover (not mine, another one in the family). Points had gotten funked, were reading something like >10ohms across when closed.

Die-Trying > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/28/2016 at 16:08

i havent gotten to hook up to an old set of points for testing in AGES....... i still have a couple of the old testers, that you hook up to the coil. that way you can adjust the dwell.......

most of the ones i have issues with, are burnt from the ignition being left on, or stuck from setting.

if youre REAL lucky the last car owner kept a spare set of points in the car.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Die-Trying
07/28/2016 at 16:12

There were some other ignition issues going on (funny enough, it ran when parked - by my younger brother), but the points were the obvious problem. They have also been burned once, shockingly. Didn’t get it quite figured out last night because I had something else I needed to work on. There *is* a dwell meter somewhere around, though...