Hello all, It seems that during cold weather (Canadian cold weather, at that), my Maverick has trouble starting in the morning. I'll usually have to pour some gas down the carb, manually, to get things going. After that, it'll start just fine all day. Is this the fault of a bad fuel pump, quick carb bowl evaporation, or a dirty carb? The car is all original, so it could easily just be some accumulated gunk. Thank you for any help. Liam McDermott.
Fuel bowl could be draining off.Do you see any leakage around the carb.May just have the mixture too lean also.Make certain the timing is correct as well.Good luck!
I always called that "being a Ford". Seriously I thought all older Fords needed time to get going. My Comet and truck are the same way.
do you pump the throttle several times before you turn the key? that should pump some fuel into the motor, just like you dumping fuel into the motor.
The choke may need to be reset for winter time use. You should not need to pour fuel down the carb to start the engine. Ford carbureted engine starting procedure: Press the throttle slowly to the floor (this sets the choke to the closed position and the high idle screw to the fast idle cam) Press the throttle 1/4 to 1/2 way down as the engine is started. Let the engine warm up for a few minutes and drive. I have my choke set for the winter weather and leave it that way - it does take a bit longer in the summer to come off high idle but I would rather put up with that than have to adjust it each fall and spring.
when my 1bbl carb was just plain worn out it was like that. I never had to pour gas in the carb but I could easily have to pump the gas pedal 15 times or so before it would have enough gas in the carb to start. It was just a combination of the old worn out carb and it would leak down when the car sat overnight
The fuel pump check valves are supposed to prevent fuel flowing back toward the tank and the needle valve in the carb keeps fuel in the carb. It should never be dry just sitting overnight.
I fixed that problem with an ancient Rochester BC Chevy carb on my 200. 5 pumps initially, start it up, it may or may not die on the first start, if it does, 3 more pumps, fire it up again, and hold it at 1000-1500 RPM for about 10 seconds, and that's it, it idles fine and is ready to roll. No choke on it, it was all rusted up after sitting in the woods for 25+ years, so I took all the choke crap off and tossed it. Rarely gets below mid 20's here as far as temp goes anyway.
Cool, I'll try the suggestions out. Thanks guys. I'm new to carbs (and cars, too), so this really helps. I do set the choke and pump the gas a few times usually, but I don't pump it too much (3-4 times maximum) as I don't want it to flood. I guess I might just need to pump it more in the winter, but I'll probably look into how to adjust the choke. I'm just glad I won't be driving it when it gets to -30 C around here.
