Problem Starting Carbed 308

Maybe your starter is shot?

 

Try less choke -- in fact, first try no choke (especially if you are using daily), just a couple/few 1/2 squirts and once it initially fires, squirt as required to keep it running, and hold it up a little as you are already doing. Needing to hold the throttle open while cranking hints of needing to "clear fuel out".

 

I have a '77 with Electromotive and I have the choke completely disconnected. I hardly prime the car at all(2 seconds), just a small blip of the throttle once I turn the key and it fires right up. Maybe your fuel pump is getting weak?

 

Fuel pump issues would show up as misfire at higher RPM/full throttle on a carbed car. '

Generally hard starting is either:

Too much fuel,
Too little fuel (not a pump issue) from bad accelerator pumps and/or too lean idle jets/setting
Fouled plugs, usually from plugs too cold
Incorrect ignition timing,
Incorrect valve timing
Poor compression

In most likely order of what to look for

Hard starting is a symptom of a weak fuel pump on an injected car where the pump is forcing gas into the manifold, rather than manifold air flow sucking fuel out of an already full carb.

Doug

 

I agree with Steve, no choke at all. let the fuel pump run for about 10 seconds. blip the pedal once or twice to shoot some accel pump fuel in. then crank er over, give it no gas or very little.
also, make your choke always returns to the off position on all 8 circuits when not in use. sometimes they stick in the on position.

 

On my 79 308 I let the fuel pump run for a few seconds, then hit the gas to the floor once and she fires right up. No choke at all.
I might need to play with the gas once she starts but it will usually settle right in.
Mike

 

Hello Steve - Met you when you delivered the prop to Birdman - Had a similar experience with my 308. One day went for a ride and came home - Everything ran as normal. A week later the car would not start. After checking for spark, we disconnected the fuel line where it connects to the carbs - no fuel. After 80,000 miles the original BCD Corona pump just quit with no warning signs. They are no longer available - believe me I checked, including having my cousin in Rivoli check with the BCD factory in that town. Replaced it with a Facet pump - direct replacement.

 

when my car was delivered to me in 1981, the salesman said "I will teach you the most imprtant lesson you will ever learn for owning a carbed Ferrari"-----------

Never use the choke, never use the choke, never use the choke.

 

I use a rather simple proceedure. Turn the key and wait until the seat belt light in the dash goes out. You should also hear the fuel pump running. Now push the gas peddle to the floor once then turn the key and pump the peddle about a quarter of the way down and the car will fire. Feather the gas peddle until the engine smooths out around 1000 rpm. On a warm morning it usually will idle fairly quickly , maybe 2-3 minutes. In the winter it takes a little longer so you need to feather it more. That's the way I do it . Good luck and everyone is right , don't use the choke.

 

After seeing Steve King's comment - I could still hear the pump running - the electric motor did not fail, the shaft/vanes, the mechanical part of the pump failed.

 

Think about it : your car has an ignition system which might improve the spark and so facilitate starting but thats the only change - other than that it is standard so as suggested above start with the original starting procedure - no choke etc - and probably not even worth pulling the plugs from the sound of it let alone meddling with anything else til the simplest solution is assessed ie changing your start procedure

 

Here's what the manual says:

(And I agree leave the choke off unless you scraped ICE off the car....)

Turn on ignition key.

WAIT 45-60 SECONDS for carbs to fill...(This is real important, you can actually hear some fuel pumps change tone as the system fills)

THEN proceed. Pump pedal 2 - 3 times ONLY full travel. Back off.

As the starter is energized, push 1/3 and be ready to increase pedal pressure as engine fires.

Take it to 1200- 2500RPM as engine warms (at this point you should have eyes glued to oil pressure gauge, I have to tap on mine to wake it up..)
Idle should smooth out as all plugs join into contribution.

All the pumping and gyrations in the world are doing very little until the carb bowls fill up and are ready to go.
Don't rush it it takes a while.....

HTH

 

Just to add a twist to this thread,

My GT4 starts from cold every time using the agreed proceedure.

Once warm if I stop the engine for a couple of minutes it will start again like a fuel injected car with a slight throttle opening.

If the car engine is hot and I've left it for half an hour it's a bugger to start again, takes a lot of cranking an then finally stumbles to life. The latest proceedure I have tried is foot flat to the floor and leave it there, as if the engine is flooded but it still takes ages to start. When I had the original bosch starter I would come close to a dead battery trying to start the car when hot.The new gear reduction starter helps but it still takes a while.

I guess this is due to the fuel in the carbs evaporating or flooding the engine.

Any suggestions for how to start a carbed 308 after it's been sitting hot for a while?

Cheers

George

 

This is what works on my 78 GTS with rebuilt engine (Jan 06-4500 miles ago) and single distributor electronic ignition. My choke is disconnected. Cold starts, sitting for a day or more-run pump for 30 seconds-pump pedal 5 times, half way up on final pump. Fires before I can let go of the key. If it has been a day or less, but time to cool down-30 seconds and 3 pedal pumps. When car is hot, it takes several seconds of cranking no matter what I do and I think I have tried every combination. So my question is the same: Any suggestions for how to start a carbed 308 after it's been sitting hot for a while? Randy

 

Might be worth looking at the pump anyway and at worst having a spare. Can you provide the part number for the Facet for the carbed 308? Much appreciated.[/QUOTE]

Sent you a PM

 

George, my carb 76 is just as simple when cold. Turn the key to the on position like its cold into the 2 position and let the feul pump on. Wait 30 seconds, as you turn to crank, i very lightly lean on the gas pedal to open it up, it always catches for me, and then do the blip of gas and it settle to idle...of course a little small puff of smoke is common out the back when you do the blip of rpm up. Let me know if this helps you at all. Remember, no gas, or pumping when hot

 

I'll give this a try Big Red and report back.

Cheers

George

 

Have you pulled some plugs to see if they are fouled?

 

I purchased my car this winter with a freshly installed Electromotive unit. When I received the car, it started only on occasion. Fuel pump was fine, started was fine. I ended up sending the unit back to Electromotive to bench test the unit. The found a bad crystal or element in it. The unit was under 1 year old so was warrantied. It may be worth sending the unit back for a bench test.