Slow to Start

Old battery?

 

How deeply are you "pumping"? I'd think a couple of half-pumps would be plenty. Also, during the initial cranking attempt(s) are you holding the throttle open a little bit?

 

3 pumps, 1/2 throttle whilst cranking, should fire, feather throttle, keep revs above 1800 RPM. This seems to work on a well sorted car.

 

Actually,

The 330s tend to need more pumping. 6-8 full pumps of the throttle, if I recall correctly if the car has been sitting and the engine is cold. Also, the old starters don't spin the engines all that fast so 6-8 engine revolutions is OK (I'm assuming you don't mean 6 to 8 attempts to start it).

Regards,

Art S.

 

h00kem -- I just reread your post and may not have understood exactly what you said -- so please ignore my prior post until you answer this post (I missed the 60 minute window to edit)

Yes, definitely open the throttle a little when cranking (like ~1/4 open) -- will help the engine turn over faster and better vaporize the puddle of fuel you just squirted in

But please clarify your description -- are you doing:

1. a few full squirts, then 1 cranking event of 5~6 revolutions with the throttle fully closed?

2. a few full squirts, then 5~6 cranking events each of multiple revolutions with the throttle fully-closed (but without any more pumping)?

3. a few full squirts, then a cranking event with the throttle fully-closed, a few more squirts and another cranking event with the throttle fully-closed, etc. -- i.e., squirting followed by cranking for 5~6 times total?

4. something else?

 

One more clarification: is your choke unhooked?

 

HooKEM They will start much faster if you close the chokes, though established wisdom is not to use the chokes because they are prone to stick partially closed. Mine don't stick and it always atarts on the first crank.

 

I bought one of these for my Daytona. It should turn it over much faster, but will not be fitted until summer of 2009, so i can't comment on how good it is, but it comes with a life time Warranty, and looks very well made.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-FERRARI-V12-MODERN-STARTER-365-330-DAYTONA-275-400_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a543Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3a3Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem250311832638QQitemZ250311832638QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

PS When cold my Daytona needs 2 pumps and full choke, and takes about 3 turns to start, depending on how long it's been since last driven, when hot don't touch anything, and 1-2 turns.

 

OK -- understood. As a first try, just add "hold the throttle open some" to each attempt to see if it will bring down the number of attempts to start-up. If not, you might try adding more pumps to each attempt, as Art suggested, but you should really try to get a sequence that cold fires in 1 or 2 cranking attempts.

 

Start at the choke knob. Do you have one? (If not, that might answer the question.) If so, pop the hood and take a look and see how the link age works.

 

On top of some of the Webers is a fairly large brass slotted screw and the letters "E" or "I" on the casting next to the screw. The E is the summer start setting, and the I is the winter start setting. If it is colder than 45F then the "I" setting should be used. This will help the cold weather starting. I must agree with the advice given thus far by others, full choke will always start faster on a cold engine.

 

I use the choke on my car. If you do, make sure it is working well - cable and butterflies don't stick - if they do, it will cause many more problems for you than the choke will solve.

Regards,

Art S.

PS. Choke is under the dash to the left of the steering wheel.

 

Quality of ignition system and plugs will also have an effect on the starting of the car too. Check that coils/points etc are all in good shape, and if you are keen, invest in some good quality spark plugs. The new generation platinum/iridium plugs last a long time and certainly improved the cold starting of our 365GT

 

Before installing msd ignition:

If driven daily, my 330 would take about 1/4" of choke, 3 pumps, and 2 or 3 cranks would get it going.

After sitting for longer than maybe 3 days, more choke, 5 or 6 pumps on the gas, and more cranks. If it sat for longer than a week, it might die once or twice before running steadily. I never had the original fuel pump replaced.

After the msd installation, it would start unfailingly with 1/4" choke, 3 pumps, and 1-3 cranks, and didn't die at all.

The original fuel pump always worked, never replaced it.

I was never afraid to use the choke...the original owners manual said use it. But my startup checklist included close choke, for sure.

 

What color are the plugs' electrodes?

 

Perhaps it is just me, but 4-6 cranks on a cold engine that isn't run regularly really doesn't seem so bad. I've had it both ways - some cars start on the first turn, without fail, and others seem to take longer to prime, and need to be coaxed to life. If yours starts every time by the 6th crank, that would be an OK thing in my book.