66 barracuda Carter four barrel needs starting fluid

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Quick shot of starting fluid the car fires right up. Without starting fluid I can crank and crank and crank can't get it to start. Choke appears to be properly set Accelerator pump appears to be working but if the car sits for more than a day or two it won't start without starting fluid
 
Yes it kind of sounds like all the gas is leaving the bowl while parked.

When you pump the throttle with the engine cold and not running, the choke plate should move to all the way closed and streams of gas should go into the main barrels from the accelerator pump.
 
I've found that gasoline evaporates from my carburetor if it sits for any length of time. One thing you could do is add a solenoid-style electric pump wired into your starter circuit so that it only runs while you're cranking. See Vapor Lock.
 
Originally Posted by fraso
I've found that gasoline evaporates from my carburetor if it sits for any length of time. One thing you could do is add a solenoid-style electric pump wired into your starter circuit so that it only runs while you're cranking. ...
Common problem with carburetors. I installed an electric pump in the fuel line, with a momentary contact electrical switch so I could refill the carburetor before cranking. That helped a lot.
 
I think the auxiliary electric fuel pump is an interesting and easy idea. Still, American cars of this era didn't require their owners to carry cans of ether with them just to operate the vehicle unless they were broken. Something is wrong with the carb.
 
does anyone know a carburetor repair person in So. Cal? Or is it easy to rebuild. never done it before
 
Originally Posted by VQLT
does anyone know a carburetor repair person in So. Cal? Or is it easy to rebuild. never done it before

Honestly, with the cheap availability of aftermarket Carter carbs (Edelbrock), in both square bore & GM spread bore, I don't know why anyone would fight with an old one. Last on I put on was a 500 CFM on my brother's 283 in his Jeep, 1 year later it's still working well, they're not difficult to dial in either. Aftermarket Holleys are available too. Shame southern Cali is so far away, I always loved those old 'Cudas-I'd take it off your hands!
crazy.gif
 
Many years ago I had a 440 with a Holley with the choke horn milled off. Car started all the time just fine, I just had to fines it a little when it was cold. Suddenly, one winter, it would crank and not fire unless I gave it a little shot of ether. Once warm, it started fine for the rest of the day.
Once I got to a weekend, I took it inside the shop to troubleshoot it. I forget what the plugs looked like ( it was about 30 years ago) but I changed them and that was the end of the problem. Might be worth a look.
 
Originally Posted by bullwinkle
Originally Posted by VQLT
does anyone know a carburetor repair person in So. Cal? Or is it easy to rebuild. never done it before

Honestly, with the cheap availability of aftermarket Carter carbs (Edelbrock), in both square bore & GM spread bore, I don't know why anyone would fight with an old one. Last on I put on was a 500 CFM on my brother's 283 in his Jeep, 1 year later it's still working well, they're not difficult to dial in either. Aftermarket Holleys are available too. Shame southern Cali is so far away, I always loved those old 'Cudas-I'd take it off your hands!
crazy.gif

Throttle body injection kits are pretty cheap, like $1000 USD for a self-learning TBI. Why even bother with a carb at all when you can have self-tuning fuel injection for an extra $500.
 
Originally Posted by VQLT
matching numbers original carb that's why I want to rebuild ...€


In that case, you might want to send it to Scott at harmsauto.com .
 
are you sure that your problem is 'Fuel' Starter fluid will pretty much fire by the compression. A weak spark could be your problem. After sitting for a couple of days, maybe the starter drag is dropping the voltage so that the spark is weak. Don't assume its the carb !!
 
Originally Posted by partspro
are you sure that your problem is 'Fuel' Starter fluid will pretty much fire by the compression. A weak spark could be your problem. After sitting for a couple of days, maybe the starter drag is dropping the voltage so that the spark is weak. Don't assume its the carb !!
+1
 
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