55 start problem

F

Ford coupe

Senior Member
My 55 starts well until after I drive it and then if it sits for a couple hours at cruise in or show it takes a lot of churning to get it going..If I pump it once or twice it seems like it just takes longer..Am I maybe looking at carb getting dirty with this ethanol or??Still has 6 volt and wondering if maybe a Petronix ignition would help??Car runs perfect after starting but a little afraid of it not starting before battery gets ran down...Your thoughts guys Thanks
 
Does it start more easily when it's been sitting overnight or more? Do you keep a trickle charger on it when parked at home?
How old is the battery?
It could be the ignition system needing another volt or so to get it to fire easily. With only 6v to work with there isn't any extra to spare.
Does the car have the larger 0 or 1 gauge battery and starter cables, with all (6) spotless connections? Including the battery ground on the engine block and the cable lug down on the starter.
Check for any slightly loose or oxidized connections in the yellow wire(s) from the battery side of the starter solenoid to the Ignition switch, and from there to the coil. (red w/ green stripe)

Maybe heat soak evaporating fuel out of the carb while it's parked, but that would likely also be noticeable when starting after a few days of sitting. And much the same if the check valves in the fuel pump are on their way south.

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my first thoughts are bad grounds, battery going bad, it may have proper voltage, but the reserve cranking may not be up to par. you would need to have it load tested, or possible starter going bad . or possible that fuel is draining, or percolating out of the carb, causing a delay until the fuel pump can pump fuel back up to the carb. hope this gives you a few things to check and will help out.
 
I suggest the following test:
(assuming it has the original holley 2100 or Ford EBU, 2bbl carb).
Start engine and allow to run until it achieves normal operating temperature. Shut it off. Immediately remove the air cleaner and look closely down the carb throat. If you see gas dripping down and evaporating inside the intake manifold mixing chamber, then this is your main problem. What is happening here is that your carb is flooding the intake because the little ball check valve at the bottom of the accelerator pump chamber wont seat properly in the little hole. It can be viewed by taking the top off the carb main body and removing the accelerator pump assembly (this is best done with carb removed from the engine).
A little spring clip holds the check ball down in the recess. The way it works is when you press on the accelerator to increase engine speed, the accel pump pulls upward creating a vacuum in the accel pump chamber which in turn pulls that little ball up out of it's seat allowing gas to flow from the float chamber and into the carb. But if the ball doesn't seat good after accelerator is released to the idle position, it will drip gas.
I have one that will empty out the float chamber in two days time if I leave it set that long. When I do leave it set for a couple of days, I prime the carb before I crank the engine. It always starts immediately if there's some gas in the float chamber.
 
It sounds to me like gas boiling in the carb after shut down. Reset the float to the low side of the spec, and use a phenolic block under the carb.
 
Ole Don said:
It sounds to me like gas boiling in the carb after shut down. Reset the float to the low side of the spec, and use a phenolic block under the carb.
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That's exactly what it sounds like to me.

My very first Ranchwagon back in 1966 had the same symptoms. I didn't know much about cars then and we tried a bunch of different things.
My neighbor used to watch us, to much amusement I'm sure.
After about a week he came over and suggested we lower the float level in the carb (Ford 94). Then he proceeded to do it for us and the car never started or ran so good.
 
Going by the fact that you did not mention that the engine did not turn over well(i.e. a weak battery) I would look at the carburetor. If is the original style 2 barrel, they are bad about leaking fuel and flooding; but after sitting for several hours starts well. You can easily check this by running the engine, cut it off, remove the air cleaner and look at the throttle plate. If it appears wet after a few seconds, there is an internal leak. This could be an over full float bowl, but more often a leaking power valve or the little rubber check valve (sorry I don't know the name of this). This would explain the fact that a couple pumps on the accelerator makes the problem worse.

It is true that a 12 volt system will crank faster but the 6 volt system will work fine if it is all in good shape; this includes the cables. A 6 volt system is not as forgiving as a 12 volt and needs more periodic attention to connections and grounds.
 
So I am leaning to the leakyball valve as it starts after sitting overnight or couple days but not if I let it sit a couple or 3 hrs after it is warmed up to op temp..I think it starts after a while if I hold pedal all the way down and do not pump..Would the little ball not be sealing properly because of wear or just maybe some build up because of the ethanol gas..Is a complete cleaning and a carb kit necessary or can the ball be replaced..I will do the filter off check to see if I can detect any leakage first though...Thanks much barners...Harry
 
Ford coupe said:
Would the little ball not be sealing properly because of wear or just maybe some build up because of the ethanol gas.
Click to expand...
Very doubtful the ball would be worn. If your carb is the Ford EBU, the hole where the ball sits is flush with the bottom of the accel pump chamber, so gunk would be easy to detect, but if your carb is the Holley 2100, the ball sits down in a little recess you might be able to reach with a pipe cleaner. still very hard to clean. In my opinion, the only way to correct leakage here is to very carefully ream the surface where the ball sits with a virgin drill bit held perfectly square in a drill-press. Only take off a tiny bit of metal enough to achieve a perfect tapered surface for the ball to sit on. In addition to this, I would recommend a larger diameter steel ball but not more than 1/64th of an inch larger. I do not recommend this operation be done by an amateur!

Ford coupe said:
Is a complete cleaning and a carb kit necessary or can the ball be replaced
Click to expand...

All complete carb rebuild kits include the steel ball check but it is exactly the same diameter and weight as the old one.
 
1955 2 barrel Carb hard starting after shutting off for awhile you need to put in a new power valve. These will leak and flood your intake. These come in a new Carb rebuilding kit. I think it takes a 15/16 wrench to change it, only tighten lighly. Make sure to use the same kind of gasket as the old one. By the wat you better change your oil and filter because all that gas went into your oil pan. LOL.
 
I doubt if it's a bad power valve in this case, since the car runs well when it's running. Just won't start hot. A power valve that was leaking thru the diaphragm into the intake manifold would run pig rich, and that doesn't seem to be his problem.

Sal
 
Yes the start problem is the only problem as it runs and starts perfect but if it is brought to op temp and let sit at say cruise nioght for a couple hrs it takes more than it should to start..Let it sit 5 or 10 to maybe gas up starts fine...I think the pump ball is a good shot...Thanks barners...Gotta keep those ol Fords running...Harry
 
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