Skip to main content

So, I've owned the Primal Princess for 8 years now and she is as perfect as I could ever hope.

She has 3 distinct quirks thought:

1. 5 cranks required on cold start-up
2. Engine shuts off on a sharp right turn without throttle
3. Temperature gauge reads excessively high until you tap it.

There is really only one quirk that I wouldn't mind eliminating.

It takes approximately four to five separate crank attempts to start the engine when cold. I pump the gas during each crank and in between cranks and starts reliably by the 5th crank. When I bought the car, I was told it was because in that type of carburetor (Edelbrock 1406 600 CFM, four barrel) the bowl(s) tend to evaporate leaving them empty of fuel for start up. I figured I'd ask if anyone knows of a quick fix or if this is a common phenomenon.

Happy driving!

-William
Last edited {1}
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

It is a lot of fuel to evaporate between starts unless you leave the car for quite a while between uses.

I would check the float levels, sounds like they could be low, possibly contributing to the right turn cut out also.

Next time before you go to start up check the fuel bowls to see the actual fuel level, see if they really are empty.

If there is time for the fuel to evaporate from the bowls leaving them empty or low on startup you may want to consider replacing the mechanical fuel pump with a electric fuel pump. It will fill the bowls with fuel before the engine is cranked.
Thanks, great point. I'll check and see if I can adjust them. I should have mentioned that this happens when the car has been sitting for two weeks or more. It's not uncommon for it to sit 4-6 weeks between runs, unfortunately. Not sure I want to make the jump to electric fuel pump quite yet though. I'll investigate.

Gooday Mate! (Hope I spell that correctly Smiler)
Last edited by duz185
Duz, two suggestions: first, a gear-drive starter puts maybe twice the torque into the engine so starts are much quicker, especially when hot. A separate large ground cable between engine and a clean, bare spot on the frame also helps. There should already be a braided ground cable between the rear of the ZF and the frame but some find that a second one on the block helps.

Second, if the car does regularly sit for awhile, you can splice in a small electric fuel pump with a momentary on-switch. Using this pump for maybe 5 seconds before starting fills the carb bowls and makes every startup fast. Electric pumps do not back-flow so only one check-valve need be used (to keep the electric pump from sending fuel back thru the mechanical pump and into the tank as well as to the carb).

Add Reply

Post
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×