The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Hint for cold weather starting

My 216 (1946 3100) has always taken a long time cranking over to start in cold weather (30/40 degrees). I found a solution, I put a small hand held hair dryer on a pad on the fender and point it at the carb - about 8-10 inches away. I let the dryer run at the lowest heat and fan setting for 20-30 minutes. After doing this, the carb it is only a bit more than luke warm....definitely not hot. After warming the carb the engine starts almost instantly with very little choking and with 1 pump of the gas pedal. Obviously, I make sure the dryer is stable on the fender and sitting on a hot pad. I also stay nearby while the dryer is running. Doing this has saved alot of cranking and wear on the battery.

Last Christmas it was 12*F here in Atlanta. I drove Ol' Roy to the Christmas party and it started normally with no extra shenanigans. Pump the pedal a few times, pull choke out all the way and step on the button. Spins over as fast in cold weather as it does in hot weather.

I'd say there is something causing your truck not to start normally in weather that isn't really all that cold.

A properly working carburetor and choke system doesn't need a lot of coaxing to start. Turn ignition on- - - -pull choke knob all the way out. Crank the engine until it starts, or at least hits a time or two. Push choke knob halfway in and crank. If the engine doesn't start, fix the carburetor, or the ignition system, or both. Good compression on all cylinders helps, too.

Automatic chokes are smarter than all drivers, and most mechanics.
Jerry

Daves46pu, I'm way down south here in Washtenaw county, I kinda' agree with the other posts, might be time to check into some tune up items. My 283, manual choke, 2 barrel Rochester has no problems in the winter, and I get it out no matter the weather. Of course, I don't get the gentile breezes and lite snow that you have by the pond.

Im hoping my old 235 will keep starting easy in the old 62 C10.
I rebuilt the carb a few months ago and its workin good. Generally I can pull the choke ,pat the gas a couple times and she fires right up 👍. Soon as she hits, I push the choke halfway back in , let her run a minute ,then in to a quarter way. Then back down and she is ready 👍 ... All this with old plugs, wires an points. When I got it runnin back in the spring, I only replaced what was needed till I knew the 235 was good.. Coil , condenser, 1 plug and file the points. I also boiled out the gas tank, put in a new pickup assembly and got a new fuel pump & fuel filter.
I have all my tune-up stuff as of yesterday, so it aughta be good to go for the winter 😁



Years ago I had a 350 chevy with the heatriser choke. Got in, pat it 1 time and it fired right up. A good old Qjet 👍😁

Iv'e had a lot of trucks with Q-Jets, and my Vette still has the original, I like those carbs. In the words of some guy on this forum, GM spent a lot of money on R & D for a lot of years to make a product reliable. Let us not try to re-invent the wheel or make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

Here in NW Ala, my 52 with a 216 and rochester carb starts easily in cold weather. it is kept in an unheated garage. i do not touch the accelerator, choke it hard, step on the starter and it typically starts after a few revolutions. Once started use accelerator and choke to get it running smoothly.

I’ve learned to keep a can of starting fluid behind the seat in my ‘56 (265 V8 w/quadrajet).

If it’s been a while since I’ve driven anywhere, a shot down the throat before I turn the key saves me a lot of needless cranking to refill the fuel lines and carburetor. After it hits and shudders the first time, it usually starts right up on the second try.

Greg

I pull the choke all the way out, pull the throttle out just a bit. I don't touch the gas pedal. I don't want the accelerator pump to dump cold non-atomized fuel onto the cold intake runner to get sucked into the cylinder where it will not burned and simply pours down past the rings and into the oil pan, contaminating the oil with raw gasoline.
Once the engine starts, I push the choke knob in gradually until it begins to stumble slightly and leave it there. I then pull the throttle knob out a bit to counteract the slight stumble caused by the choke being opened up. A short time after that, I can push the choke knob all the way in without affecting the smooth idle. Now I can go down the road and can then push the throttle knob all the way back in.

I do almost exactly this. The hand throttle is so convenient.

On my Rochester pulling thr choke knob advances the linkage at the carb to apply a small amount of accerator to the carb. I assume it is factory to do so.

That's called a "fast idle cam"- - - -it's there to keep the engine from stalling from lack of air when the choke is partially closed.
Jerry

If the hand throttle is used to set a throttle position prior to starting the engine, it is actuating the throttle linkage and accelerator pump just the same as the peddle does. I agree that it is probably much less liquid being pumped and as long as the engine starts well and you open the choke as much as the engine can stand, it seems to be a good sequence. The Rochester 2G 2 barrel on my 283 has a hand throttle, it actuates the entire throttle linkage just as the peddle does, maybe the single barrel carbs have a different approach.

Tks. Works good for cold starts.

Fifty years ago I was on a road trip in my same ol' '51 pickup with two friends looking for a festival venue. We visited all the back-to-the-land homesteads in northeast Washington. It was February during a cold snap. Snow driving was easy, like driving on sand. At the end of every day I took my old army blanket and threw it over the engine, lit the kerosene lantern and put it under the oil pan and took the battery in the house. Started right up every morning. It then had a Carter YF carb on it with manual choke.

After five days of this I was tired, so on the last day I didn't take the battery out. It's heavy. It was a long way to the house. Well wouldn't you know, that night it went to -40F. Next morning went out, stepped on the starter and unnh.... That's all. Well, take the battery out and into the house to sit next to the stove. Half an hour later put it back in the truck. Same result. Four of us tried to push the pickup on level ground. Wouldn't budge. Gear oil is stiff at -40. About that time the county road crew came by in their van and I talked them into giving us a tow. Threw out a chain to rap around the trailer hitch and off we went. The county guys looked really doubtful that there was any hope of getting started but as soon as I let out the clutch it was running.

We all cheered and went back to wait for the motor to warm up enough for the heater to work. It was then I understood why GM had offered a recirculating option for their fresh air heater. At forty below the best you can hope for is warm dog's breath from the heater even with cardboard in front of the radiator. I still think about that recirculating heater I didn't buy in the wrecking yard that time long ago.

But now with two 228 Zenieth's and 12 volts running through that 6-volt starter it starts even in the coldest weather which last winter was -15F.

You made me cold just thinking about it. The coldest that I can remember experiencing -23 in 1985.