Hard to start in the morning
 

My '86 vintage olds v-8 307 will only crank after I turn and turn it over more than several times. It will only do this when it sits over night. Once cranked, it will crank on the first turn. It has been doing this for the pass 16 year or so. We have done everything to the carb and then some with no success. Everyone has their own ideas, but none works. Would appreciate any help I can get as to why and how to correct it. Many thanks. Neil

Re: Hard to start in the morning
 

It sounds like the carburetor is draining itself overnight. If it has a quadrajet, they were known leakers. There is a kit available to repair that.

Re: Hard to start in the morning
 

One shot between the headlights to put it out of its misery, and then call the crusher!

Re: Hard to start in the morning
 

Ole Don. Thanks. but we installed a new repair kit and still the same. Ones in the know here are puzzled by this. What kit are you referring to?

Re: Hard to start in the morning
 

Here's another possibility...
If it has a mechanical fuel pump with worn check valves, the fuel line up to the carb can gravity drain back down to the fuel tank level when sitting overnight. If there's a see-thru fuel filter near the carb check it first thing in the morning.

Re: Hard to start in the morning
 

I agree with dmsfrr it could be the fuel pump. had this happen to me on a 75 chev. p/u that I owned for 29 years. the longest I ever owned any vehicle. sorry it was not a ford.

Re: Hard to start in the morning
 

if you do buy a new fuel pump dont get one mage in china, they dont have a fuel pressure regulation in them like the usa pumps, most will put out #8 or more pressure and over power the needle and seat and flood motor

Re: Hard to start in the morning
 

Jim, im confused, do you mean the engine cranks only one time at first then will crank better after a few turns?

Re: Hard to start in the morning
 

Alaska Jim, if you drove anything for 29 years, good for you. We don't much care what it was. Back to the carburetor; back in the day, there were two types of carb kits for Q jet carbs. The good one included epoxy to seal the hole in the center that would leak down overnight. NSTEGAL needs to find an old grey haired mechanic with forty years experience who remembers how this was done. I read about it back in the day, but have never done one. Good luck!

Re: Hard to start in the morning
 

I have removed the top of the carb in the morning to check for leak down, There were full fuel in the carb. This is what has puzzled all of us here. Many thanks guys for your help.

Re: Hard to start in the morning
 

so when you give it a shot in the morning theres a good squirt of fuel coming out?

Re: Hard to start in the morning
 

ole Don, I know what you talking about. there are 2 lead plugs on the bottom side of the fuel bowel. these were frequently leaks. I used to seal them with a quick set epoxy that the shop got from the Bowman fastener people. I have done this to hundreds of Q-jets over the years. this and the fuel pump anti-drain back valves were a problem in the mid and late '70s. driving that '75 K-20 Chevy P/U for 29 years let me spend my extra money on my hot rods and other things I wanted. I did have to restore it once in the early '90s , started getting rusty again about 2008, did not want to do another frame off, sold it and bought a new 1/2 ton. I should have done the frame off. the old truck is 10 times the truck the new one is, and the fuel mileage is not that much better considering the computerized fuel Inj. and the truck is lighter than the old Chev.

Re: Hard to start in the morning
 

after re reading all the post's another possibility is that the choke pull-off ( some carbs have 2 one is used as a secondary lock out ) is not adjusted properly or not getting a good enough vac. signal to pull it open fast enough. this and a choke that is adj. to tight may cause this. once warmed up the choke plate is open and the pull-off is not needed

Re: Hard to start in the morning
 

Pump the accelerator a few times prior to attempting to start. If this allows the engine to start, the choke is either sticking or set too lean. If it doesn't start easily, fuel may be leaking out of the float bowl and this calls for another rebuild with an ethanol resistant kit and maybe the fix presented by Ole Don.

One easy way to check for leak-down is to run the engine for a bit and then let it sit for about 15 minutes. Have someone start the car (depress the accelerator 1 and 1/2 times prior to engaging the starter) while you stand behind it and look at the exhaust gas. If it blows a small black puff at start -up, it is a carburetor leak-down problem. A black puff is sign of an excessively rich mixture.