400 Hard starting

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May 22, 2014 | 09:26 PM

Davehart24

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400 Hard starting

Hello. im in the process of putting together my 1977 highboy with a 400 and for some reason every time i try to start it it cranks and cranks for minutes on end. The odd part is it will only start when i continually pump the gas, and i mean pump it ALOT. It has an edelbrock 600 cfm carb. I looked in the carb and pumped the gas and it sent out a nice stream of fuel so the jets are working alright. Whys it taking so much fuel to start? i even have to pump it a ton just a few minutes after shutting it off. Today i cranked it over so much that the new battery went dead. Also sometimes it will fire up the second i let off the key, almost like the starter it stealing the voltage so it wont start. Could this be timing maybe? thanks a lot, dave

May 22, 2014 | 09:33 PM

Davehart24

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also it seems to start a lot worse when its warm

May 22, 2014 | 09:50 PM

Blue and White

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Since you have verified fuel and pump shot I wonder if it is an ignition issue? Maybe check coil voltage when cranking... it should be around 7-8 volts. How about the ballast resistor (if equipped?).