cold Start
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From: Alabama
cold Start
got a question and hoping someone might be able to help, i've got a 79 f150 4x4 with a 460, I have a heck of a time starting it when cold, it fires right up when the key is turned and then dies and then i have to turn it over for five minute and keep playing with the choke before it fires up. i just had a new 750 edelbrock put on and adjusted, it is a pain to start, but after it starts and gets warm it will start right up. but after it sits for 4-5 hours back to the grind of starting it. someone mentioned getting a bigger battery cause the one I have only has like 650 cranking amps. anyone had this problem before?
Last edited by big-red-one; Apr 1, 2004 at 08:47 PM.
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From: Cranbrook, BC, Canada
Definately should have a 1000 cca battery to turn over a big block. Do you have the heat tube hooked up from an exhaust manifold to the air cleaner. Carb could be icing up if its cold enough.
Posting Guru
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From: Saratoga, NY
Sounds to me like you have a problem with your choke, if your have to play with it I will assume it is a manual choke. Sounds like possibly it isn't closing enough to start and keep running. As for the battery 650cca is what the spec is for a 460, you could go a little higher maybe 750, but beyond that your basically buying more than you will ever use. At 70 F your only using about 350 amps to crank the engine, there is just so many amps a starter will draw, The problem with getting a higher than necessary rating
is the full battery capacity is never utilized and this leads to sulfation early in the cells where the excess capacity is not being used. In fact if you were to completely discharge a battery from time to time and recharge it would last much longer, but who whats to fuss with that.
is the full battery capacity is never utilized and this leads to sulfation early in the cells where the excess capacity is not being used. In fact if you were to completely discharge a battery from time to time and recharge it would last much longer, but who whats to fuss with that.
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
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Here in nw Pa we get realy cold. We had a cold spell and didn't get to zero for a few days. Out of curiosity I put a breaker bar on my 400 at -8 deg. and did notice a noticible differance but it felt like little more than a rebuilt engine, not enough to make a big differance. Guess batteries just dont work well at Very cold temps.
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From: Saratoga, NY
I used to see for sale a battery blanket that you would plug in to your house to keep it warm, that I'm sure would help out alot. I can't remember off the top of my head but electrons don't move as quickly when it gets cold.
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2000
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From: Albuquerque
Does it turn over smartly when cranking cold or kind of drag? If it turns over at a good clip you might be flooding it with too much choke.
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From: Billings, Montana
When it was -20 here this past winter, I got up to go to school and when I went to start my truck, has a 400, I could literally feel the pistons moving up and down using all of my 850cca on my battery. It was a pain but got it to start.
I had to pull the choke out all the way and leave it there for a minute or so before it ran good enough to go. I also left my foot on the pedal just very lightly. It sounded like it was running really rich, which it was, but it stayed running and had no worries.
I had to pull the choke out all the way and leave it there for a minute or so before it ran good enough to go. I also left my foot on the pedal just very lightly. It sounded like it was running really rich, which it was, but it stayed running and had no worries.
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From: Alabama
Well I'm down in Alabama, so sub-zero temps is not the problem, i went and put a 850cca battery in it today and it turns over alot faster but still takes to long to fire, and the possibilty of flooding seems to be the case, i thought maybe the fuel pump, and then I pulled the air cleaner off and it had gas on the bottom of the lid, i guess i'll just have to get the hang of this choke, but by the way I put this 750 performer on this non-modified 460, anyone out there think I may have over did it? and should have went with a 650?
Thanks everyone for the great response, I'm glad I found this forum, everyone has been a help! thanks Nick.
Thanks everyone for the great response, I'm glad I found this forum, everyone has been a help! thanks Nick.
Last edited by big-red-one; Apr 2, 2004 at 07:33 PM.
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my stock 79 F150 does the same thing when its cold. five pumps on the pedel fires up and dies pump five more times but hold the throttle just a hair above idle fire it up and hold the rpms up until stable and it warms up no prop choke is set good high idles fine its just one of those things
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From: Saratoga, NY
The choke has nothing to do with that gas on the lid, But you sure are getting too much gas from the get-go, is the float set correctly? How many times are you pumping it before you start it? Some times you have to experiment to find out how many pumps and how far to the floor while cranking, mine is 1 pump and just a fuzz to the floor and it starts right up. I had a problem with gas spewing out due to a float too high, I'm not familiar with Edlebrock carbs but I think the size you have should be spot on. I seem to remember reading something someplace about how to select a carb, you might check the Edlebrock site I think there is some tech about it, heck my Olds Cutlass had a 350, with a 740 CFM carb factory stock.
Posting Legend
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Battery activity goes down with temperature, just basic chemistry.
Try turning on your headlights for a couple of minutes b4 you crank up the engine. The current flowing thru the battery warms it up for a quicker start.
When you have to crank on the engine the choke system builds up excessive amounts of fuel vapor which causes hard starting.
Try turning on your headlights for a couple of minutes b4 you crank up the engine. The current flowing thru the battery warms it up for a quicker start.
When you have to crank on the engine the choke system builds up excessive amounts of fuel vapor which causes hard starting.
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