Engine will not idle when it is cool out side.
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New User
Joined: Nov 2000
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Engine will not idle when it is cool out side.
Hi everyone, I have another problem. When it is cold outside my truck will not idle right. It will start up and run for a few min's then it will die on me. After it get up to running temperature it dies on me. I will go for a drive in it and it will not idle at all. If any one has some hints on what this might be I would like to hear.
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2000
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Engine will not idle when it is cool out side.
Bigtoy, don't know what's causing your bad idle, but I've got it too. (78 Bronco 351M). Mine wants too die after about 3 or 4 min. of running, then it is fine. I've adjusted choke and idle air mixture with little result. Hope someone knows the answer. Don
"Nothing lasts forever except natural stone and old Ford trucks." (Willie Nelson)
"Nothing lasts forever except natural stone and old Ford trucks." (Willie Nelson)
Junior User
Joined: Nov 2000
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Engine will not idle when it is cool out side.
I bet everybody is running those cool chrome air cleaners.
Put the stock air cleaner back on and hook the hose up that
goes down to the exhaust manifold. Let me guess-you are
running headers or tore that ugly metal shroud off the
exhaust manifold-been there done that! Try to rig something
up to pull that warm air in to the carb. The factory didn't
put all that stuff on just to get in the way-you know if they
could have saved money and left it off they would have. I
am assuming you pay too much attention to the hotrod guys
like I do and try to copy their tricks. But they leave their
rides in the garage when it is cold and nasty outside. There
is nothing worse than to try to depend on a 4x4 when it is
cold and snowing outside only to find it won't hardly run.
Never block off the heat passage that runs through the
intake manifold from the heads either. It really gets bad
when you do that.
Put the stock air cleaner back on and hook the hose up that
goes down to the exhaust manifold. Let me guess-you are
running headers or tore that ugly metal shroud off the
exhaust manifold-been there done that! Try to rig something
up to pull that warm air in to the carb. The factory didn't
put all that stuff on just to get in the way-you know if they
could have saved money and left it off they would have. I
am assuming you pay too much attention to the hotrod guys
like I do and try to copy their tricks. But they leave their
rides in the garage when it is cold and nasty outside. There
is nothing worse than to try to depend on a 4x4 when it is
cold and snowing outside only to find it won't hardly run.
Never block off the heat passage that runs through the
intake manifold from the heads either. It really gets bad
when you do that.
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 1,485
Likes: 3
Engine will not idle when it is cool out side.
franklin may be on to something there, I had this happen once on my truck. Opened the hood and found the idle screws covered in ice. Have a look the next time it happens.
Nathan
Nathan
Senior User
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 176
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From: Minneapolis
Engine will not idle when it is cool out side.
Franklin, I don't mean to contradict you, but my 78 351m had the same problem as Bigtoys66 & theloneranger. I pulled the top half of the engine off and replaced the intake with an aluminum one, Holley 650 with manual choke, headers and a big coil. This is my most reliable starting truck. Just leave the choke pulled half way for the first ten minutes of driving, and it will run great. Cutting a 2x2 to the right length will give you a nice idle while it is warming up also. It was -8 this morning here in Minneapolis so that should be a testimony. I never did figure out why my truck would putter out and die after a few minutes of running. Just my experience......
Junior User
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 66
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Engine will not idle when it is cool out side.
I always had a problem when it was about 30-45 degrees and
damp outside. A very cold dry day will not cause the problem.
I always suspected the carb was icing and fouling up the
carb operation somehow but I never caught it like Nathan
described. But I have had it get so bad that the throttle
will stick while driving down the road. If you park it for
awhile after getting to where you are going it never seems
to do it the rest of the day. I think the heat finally soaks
up into the carb. Maybe that aluminum intake distributes the
heat faster to the carb. If you look at very old vehicles that have an air cleaner with no pipe, the factory ran an exhaust passage directly under the carb-or as in a six they bolted the intake and exhaust manifolds together.
damp outside. A very cold dry day will not cause the problem.
I always suspected the carb was icing and fouling up the
carb operation somehow but I never caught it like Nathan
described. But I have had it get so bad that the throttle
will stick while driving down the road. If you park it for
awhile after getting to where you are going it never seems
to do it the rest of the day. I think the heat finally soaks
up into the carb. Maybe that aluminum intake distributes the
heat faster to the carb. If you look at very old vehicles that have an air cleaner with no pipe, the factory ran an exhaust passage directly under the carb-or as in a six they bolted the intake and exhaust manifolds together.
New User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Engine will not idle when it is cool out side.
I HAd This Problem and it was my choke .Hope this helps CHeck to see if its open . it should stay closed until hot . But its is the carb it seems to me
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,323
Likes: 2
From: Montana Territory
Engine will not idle when it is cool out side.
I hear that your gas tank can vacuum lock try to just ake the cap off and see if it improves or rather when it dies if you can get the cap off that may help. That happened to me. Just a suggestion.
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