Starting in cold weather

My stock 74 with 258/1bl YF starts very hard in the tropical air the northeast is known for this time of year R) . When its cold out even like in the high 30's. I have to pump the gas 15-20 times while turning the motor over for about 15-30 seconds. As soon as it fires and I rev it once it high idles beautifully and never dies. Is it common to have to turn it over and pump the gas that many times or is something askew? By the way it does this no matter how many notches rich I set the choke, so I set it 1 rich (factory spec).

 

My 84 with the 258 is that way too even with the MSD ignition and Weber carb. May not be apples to apples but thought it might help.

 

One possibility is that the float bowl dries out over time. How often do you drive? Do you have the stock air cleaner? Either that or the pump shot is anemic and it takes too many pump shots to prime the carb.

How about fuel injection? Pricey, but worthwhile. Cold starting is one of its strongest advantages. You should be able to do Megasquirt for $400-600 if you're handy with electricity and electronics.

 

Here in Iowa we have been having very cold weather as of late. I basically open the door, pump the gas a few times and turn the key. This week has been a bit warmer, in the low teens, so it fires right up and stays running. Last week, it would start, run for a short time and die. It would do this a couple of times and then stay running. I have a motorcraft 2100 and an HEI. Probably not the same as you run either, but it works great.
What about the fuel pump leaking back towards the tank??? They are cheap and easy to replace.
High5

 

I do have the stock air cleaner. I have started once daily for several days in a row and it takes a while each time. I just rebuilt it (the carb) and I have tested the accel pump, it definitely squits a shot in there. I'm wondering if this is just the nature of the beast.

 

i put a manuel choke on my 84 258 pump three times and it fires up.takes a while to warm up though

 

Do the HEI mod and a webber carb and it take 1-2 pumps and starts up everytime warm or cold weather.

HEI mod is cheap let me know if you want the info on the mod.

 

I don't have a 258 (or an intermediate for that matter), but I agree about the HEI. My 225 used to be the same way......until I put the HEI in. Now, as long as it is warmer than ~ -10*, mine takes 2 pumps and a pull on the choke and starts every time.

 

I may try the hei ignition but I just rebuilt the YF carb and it runs really nice once it starts (hot or cold). So I think I am going to stick it out with the stock carb for now. There are a few more things I will try before making the hei swap. I was just wondering if hard cold starts was a no charge feature with this particular carb.

 

Since I swapped to the HEI, my 75 w/258 starts up immediately with just a couple of pumps on the pedal. Haven't tried it yet in cold weather but the HEI made a huge difference in driveability. Best upgrade I've done on my CJ5.

 

Don't go and buy a new HEI ignition check e-bay. A stock chevy 250 I-6 fits perfectly. Just change out the drive gear by pushing out the roll pin and swap the gear replace the roll pin and drop in the HEI and hook up one keyed hot wire to the ignition and your off. I've done this mode to several 258's for less than $40.

 

The HEI is a great upgrade, but maybe the suggestions to upgrade are telling us something about your ignition system? Maybe the carburetor isn't at fault, and you instead have a weak spark. It's possible, because the fuel is less volatile at low temperature, and you simply need a lot of fuel for the weak spark to ignite it.

I don't know of an obvious way to check an ignition coil other than to look at the spark color or to replace it. You should have the Prestolite ECU, and I've only heard of those either working or not. They are often sensitive to under-hood temps, when they become intermittent. The distributor-ECU connection and sense coil are also sensitive to oxidized connections.

If you want to replace the coil, and find that it's not the problem, it's good to have a spare coil anyway (BTDT).

 

Thanks for all the responses guys. All along ignition issues have been in the back of my mind. I have one of those inline spark testers that lets you know if you have spark and it gets brighter for a stronger spark and dimmer for a weaker one. I am going to replace the wires ASAP and see if that helps. The biggest ignition issue I have had, and I have posted many posts on it, is that my pully has no timing marks so I don't know if I am advanced or retarded. But I have suspected the ignition from the start but was thrown off track by the fact that it would start after several pumps on the gas.

 

Just a suggestion before you plunk down some money on new wires.

With yours being a '74, I'm not even sure if your CJ has the prestolite ignition module with the star wheel pickup in distributor. If it does, I would definately plan to replace that with an HEI set-up, which will require special HEI wires. By replacing the distributor+wires, as timgr pointed out, it might totally solve your carburetor problem.

If you do not have the prestolite setup and want to change the wires as stated, you might want to go ahead and get wires that are HEI compatable, so you won't have to spring for those later down the road.

 

Yes as I think about it, the Jeep has a points ignition (not sure if Prestolite or not) so I would need an electronic dist in order to upgrade anything. I can get the wires for $20, and I don't plan on doing any major ignition changes until the spring. So I can eat the $20 if I decide to upgrade.

 

If the wires have been on there since you bought the Jeep, it'd certainly be good to change them. Do you have a radio? If not, you can use copper or copper-clad (copper plated steel) wires and solder the ends to the terminals. Very reliable, although they will cause a lot of radio noise.

 

pull the cap off the distubutor and check to see it your points are worn. Points igniton is just fine if you ajust every now an then.

 

My 72 I have to pump the gas pedel about 3 or 4 times and it starts up and runs fine I have a 1bbl and a 258, the coldest temp here this winter has been +2 and started great i thought, I driver her everyday to work. Although after reading this thred I am thinking about chainging to hei.sounds prety inexpensive.