1971 Buick Skylark 350 Takes forever to start

[Jackhammer0312]

Sooo got an electric pump and wired that up and now I'm 100% getting fuel now and did the point gap on the ignition points (.016") so since those are out of the way I don't really know what else to do. I have a dwell meter and timing light now though, so that's cool. I did notice though that when I pumped the pedal/throttle linkage that no fuel was going down from the little holes its supposed to come out of, but I can smell some gas. Should I order a rebuild kit or would this be something simple? Again, any and all help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[HotZ28]

Do you have a 2-barrel carb, or the 4-barrel quad? Did you ever change the fuel filters inline, or on the carb? It sounds like fuel is leaking into the manifold after the engine is shut down.

 

[Jackhammer0312]

Do you have a 2-barrel carb, or the 4-barrel quad? Did you ever change the fuel filters inline, or on the carb? It sounds like fuel is leaking into the manifold after the engine is shut down.

4 Barrel Edelbrock 1405 is what's currently on it. did change all the fuel filter(s) i could find (one before the carb)

 

[DrivenDaily]

When you step on the throttle and squirt gas, that is the accelerator pump doing that. It enriches the A/F charge to prevent a lean-burn condition when accelerating quickly. It also lets you prime the A/F charge when starting cold.

You now have an electric pump. What is the pressure? Check the specs for your specific carb. You probably don't want to exceed 6-8 psi, but check the specs since different brands have different specs.

 

[Jackhammer0312]

When you step on the throttle and squirt gas, that is the accelerator pump doing that. It enriches the A/F charge to prevent a lean-burn condition when accelerating quickly. It also lets you prime the A/F charge when starting cold.

You now have an electric pump. What is the pressure? Check the specs for your specific carb. You probably don't want to exceed 6-8 psi, but check the specs since different brands have different specs.

I have a regulator on that's set to 5.5psi since the Edelbrock 1405 manual that I looked up said it should be no more than 6 and to put it at 5.5, slipped my mind to check what it actually was reading. I'll hook up a fuel pressure gauge when I get home and check it.

 

[MelsRegal]

Sooo got an electric pump and wired that up and now I'm 100% getting fuel now and did the point gap on the ignition points (.016") so since those are out of the way I don't really know what else to do. I have a dwell meter and timing light now though, so that's cool. I did notice though that when I pumped the pedal/throttle linkage that no fuel was going down from the little holes its supposed to come out of, but I can smell some gas. Should I order a rebuild kit or would this be something simple? Again, any and all help is greatly appreciated!!

The electric pump is connected directly to the carburetor and the mechanical pump is disconnected?
Did you set the dwell to 30 degrees?
Roughly how cold is it when you fully apply the mechanical choke?

 

[Jackhammer0312]

The electric pump is connected directly to the carburetor and the mechanical pump is disconnected?
Did you set the dwell to 30 degrees?
Roughly how cold is it when you fully apply the mechanical choke?

Yes and the engine hasn't run in like 3 or 4 weeks so I haven't been able to check the dwell, I do know that the point gap is correct though via feeler gauge. And when it did run I applied the choke fully in I'd say around 40-50F. Even then (with or without the choke closed) it would take until the battery was about to die to start up.

 

[LARRY70GS]

In post #12, I outlined a simple procedure to test the bypass circuit for primary voltage. If that bypass circuit is not working, you will have a weak spark when cranking the engine to start. That will result in hard starting especially in cold weather. If you don't have a voltmeter, you can also run a simple jumper wire from the + terminal of the battery to the coil positive. See if the engine starts quicker. If it does you have found your problem. Don't leave the jumper wire connected as that will decrease point life. This is from the 1971 Buick Chassis Manual,

I doubt the problem is lack of fuel since you can smell it. Unless the carburetor is flooding, I'd lean more towards ignition.

 

[Jackhammer0312]

In post #12, I outlined a simple procedure to test the bypass circuit for primary voltage. If that bypass circuit is not working, you will have a weak spark when cranking the engine to start. That will result in hard starting especially in cold weather. If you don't have a voltmeter, you can also run a simple jumper wire from the + terminal of the battery to the coil positive. See if the engine starts quicker. If it does you have found your problem. Don't leave the jumper wire connected as that will decrease point life.



I doubt the problem is lack of fuel since you can smell it. Unless the carburetor is flooding, I'd lean more towards ignition.

Oh shoot i completely forgot to do that, just getting ahead of myself! Will try that tonight!

 

[LARRY70GS]

Just make sure you don't pump the gas too much. If the choke is closing and set correctly, one pump of the gas, or 2 AT MOST is all you need. The engine should fire instantly if you have a strong spark.

 

[Jackhammer0312]

Just make sure you don't pump the gas too much. If the choke is closing and set correctly, one pump of the gas, or 2 AT MOST is all you need. The engine should fire instantly if you have a strong spark.

When i do pump the pedal shouldn't some gas be visible coming out from the little holes where it comes out of in the carb? Last night I noticed nothing was coming out of them when I pumped the pedal, just an fyi

 

[MelsRegal]

When i do pump the pedal shouldn't some gas be visible coming out from the little holes where it comes out of in the carb? Last night I noticed nothing was coming out of them when I pumped the pedal, just an fyi

You are describing a failed accelerator pump. With the choke open and manually opening the throttle you should see gas squirt into the front two barrels of the carburetor.

 

[Jackhammer0312]

You are describing a failed accelerator pump. With the choke open and manually opening the throttle you should see gas squirt into the front two barrels of the carburetor.

Ah okay, I'll get to ordering one. Thank you!!

 

[LARRY70GS]

Ethanol fuel will eventually swell the accelerator pump plunger. Make sure you buy parts that are ethanol resistant.

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UP FOR SALE IS THIS NEW ETHANOL TOLERANT EDELBROCK ACCELERATOR PUMP WITH A BLUE CUP. IT SERVICES ALL EDELBROCK AFB CARBURETORS, NUMBER: 1403, 1404, 1400, 1405, 1406, 1407, 1409, 1410, 1411, 1412, 1413.

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[Jackhammer0312]

Alright so found a guy on a corvette forum that was having the same exact problem as me with the same carb and he said after he poured a little gas down the carb itself and closed the choke before starting it, it started right up and then started just fine after shutting it off for a bit. I decided to try that last night and it worked! I replaced the accelerator pump before that and no luck in seeing gas squirt into the intake though before all that, but there was dirt and yucky stuff at the bottom of the bowls so I thoroughly cleaned all that before putting the new accel pump in. Drove it to work and back today just fine besides the dwell being off a bit and the idle being low enough to make me stall a couple times in traffic (and got new tires thanks to an awesome friend I've known for about 17 years!). Fixed that when I got home though and sounds and feels a lot better, but still need to do the timing on it and didn't have a wrench on hand that was short enough to get between everything to loosen the distributor hold down bolt. Should be able to do that Sunday though, so things are looking up!

 

[Brian Atom]

A month ago I acquired an awesome 1971 Buick Skylark 350 that runs and drives good, but it takes absolutely forever to start no matter the weather. Now it will start up after about 5 seconds after I drive it somewhere like the store or to go eat and leaving it parked for a few hours and then going to start it makes it start 100 times quicker, but when I go and start it in the morning it takes around 5mins to get it started and usually ends up with me having to jump it with my truck and even then it takes awhile to start. I went through and replaced all sparkplugs, sparkplug wires, ignition coil, and distributor cap and rotor and it made no difference other than idling better. It has a small leaks here and there, one of them was the fuel pump gasket. I got a new gasket for it today and when I went to put it on I realized there was no gasket there in the first place! Thought maybe that was causing low fuel pressure or something, but alas I was wrong.

Could it be the carb (It has an Edelbrock 1405 4bbl)? Low fuel pressure? Something I'm over looking? Getting kinda desperate because I just want to start it within 30 seconds when I leave for work in the mornings. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

I have had quite a few Buick 445 cars over the years. I also have added many high performance items like Holly carbs and electronic ignitions looking for more power. What I have learned from someone much better at it than me is stock is best. With a stock carb set correctly my 72 Riviera had the best performance. The other mistake I made with the ignition was too much spark with too big of a spark plug gap. You might actually have low fuel pressure in this case. If gas is squirting into your engine when you pump the throttle your pressure is probably good. After cranking it a few moments if it didn’t start right up check if gas is “squirting” into the engine when you hit the throttle. If not it’s either low pressure or your float in the carb is sticking and not letting gas in. I hope this helps.

 

[Brian Atom]

I have had quite a few Buick 445 cars over the years. I also have added many high performance items like Holly carbs and electronic ignitions looking for more power. What I have learned from someone much better at it than me is stock is best. With a stock carb set correctly my 72 Riviera had the best performance. The other mistake I made with the ignition was too much spark with too big of a spark plug gap. You might actually have low fuel pressure in this case. If gas is squirting into your engine when you pump the throttle your pressure is probably good. After cranking it a few moments if it didn’t start right up check if gas is “squirting” into the engine when you hit the throttle. If not it’s either low pressure or your float in the carb is sticking and not letting gas in. I hope this helps.

Another issue I just recalled I had with the Holley set up was air bubbles forming in the fuel lines under the hood when it gets hot. The solution at the time involved clipping wood clothes line clips along the fuel line near the engine to absorb the heat. These lines should all be steel and positioned away from the engine block.

 

[Jackhammer0312]

Another issue I just recalled I had with the Holley set up was air bubbles forming in the fuel lines under the hood when it gets hot. The solution at the time involved clipping wood clothes line clips along the fuel line near the engine to absorb the heat. These lines should all be steel and positioned away from the engine block.

I have made sure to keep the lines away from the engine, so that shouldn't be a problem. Fuel pressure is a good 5.5psi, and the engine and throttle seem to do hood once the engine actually starts. Before that though, pumping the throttle doesn't pump fuel into the engine which I still find strange... Maybe it is the floats then? I don't have much knowledge on carbs at all, but still much more than I did a month ago. Should I go ahead and get a rebuild kit for it or start with replacing the floats?

 

[MelsRegal]

I have made sure to keep the lines away from the engine, so that shouldn't be a problem. Fuel pressure is a good 5.5psi, and the engine and throttle seem to do hood once the engine actually starts. Before that though, pumping the throttle doesn't pump fuel into the engine which I still find strange... Maybe it is the floats then? I don't have much knowledge on carbs at all, but still much more than I did a month ago. Should I go ahead and get a rebuild kit for it or start with replacing the floats?

You need an accelerator pump since you state nothing squirts.

 

[Jackhammer0312]

You need an accelerator pump since you state nothing squirts.

Replaced it a few days ago and still was the same as before