Buttons Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 Finally Its running! I am very excited and can't wait till it not only runs but when I can get it to run well with consistency and reliability. I changed out All of the Plugs, the boots, the distributor cap, rotor, battery, oil and oil filter . So heres what is still wrong with it as far as I can tell. The motor has trouble starting and usually takes several tries and then a rest period (including some starter fluid) and then it will start up; if I'm in luck. Now when It runs It has a bad time accelerating, and it will quit. its gone nearly around the block but it crapped out halfway through and we had to pop start it. Any Ideas as to what is wrong and what is left to do. Its a 1964 Buick LeSabre With a Wildcat 310 on it, and that has a rochester some thing or other 2 barrel carbeurator on it. I think It is all original equipment. Any good ideas or advice are appreciated thanks -Buttons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenmatthews Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 Hard time accelerating...eh? I just fixed exact same problem this weekend on my 55 Super. Check your accelerator pump. With air cleaner off, can you see gas squirt from jets when pushing on throttle linkage? If not, a carburetor rebuild may be in order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttons Posted October 11, 2004 Author Share Posted October 11, 2004 I see some gas squirting , but I think I'm gonna go through with a carb rebuild then anyway. Now the accelerator pump, is that a part of the carb or is that something else? Thanks -buttons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brh Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 Very glad to see this post!!! The accelerator pump is a part located inside of your carb, therefore a rebuild will take care of it if thats your problem. If the engine is cold and the choke is not working correctly this will cause hard starting as well as stalling. All carb related items. Remember if you get a rebuild start with the gas tank and work your way to the engine, you don't want old gas or crud getting into your fresh rebuild. Drop that tank and have it cleaned out, replace all lines, steel and rubber, rebuild or replace fuel pump and filter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenmatthews Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 Tell me about how it starts...no problems there? Since Bruce brought up the choke, that's worth investigating further. Does the choke blade on your Rochester remain in an OPEN or CLOSED position after you've got it started? If so I'm wondering then if you have too lean of a mixture which would cause failure.Cran her up and comment on how easy/hard she starts. Then let it warm up to see if your choke mechanism is working properly...should go from CLOSED position to OPEN position.By the way, do you have manual choke on this vehicle? IS there a choke stove pipe coming up from the driver's exhaust manifold (heat riser valve)?I just may learn something me-self from this troubleshootin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Chapman Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 Buttons,The choke on your car is activated by coolant from the engine cooling system. There is a thermostatic spring in the round fixture on the right side of the carb with water lines running to it. If these are gone or blocked, no hot water to open the choke, you'll run way too rich... or if the auto choke is frozen open, no choke will make for hard starting when cold.Cheers,JMC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted October 12, 2004 Share Posted October 12, 2004 I was under hte impression it was hot air from the exhaust, not water... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted October 12, 2004 Share Posted October 12, 2004 If you have not drained the old gas, then you need to do something about that first. I use STP gas treatment. The red bottle. I'd put in two of the 14 gal treatment size or one of the 21 gallon treatment size. Most autoparts stores have this on the shelf but you can buy it cheapest at K-Mart. The reason I use this ( instead of dry gas) is because it it made from petroleum products, instead of alcohol. Put this in and you may see a difference in just a few minutes of running. If so, you'll either need to run that tank of gas through, or drain it out to get fresh gas in there.THEN consider a carb rebuild. John d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Chapman Posted October 12, 2004 Share Posted October 12, 2004 Adam,On the '64 300, choke heat is provided by the coolant. In '65 they went to the stove pipe.JMC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttons Posted October 12, 2004 Author Share Posted October 12, 2004 So I'll say that from all that is said here I should First add some STP to the gas (Its using lead substitute as well is this gonna be problematic?). Then run that tank of gas through. Second I replace all, as in every single one of, the Tubes and wires. Thirdly I rebuild the carb. Fourth I have an air leak test done.. Does this sound in the right order? Are we missing anything? thanks again -Buttons P.S. :This is such a great, albeit expensive, way to learn about cars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurion Posted October 12, 2004 Share Posted October 12, 2004 Buttons, I'm asking this as much for my benefit as for yours. . . Is the STP gas treatment really sufficient to deal with gas that's been sitting for as long as the gas in your tank? I have a friend who tried to run a tank of old gas through his '65 Wildcat, and ended up causing some significant engine damage. I would be inclined to follow Bruce's advice about dropping the tank and draining the old stuff out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brh Posted October 13, 2004 Share Posted October 13, 2004 I know this hobby can be a bit expensive at times, but the great people you will meet, the knowledge you will gain, will far out weigh any price tag. My personal preferance is to stay away from additives till ya get things ironed out. Unless you are driving this car on a regular basis stay away from the lead additive. You may wany to use it later on but for now just stick with the basics. Assessing the condition of that engine should be first priority. Just my 2 cents---again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 53and61 Posted October 13, 2004 Share Posted October 13, 2004 Related to Brian's question: Does anyone know if the stabilizers that you add to fresh gas are effective? If so, for how long? How do they work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttons Posted October 14, 2004 Author Share Posted October 14, 2004 I have syphoned out the old fuel and I do believe that if fuel sits for a year or so without the engine running it rots and becomes damaging. I put new fuel in it and added lead substitute to play it safe for the pads and such. I dont think I want to trust the additives because they say unleaded fuel only and the fuel I burn has lead substitute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 35 buick Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 Before doing anything to the carb, check the distributor timing. If the distributor moved the car will be hard to start and act like it does not want to take gas. Like it is stumbling when you throttle it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 Points!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttons Posted October 16, 2004 Author Share Posted October 16, 2004 Well I went under the distributor cap and i had already gone to autozone for a replacement point, but it looks totally different. I did however replace the rotor and the cap. how do you check timing? Finally figured out how to post a pic, so heres one of the car -Buttons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 I was in Ballwin today...shoulda come by to see the car!Looks like a fun project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnO Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 I heard that Stabil will last a 1 1/2 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoxieLad Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 Hey, nice to hear she's going. I have a 64 LeSabre with the 310 that started out as a project, but sort of turned into a daily driver-- it's by far the most reliable car I've ever owned!The 64 300ci engine, for some reason, was a unique aluminum design. I'm not sure about the chemistry of it, but because your heads are made out of aluminum, you don't have to worry about using lead additive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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