Can anyone give me a few tips and tricks on starting these Potty Mouth cars without looking like an idiot... I have a '78 El Camino w/ a 350 out of a '71 Camero Z28. And it takes me FOREVER to start it. First I try to just turn the key... I can hear the starter going but no engine. Then i try to pump a little gas into it and i end up flooding the Potty Mouth . Then I have to wait for the gas to evaporate and then it will start. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!! I need a quick reliable way to start it. THANKS!!!

Does your carb have an electric choke? If not, buy an electric choke kit for the particular carb that you have. Once the E-choke is installed before you turn the key, depress the pedal all the way to the floor then let off. Turn the key, should fire right up.

I can hear the starter going but no engine.

That doesn't sound right. If your starter is spinning but the engine isn't, then your starter isn't turning the engine. Sounds like time for a new starter.

When the engine is overnight cold, do the followign: 1) remove the air cleaner so you can see the choke plate. It should be in an absolutely vertical position. 2) by hand, move the throttle linkage all the way forward and release it (wide open throttle position). This should cause the choke on the cold engine to snap shut (should smartly snap all the way closed). Hit the starter to see if the engine fires. If not, move the throttle linkage to the wot position twice (same a pumping the accelerator twice) while looking into the throat of the carb. You should see two squirts of gasoline as a result of the accelerator pump being actuated twice. Hit the starter again. It should fire up.

If all works as above, you will need to pump the accelerator twice to get those two squirts of gasoline each time the enige is cold. Unless something is wrong, this usually solves the starting problem. It's the nature of the carbureted beast.

My 1987 has a starting instructions label on the visor & features the original Quadrajet with electric choke. It says to depress the pedal twice when cold, then turn the key. It should start up then. I"m not sure what carb & choke was on the Z-28 motor you are using, you may not have the choke properly hooked up and that may be causing the problem.
Dave

Ok, how about this...
Even when overnight cold, I can start the engine just by turning the key (no need to pump gas).
After that, the engine runs at what can clearly be very low revolutions (growling sound, low frequency, "pop-pop-pop" you get the picture") if I shift into gear, the engine runs even lower and almost stalls or is about to...
If I give it gas too fast, the engine dies... If I give it slowly, the engine won't die and I'll be able to move.

Whether or not I give it gas before I start the engine, it will act up like this...

Now if I could figure it out, I'd fix this... I had the water pump replaced, and since then, this problem cropped up (took a week to get this serious).

Is it just the carb that needs to be adjusted, something else?
I'm really green when it comes to older cars... I always drove fuel injected before and now it shows...

I feel like a moron... :oops:

Maybe some more information will help... what kind of carb do you have? Is it the 1970's one or the computer controlled 1986 one? Just a normal thing with any carb to pump the pedal a couple of times before starting - it engages the choke and puts a couple of shots of gas into the carb. It could be a carb problem, or maybe not getting good spark form your distributor, but without engine/carb/ distributor specifics we are all just shooting in the dark...
Hope to help,
Dave

It's a chevy with a carb, I've never owned one that didn't need a bit of pedal dancing to get it going. My QJET did it, Both AFB's with Electric chokes do it too. Just a fact of life that it's going to require some finesse unless you want to over advance your timing but then that's only good for starting.

We must accept that it will never start with one of those nifty remote key fob things as long as it's a carb.. :lol:

My problem is that with an open element air cleaner my fuel bowls are bone dry due to evaporation. See I only get to drive my Elky about every two weeks. No leakage from the bowls either. Electric choke works ok too but if there aint no gas in the bowls you're gonna hafta wait till you get some in there.. :)

My little routine involves about 3 pumps of the gas pedal, then start and if it don't catch that time I quit and pump one long slow one on the pedal then it usually has enough gas in the bowls to kick over.

I've been considering an electric fuel pump but can't figure out a safe place to put one. You'd think a big ol 4th gen would have lots of places but none of them are really that accessible or safe in my view.

BTW, if I drive it for a few days I don't have near as much problem, I just have to do half a pump, set the choke and it'll turn over easily. If it's warm I don't have to pump it at all.

:)

'78-banjamin,
If the choke isn't your problem, and if your squirters are weak, check your fuel pump. Sometimes the rubber valves just don't hold a tight seal any more, and then the fuel seeps back to the tank slowly, and that could be why you need to crank it, to get the fuel pressure back up.

My .02 worth Pat