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Hesitant starting

Novamonte

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When I start my BT7 Tricarb I (naturally) first turn the ignition key. This sets off some fast ticking from the fuel pump until it has built up pressure. The ticking slows down after a few seconds and then stops altogether. I wait for a few seconds more to make sure that the carbs are filled, pull the choke and then press the start button. The engine cranks for several seconds without any sign of starting. Then it sputters and dies instantly. After one or two more attempts it starts and then runs well. This happens only when the engine is cold, when it is warm it always starts instantly. Perhaps not a big problem, but does anyone have an idea why it takes so long to start?
Cheers!
 

dcarlg

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Adjust the Choke properly.
It has 2 functions:
1. Increase idle.
2. Lower the jets to richen mixture.
Choke cable may need lubricating because it needs to be pulled out as far as it will go.
Good luck.
Douglas
 
D

Deleted member 21878

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do you give it any gas (foot on the pedal) while trying to start?
 

Editor_Reid

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Press the gas pedal to the floor and hold it there as you pull the CHOKE knob. (Then release the gas pedal before engaging the starter!) Maybe this is important only in the 100 with its specific linkage, but the principle would seem to be the same to ensure the choke really is engaging.
 

Dandare

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I thought that the theory behind pressing the throttle pedal before pulling the choke out (with SUs) was to take the load from the throttle return springs to make the choke easier to pull. The pedal should be released before attempting to start.

Danny
 

mgtf328

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I had a similar problem and traced it to choke adjustment. When the choke is pulled out it should lower the jet far enough for a spurt of fuel to be forced out of the jet into the intake. If it is not adjusted correctly this won't happen and you won't have enough fuel to start without cranking the engine excessively which is what sounds to be happening. When it's really cold I pull/push the choke in and out 2 or 3 times to get more fuel into the intake.
To check take off a suction chamber so you can see the jet. Disconnect the cable from the choke lever and move the lever up and down. You will then see what I mean. As you move the choke lever the jet depresses and a spurt of fuel comes out. You need to attach the cable to the lever so that when the choke is fully out the jet is at it's lowest point and the spurt of fuel comes out. Hope that's clear!
AJ
 
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N

Novamonte

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Thanks all for good advice! When I got the car the choke wires were not correctly adjusted - the choke didn't engage even I pulled the choke fully, and it was incredibly difficult to start the car. I adjusted the wires so that the choke levers on the carbs just go back all the way when the choke knop is pushed all the way in. It got better, and since then behaves as described in my first post. I will take a closer look as suggested by AJ and let you all know if that makes any change. It could well be that the wires need to be lubed to allow the choke to be pulled out all the way.

I usually press the throttle pedal and release it before start and sometimes try pumping it once or twice and holding it depressed around 1/3 during the start procedure if it doesn't start.

@Bob: yes, it can be cold here, but we got our fair share of global warming this summer and experienced temperatures around 30C/85F from May to August, which is pretty unusual, but the car still behaved as per the above.
 

RAC68

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Hi All,

A funny story. On my first working day of our marriage (52 years ago), I received an urgent call from my wife who intended to use our Healey (our only car) for errands. As she was having difficulty starting the car, I instructed her to pull the choke out all the way before turning the ignition key when the engine was cold. In response, she queried, "I did pull the choke out all the way and its on the seat, now how do I get it back in the dash?"

I have never known my Healey to start on the first crank when cold or to start when cold without full choke and frequently with an initial sputter. What you have described seems a normal Healey Cold Starting Routine.

Ray(64BJ8P1)
 

mgtf328

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I found that the first 1/4 of the turn on the choke lever on the carb didn't do anything. The Cable was screwed to the lever when the lever was at the bottom of it's travel so nothing happened when I pulled out the choke on the dash as it wouldn't come out far enough to move the jet. I had to lift the lever up to the point just before the jet started to depress before I screwed the cable to the lever. Only then could I pull the choke out far enough to get the fuel to come out of the jet.
As a matter of interest pressing the throttle pedal down when you pull the choke out makes it easier to pull.
AJ
 
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Deleted member 21878

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when you said it sputtered first one or two attempts, i thought you might have your foot on the pedal. i look at this system as more of an enricher than a choke. giving it gas while starting might allow in more air. Not good on a cold start.
 
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Novamonte

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Thanks again everyone. I tried lifting the choke leavers on the carbs manually before cranking the engine and the engine started right away without any hesitation whatsoever, so the problem was obviously that the choke/enricher levers on the carbs were not sufficiently engaged when the choke knob was pulled. Another issue though - on the tricarb there is this device (se pic) on the balancing tube that converts the movement from the choke wire to the wires that go to the carbs. I have adjusted this so that the choke levers on the carbs go down to the adjusters when the knop is pushed all the way in. When I pull the knob all the way out the part of the device where the wires to the carbs is attached simply does not travel far enough to engage the choke sufficiently. I assume I can do as AJ and tighten the cable so the levers on the carbs won't come all the way down but I think this may leave the choke partly engaged when I drive. Another solution would be to drill new holes in the arm on the device so as to increase the travel of the three cables by moving the pivoting point closer to the middle. Any thoughts on this?
20180911_174731 (2).jpg
 
Last edited:

mgtf328

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I raised the lever to the point just before the jet started to depress and fixed the cable to the lever at that point on each of my carbs (x2 not 3). The lever came up quite a way before the jets moved. I don't believe the choke is open until the jets start to depress. Mine runs ok and I don't have sooty plugs which would indicate the choke is open. I wouldn't mess around with drilling extra holes. You should be able to get it working properly without changing the design.
AJ
 

bob hughes

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I have to say that my BJ7 was a lot like that several years ago, especially in winter, and once started I could not control the tick over speed properly, it had to be at least 1000 revs. Now it just takes two attempts on the button (normal) and the engine bursts into life, and tick over is around the 750 mark.

I have attributed this to two things :-

1) I rebuilt the engine - it was burning oil at such a rate that I was in danger of creating a world shortage, but I do not think that this was the main cause.

2) After the rebuild I still had issues and on examining the dizzy I found three problems :-

A) The lead from the capacitor was not connecting properly, there had been a bit of a lash up and the lead was coming out of the connector when the
plate moved.

B) The linkage from the vacuum to the moving plate was worn at the pin - the hole was slightly oval and the pin was nearly worn through

C) The Star clamp holding the moving plate to the fixed plate was broken, one of the three legs had broken off and was lodged down in the body of the
dizzy near the weights.

After sorting the three problems out I felt that I was at long last in control of the engine performance after 13 years of ownership.

:cheers:

Bob
 
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Deleted member 21878

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on my tri-carb i found adjusting the cables on the choke cams just changed how far i could pull the choke out.

the one thing i ran in to was keeping the primary cable in that block. it seems if i pulled the choke knob out and then when i would push the knob in, the cable would slide out of that end. then every time after it was just sliding in and out of the block and not moving the secondary cables as much as they needed to be. i had to make sure it was really secure.

Although it does make sense to move the cams until you feel the pressure of the jet trying to move and fixing the cables just short of there.
 

steveg

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For those who don't mind modifying their cars...
I've used set screws at both ends of the choke cables to hold the housings in place. I've also replaced the housings with bicycle teflon-lined housings (available by the foot at better bike shops).
By securing the cable housings, all the movement is transmitted through the cable and none is lost dislocating the cable out of the various sockets.
See:
https://www.pbase.com/stevegerow/healeychokes
 
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