Poor starter

[Andy Bennett]

What carb do you have?
I ask because my RP using 26VA was always a poor starter until I realised that the locating slot for the choke butterfly was the wrong way around so it never quite closed off. I turned it around and perfect starting ever since.

[Tiger]

Thanks Gents
Lots of points to follow up

[John Cornforth]

Hi Tiger

To give my tuppenceworth, I find that if the car is left longer than a day the fuel pump needs the priming lever given a few strokes until the carb float bowl is full and the lever resistance drops away. If too lazy to open the bonnet, 8 turns of the starter handle with ignition off has the same effect.

Years ago I changed to an SU, but the need for this priming did not change as a result.

My theory is that heat from the engine plus passage of time after parking up is enough to evaporate fuel from the bowl. There may also be some leakage in the fuel pump valves allowing fuel to drop back in the pipes.

Experience in the past is that carbs with a strangler type choke must close off completely if the feeble air flow at cranking speed is to create enough suction to draw fuel from the jets. Once the engine fires the flap is pulled slightly open by virtue of the increased airflow and the offset of its pivot.

I have a friend from University days who had a Renault 4 like me, but his car's choke had bits missing. His starting technique was to balance a paperback book on the open downdraught carb throat (the air cleaner had been discarded). Once the engine fired, voila ! the vibration dislodged the book which could then be fished out and used for the next time.

[bob46320]

Never had a problem with a gravity fed tank on my RN with a 22FZ carb. Always shut the petrol tap when parked up. Obviously, when you open the tap, it fills the carb bowl quite quickly, so it would seem that poor starting is likely lack of fuel and that the pump valves may be the cause of the problem allowing fuel to drain right back to the tank ??

[Andy Bennett]

correction to my note above, I didn't mean butterfly, I meant the external flap which slides up and locates in a groove. I.f the 'lug' has been reversed then the groove isn't there and the flap is held slightly open.

[Tiger]

Following up the previous suggestions
Decided to have a close look at the choke (25 VA)
The cable connection to the choke lever was slowly relaxing after each application
So in effect less and less choke
So reset the cable
The car had been standing for a few weeks.
Primed the carb by turning the handle a few times
Started almost immediately
Many thanks for the help

[Barry Townsend]

I found with my RN that the starter was draining too much juice from the 6volt battery and starving the coil. A simple voltage check soon proved this after much head scratching. 
I had the starter leads coupled up directly to eliminate the poor earthing.

It will start easily on the handle first of second swing from cold however long it's been stood and thereafter starts readily on the stater motor.

[Tiger]

Barry
Do you mean 2 cables for each battery terminal ?

[Nick Turley]

I would suggest a battery stress test should be made. 
It does rather sound like the battery my be approaching the end of it's days