Cold starting

[Venn]

I have a repro Ulster in excellent condition.  However, it a poor starter from cold, but once warmed up it restarts instantly both with the starter and also on the handle with just one swing!
Does anyone have suggestions to improve this?  I start it from cold on full choke and full ignition retard with the hand throttle just cracked open.  It always fires eventually but it can take a couple of minutes and lots of battery energy when cold!
Thanks for your help and expertise
Peter Venn

[nrzam]

I had a similar issue which was fixed on Ruairidh’s advice by running a direct connection from the battery to the gearbox. The improved earth made for pvery positive starting. As I have recently had to fit a reconditioned starter motor from Vince Leek, the issue may have been an early warning.

[Mike Costigan]

Is the carburettor draining its contents whilst standing, so your cold start is having to fill the carb before the engine gets any life-giving fuel?

[Hugh Barnes]

I often 'help' the carb by priming it from the pump before attempting to start...

[andrew34ruby]

Venn, how does it start from cold if you have been running it the day before?

My Ruby takes a lot of cranking if it's not been used for a few days. I find that hand priming the petrol pump until the carb drips is a big help. I find that a teaspoon full of petrol poured straight into the air intake gives instant starting from cold.

My 1955 Austin Cambridge behaves the same. From cold it starts on about the fifth attempt. With a spoonful of petrol in the air intake it starts instantly.

[Howard Wright]

Hi Venn

What carb do you have on the car?  Surprisingly cold starting by RK with the updraft 22FZ carb is pretty instantaneous but my Special with an SU takes a half dozen cranks on the starter.

Each carb has very different choke mechanisms so knowing the type of carb might help.

Cheers

Howard

[Jeff Taylor]

If you're still on 6 volts, are you using the correct (thicker) battery to starter cable ?

The Seven Workshop:
https://www.theaustinsevenworkshop.com/p...tery-cable

The Green Spark Plug Company:
https://www.gsparkplug.com/1x-meter-duri...81-00.html

On my 6 volt 1936 Series 1 Morris Eight Tourer I use an even thicker / heavy duty cable:
https://www.gsparkplug.com/1x-meter-duri...82-10.html

[Venn]

Thank you to all who have made comments on my code starting problem. The battery is brand-new in June and is 6 V and the cables are the weight recommended for a 6 V battery. Starter motor turns over quickly. It has an SU carburettor and new cables and plugs. The thing is that it starts brilliantly from warm but badly from stone cold. This will happen as soon as the engine has cooled down completely so it could happen at the other end of the same day.
I'm fairly sure that it is a problem with the carburettor and maybe the choke and perhaps just spraying some EasyStart to the air intake is the way to go when it is cold. I'll try that from Halfords.
Any other comments are welcome and thank you again

[Howard Wright]

Hi Venn

Mike’s comments about the float chamber draining are pertinent. So do check the seals on the jet and float chamber. Choke control on an H and HS SU has two components, lowering the jet allowing more fuel past the needle …and opening the butterfly slightly.  The throttle component adjustment needs to be set up carefully and once working you shouldn’t need to use the hand control at all. 

Good luck

Cheers

Howard

[Hugh Barnes]

Using Easystart might well overcome the problem, but that is still only resolvng the symptom and not the root cause. I have 1" SUs on both my Box Saloon and Cabriolet and they both start instantly with almost no use of the choke...