Now that summer is here (it was 112 degrees yesterday), my car is having a hard time starting when hot. But only if it is driven a ways. If I drive ten miles or so, it will start fine.

It pretty much always runs at about 180 when it is cooler outside, when the weather get so be over 100, it runs in the 190/195 range after driving a while, if under load and going uphill, about 210 (I have an aftermarket mechanical water temp gauge).

After driving a while, and stopping, the temp will go to about 210 with no circulation in the engine, then it is hard to start. When cold, or even when it is at 180/190, fires right up with a mere bump to the key. Has a mini-starter from a Dakota.

I'm not sure where to start to diagnose this problem. Any suggestions would be welcome.

I have a 1973 Swinger, 68 engine, it has been bored, cammed, 9:1 CR, and I have an Eddie 500 on it. I put the Eddie on this spring (April) and it has run like a champ ever since. It still runs great, just hard to start when hot. It has the HEI conversion and the fuel line mod.

Could a misadjusted choke cause this? I never messed with the electric choke on the carb, it seemed to run fine. Also, could a misadjusted valve cause this? I have adjusted the valve lash a couple of times lately, but it starts ticking loudly after a couple of hundred miles. Figuring out which adjustment bolts are not holding the adjustment and replacing them is next on my list.

what do you mean by "no circulation" after driving for awhile? do you refer to air circulation or water circulation? I am guessing you mean air circulation because the car is no longer moving. do you have an electric fan that turns off or are you using the stock water pump fan? if you have an electric it might not be moving enough cfm to keep you cool on the nasty days.

I have had a few starters, that when they were hot, they took longer to turn over the car. there was too much heat coming from the exhaust manifold and it heated the starter up. I put in a heat shield and it fired up from then on with no trouble (this was on a few different chebby blazers, not on my mopars).

and I have had more than a few misaligned choke's that messed up its hot and cold starting. these were on carter 2-barrels though, both 318 engines.

just a couple things to look at I guess.


off topic, but: did you ever get a picture of your cluster? I'd like to see how it turned out.

By no circulation, I just meant once the engine is turned off, the water stops circulating and gets hotter. I don't have an electric fan. Maybe this would help. I will check out the choke system.

I sent a pic of the gauge cluster to your email. Go ahead and post it, I haven't posted a pic on this site yet, will figure out how later. My newest project is in the garage right now, when is runs I will move it out and install the gauges in the Dart.

This can be the cause, as well as fuel boiling out of the carb bowl if you still have the heat riser hooked up/ it's hotter than crap outside especially after a 'hot soak'...what kind of exhaust system do you have?

-D.Idiot

I have the Dutra duals. I guess that would make sense. I have to pump the gas pedal a lot to get it to start when hot. I did put a 3/8" heat insulator gasket between the manifold and the carb. That was as thick as I could fit unless I wanted to cut a hole in the hood.

Don't feel bad. All SL6 Darts do this with those kinds of temps. You gotta let the heat out so the carb doesn't get so hot that the fuel boils out, vaporizes or vapor locks.

1. A thicker fiber spacer under the carb would be nice when it is that hot out.
2. A hood scoop to let the heat out would be another.
3. A smaller diameter air cleaner - traps less heat.
4. A electric fan on the radiator to help cool the engine compartment after you shut off the engine is another.
5. Also rerouting the fuel line is must.

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Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

And a large insulator made out of stiff 1/8" gasket material. Think of a carb mounting gasket extended left, right, forward and rearward beyond the carb mounting flange area, covering the top of the intake manifold. The factory used such insulators in the early '80s:



There are commercially-available shields of this type for 4bbl carburetors, but they're usually made out of aluminum, which sort of defeats the point. Aluminum conducts heat well!
That's getting kinda drastic, though. Less drastic and more effective might be an electric fan with a control circuit arranged so as to run for a few minutes after engine shutdown to cool off the fuel system as you suggested.
Disagree. "Smaller air cleaner" would usually mean "open-element air cleaner", and those are bad for heat-related issues. Better to block the heat below the carburetor with a heat shield, and use a ducted (cold-air) air cleaner.
I agree, though he's already done this.

Wrapping the exhaust manifold and the headpipe with Thermo-Tec wrap will do a lot to keep the exhaust system from heating up the engine bay.



This owner has also wrapped the intake, which is not normally done, but would add to the insulation. He has not wrapped the collector of the exhaust manifold or the headpipe, which would be a help in your situation (but probably is not needed in his big, empty '62 B-body engine bay).

And, beyond all these fancy mods, you will want to check the float settings and make sure they're not too high. And yes, also check to make sure the choke isn't closing upon shutdown even in the hot.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Dan,

On suggestion #3, I meant smaller diameter air cleaner housing, like the early stock units.
Not the newer cold air versions used in the mid to late 70's.
I have both and the newer style big one is nice in the winter and the older style stock one is nice in the summer. Less heat is trapped under it.

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Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

I understood you, I'm saying the cold-air cleaner is the better deal in cold and hot weather, and you don't have to worry about it trapping heat under it if you stop the heat lower down, below the carburetor. Those pre-'70 air cleaners with the bottom-circumference air inlet take in air that's been "barbecued" by the hot engine. Much better to have a ducted air cleaner that pulls in cold air. The '70+ cleaners with thermostatically controlled hot and cold ducting really improve cold and hot running.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Well I've seen a factory heatshield on an 80 Newport w a slant. I'd get one, also is a nice conversation piece. BUT, I've had this problem MANY times w slants, as well as other mopar engines. I just hold the gas pedal all the way to the floor while cranking and they've ALWAYS started.

Yeah, you can get 'em started that way...with a giant cloud of black smoke (raw gas) out the back. Yuck. It works around the symptom, but doesn't fix the cause.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

I have always had problems with my van after letting it sit more than 5 mins when at op temps. If its a short stop, it's click boom running. Otherwise I have to treat it like it's flooded, but I don't get Dan's thing of black out the back. I to have thought about heat wrapping the exhaust. And not to change the subject, I still don't see how re-routing the fuel line over instead of the factory front of engine changes anything there as heat raises. Why not run the line under the engine? I know I just opened a can of worms for Dan with that but it's a simple law of physics.

Keep objecting all you want; it works and it's been explained in detail.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Aluminum foil covered cardboard in trucks. I tried to get one but it was trashed.

My BBD doesn't have hot start issues like my factory Holley did. I routed the line over the valve cover. I might have fixed the problem without intending to!

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'72 Duster 198 stock cam, 3:23's Hookers on jack stands for 8 years in the driveway
'79 Maxivan 360 Offy Qjet Comp RV cam/rusting in the driveway.
93 D350 160HP Cummins Auto Dually Clubcab needs a injector pump
2005 Golden Couch Buick

Thanks for the replies! I now know why it is doing this and some possible solutions. It seems I am not alone with this problem.