OK,the DeLorean had EFI, so bear with me. On my 85 Z with Q-Jet, if I let the car sit all night it starts fine, as long as I start it some time before noon. After that, say, 6pm, it starts hard. It's almost like I'm not using the choke even though I am. It's neither running rich nor lean according to the color of the plugs I just pulled out, if that helps. And the car started and ran great all winter in Michigan as long as I did what I said above. Is this normal with carbs or is something wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[This message has been edited by MartyMcFly (edited July 06, 2001).]

 

First make sure that the flux capacitor is delivering the full one point twenty one jigowatts.

 

The flux capacitor wouldn't fit on the Z, Any serious answers?

[This message has been edited by MartyMcFly (edited July 15, 2001).]

 

Anyone?

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Ludicrous Speed GO!!!

 

That's not normal with carbs. If so, you would have had a bunch of people upset in the decades before EFI because they could only make one trip a day. I assume the after-6 p.m. starting troubles to which you refer are after the car has been started sometime during that day.

Sounds weird, not like a carb problem, actually. You might look into an ignition problem, along the lines of a circuit opening up when warm, which isn't a problem when cold (had an EFI car do that to me - bad crank trigger).

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82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R4. 2.93 limited slip. Cat-back from '91 GTA, ZZ3 intake, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LG4 w/'87 LB9 block, ZZ3 cam, ported World 305 heads, Hooker headers & y-pipe, 3" Catco cat & 3" cat-back).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. '66 396, 9.7 CR forged TRWs, Weiand Action+, Edelbrock 1901 Q-Jet, GK 270 cam, Magnum rockers, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" Hedders & 3" Warlocks, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & Trans-Scat shift kit, MegaShifter, 3.08 8.2" 10-bolt w/Powertrax, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Idles smooth @ 600 RPM in D. Best 15.02/95.06 @ 5800' Bandimere (corrected 13.93/102.4 @ sea level).

 

Thanks five7kid!
I think I found the problem: It seems my fuel filter wasn't tightened up like it should have been, gas was dripping out. Since there wasn't enough gas in the filter, it took a half dozen or so extra cranks than normal to fire up, at least that's my theory, so I tightened it. That fixed the leak, but then I noticed an even bigger problem: I kinked the fuel line! I don't know what I'll do about that, I can't afford to have a dealer fix it, and I've had just about enough of working on/screwing up my own car. Sometimes I just feel like welding the hood shut so I can't screw anything else up. Maybe I'll have a tube sticking out of it for when someone else changes the oil for me; I've had enough of that, too!!!

[This message has been edited by MartyMcFly (edited July 16, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by MartyMcFly (edited July 16, 2001).]

 

While a loose fitting isn't good, I doubt it was your problem. If it was leaking enough to keep it from starting, you would have a) smelled gas, and b) started the thing on fire.

As for your now-kinked fuel line, you should have loosened the fitting from the line to the fuel filter fitting, then tightened the fuel filter fitting to the carb, then held that one in place while re-tightening the line fitting. You'll know next time (I doubt there are many of us that have been at this for any length of time that haven't kinked some sort of line that way). Anyway, pick up a mini-tube cutter from the parts store, a 3/8" in-line fuel filter kit, and a short piece of 3/8" brake line (doesn't have to more than a few inches long, but it's already flared and has the proper fitting). Cut your existing fuel line beyond the kink, remove the kinked portion from the carb, cut the brake line about 1/4" shorter than the kinked part you removed, use one of the rubber hoses and clamps from the fuel filter kit to splice the old line to the new one, and install the new piece to the carb. If you want, cut more line out and just install the in-line filter while you're at it.

Then you can continue figuring out what your problem really is.

 

I should clarify, the line isn't kinked, it's just twisted a bit. And now the car will start, but only run for a few seconds before it dies.
I've heard of people doing what you said, but since the line is twisted right off the filter can this still be done?

[This message has been edited by MartyMcFly (edited July 17, 2001).]