For the first time EVER, I have actually fitted a carb (Q-jet) to a 350 and got it running really well whether cold, warm or hot! Amazing.
In the past I have never been able to get the engine to start well from cold and also run well right up to normal temperature. Stalling, bogging down and other really annoying problems is my usual thing. Holleys have caused me exceptional problems, but that could be me!

How do your cars start and run from cold?

Andy.

 

I've never really had problems with any carbureted vehicle in the cold.

 

Mine are all fine.

I'm always amused by (especially) young people that think carbs don't work in the cold..... well, I would like to inform them, that for the last ¾ of a century before FI became common, people didn't just stay home from work when it got cold out.... cars actually have worked in the cold all along, for lo these many years.

 

In defense of some, most people now only have experience with electric chokes rather than the older engine-heated ones.

 

RB83L69 has an excellent point. BUT, the difference is that we are retrofitting a carb (that is not quite set up properly for that application) whereas cars with a non cc carb from the factory would be set up to run extremely well.
MY concern has always been with fitting aftermarket carbs to engines (some that were not really designed to have them).

Perhaps it is down to my ignorance of setting up holleys which meant I never got my car to run well for the first 5 minutes or so. Don't get me wrong, it always started, but didn't run too good.
My short lived affair with the Holley Projection 4 throttle body injection unit in the very early 90's was scrapped due to the cold running. There was a temperature sensor in the inlet manifold that sensed the water temperature. This triggered the fuel to go to a fixed amount richer, below a certain point. As soon as the temp got to that point or above the fuel mixture would go to the normal warmed up ratio. That was it. There were no other options but those 2! Cold mixture or hot mixture. Nothing inbetween whatsoever. As you can imagine, this made slightly cold running a nightmare! And, if the mixture when stone cold didn't quite match the mixture the engine needed-well,.....bad luck!

Glad to hear some are pleased with their carbs. I still miss a FI unit though!

Ah, just remembered, another point!
Went out last week to our 1999 Peugeot. Frozen windows. SO, started car up, left it running while I scraped the side windows. The engine ran smoothly all the time i was doing this. Of course, the FI system was adjusting it all the time automatically.
Following day, decided to take the little Nissan Micra to work (1991 1 litre, non cc controlled-all stock). Frozen windows. So started it up and left it to run while I scraped the side windows. After a short while, it starts to hunt because the engine is getting warmer. I had to get in and blip the throttle to get the revs down. Oh, I really do miss the lazy days of fuel injection!!

Andy.

 

lol...well put. I don't even have a choke and mine does alright in cold weather.