rhett838

I know I have alot of posts, but I want to keep the topics separate.

Cold start (in 100 degree temps) car fires right up.

After car is warmed up, car srtuggles to start and I have to press and hold on the gas peddle to get it to turn.

However, if the car is warm, and I start it within 3-5 minutes after its been shut off, it fires right up.

I just upgraded to an edelbrock 1406 carb w/electric choke, but the choke isn't hooked up b/c it struggles to start. I regret getting the electric choke, anyone wanna trade for a manual one?...but I digress

Starter is a year old...is it overheating?

As far as I know the battery is good, and the voltage regulator is new.
Could it be the Alternator?

I really think it's the carb, but I haven't adjusted it much and I'm not a carb genius, so I don't know.

Any ideas?

Lady72nRob71

So does it crank freely and does not start or does it crank slowly and the idiot lights dim a lot?
What car, year, and engine?

rhett838

69 cutlass s 350

it cranks slow at first then slowly picks up and starts. takes about ten secs

Olds64

If you don't have the choke hooked up then I suggest setting the choke first. It is a realtively simple procedure. If setting the choke doesn't fix your problem then you can continue troubleshooting.

Lady72nRob71

Sounds like starter heat soak - common issue.

First make sure the engine is running below 210*. Use an infared thermometer to check it by the temp switch.
If running over that, then you need to get that fixed first.
I had that issue (running 220*+ due to incorrect 2 row radiator & bad fan clutch) and it caused the same symptom you have. After fixing that, the starter issue went away!

Second, the wide 455 starter-block bracket can be installed in place of the skinny 350 bracket. The wider one acts like a heat shield, to reduce reat soak from the nearby exhaust pipe.

Lastly, the starter can be replaced with a stock type high torque starter with additional windings inside or one of those mini things.

joe_padavano

Yeah. Hook everything up, get it adjusted properly, THEN figure out if you really have a problem or not. Doing stuff half-@$$ed like this will have you chasing your tail looking for a nonexistent problem.