After years of sorting through my quad Weber 48IDA setup, it is finally running well (as good as it's going to get considering the set up -- huge thanks, Mike Pierce!!).
Now the only nagging issue remaining is the cold start. When I come to start it after it has been sitting a while, I will more often than not just get a "click" from the starter solenoid and no turn over. Wait a while, try again, "click". Then randomly, will turn over but not start. Repeat 20-30 more times, wait 15 minutes to half an hour later, it starts. I've tried priming more, priming less, flooding, waiting to unflood, you name it.
Then it occured to me that since the carburetors are so well tuned, this could be unrelated to fuel. My battery is 1000CA 800CCA a red top Optima that lives on a CTEK charger and is brand new. So today I stuck a voltmeter on it and saw that it reads 12.6 V with the key on and as soon as I start cranking, it drops to about 11.1 11.2. I'm running an MSD 6AL digital ignition box and I'm wondering if this is below the trigger value and I'm not getting any spark. During those 20 or 30 cycles that it usually takes to start it, I'm not even feeling it start to catch so strongly suspect I'm getting no ignition. Waiting a while might be lettng the battery recover enough to light it off (but doesn't explain why it won't initially turn over after sitting for days on trickle charge and testing at over 12.6V). So to test that theory, today, I jumpstarted the car from my daily driver, and it fired up cold relatively easily.
If I conclude from this experiment that my battery is insufficient to turn over that high compression, large displacement V8 when it's cold, where do I go from here? I don't know of a bigger battery than this. Do I need to look at a two battery set up? There isn't even room for that on the RCR chassis. Once the car has started and warmed up, subsequent restarts our breeze. Hit the button off you go. So it really feels like insufficient battery "oomph" and would explain why I'm getting the click from the solenoid every other try as the MSD box may need closer to 12V to function.
Any suggestions much appreciated!
Now the only nagging issue remaining is the cold start. When I come to start it after it has been sitting a while, I will more often than not just get a "click" from the starter solenoid and no turn over. Wait a while, try again, "click". Then randomly, will turn over but not start. Repeat 20-30 more times, wait 15 minutes to half an hour later, it starts. I've tried priming more, priming less, flooding, waiting to unflood, you name it.
Then it occured to me that since the carburetors are so well tuned, this could be unrelated to fuel. My battery is 1000CA 800CCA a red top Optima that lives on a CTEK charger and is brand new. So today I stuck a voltmeter on it and saw that it reads 12.6 V with the key on and as soon as I start cranking, it drops to about 11.1 11.2. I'm running an MSD 6AL digital ignition box and I'm wondering if this is below the trigger value and I'm not getting any spark. During those 20 or 30 cycles that it usually takes to start it, I'm not even feeling it start to catch so strongly suspect I'm getting no ignition. Waiting a while might be lettng the battery recover enough to light it off (but doesn't explain why it won't initially turn over after sitting for days on trickle charge and testing at over 12.6V). So to test that theory, today, I jumpstarted the car from my daily driver, and it fired up cold relatively easily.
If I conclude from this experiment that my battery is insufficient to turn over that high compression, large displacement V8 when it's cold, where do I go from here? I don't know of a bigger battery than this. Do I need to look at a two battery set up? There isn't even room for that on the RCR chassis. Once the car has started and warmed up, subsequent restarts our breeze. Hit the button off you go. So it really feels like insufficient battery "oomph" and would explain why I'm getting the click from the solenoid every other try as the MSD box may need closer to 12V to function.
Any suggestions much appreciated!
