ok. this is stumping me bad. got a 12a engine in a 83 base.all emisions removed, headers open exhaust. will start up great. run great, real strong. but once it heats up and i turn it off. i can't start it till it cools down. then it will start right up. any clue? car ran and started great with the bad motor in it. so i swapped with a good one( i think). i have heard that the engine might be bad, but it runs so good. i have changed the distributor to no change. the coils. not new stuff but i believe they worked. i haven't ran all the wireing to see if there is a relay in it or not. but does anybody have a clue on what might be wrong? i'm not used to not being able to figure stuff out quick like this. thanks.

 

Do you mean that it won't turn over? That would be worn brushes in the starter....

If you mean that it turns over but does not start, I would take a hard look at your timing.

Hope this helps...

 

Mine used to start fine cold. But once warmed up it would be harder to start. I set the timing dead on and the problem went away.HTH

 

there is a hot start assist but it only assits. id check timing

 

Also, if not turning over, check all battery cable connections, and starter wires.
If it is turning over, is it flooding? Getting spark?
Basicly, you gave just enough info to get asked for more. Need more details to get a better idea as to where to look.

 

got spark. got gas. don't know if i have enough spark. but surely not flooding.

 

I have the same problem. I changed the timing many times and it did not help. I have to hold the gas pedal to the floor and crank the **** out of it. It slowly starts like a lawnmower that has been sitting all year. After the cloud of fuel clears everything is fine.
Sound like your problem?

 

except i can't get it started the second time. even tried a can of starter fluid. i'm gonna have to follow wires.

 

Any chance that you might be leaking fuel through the carb after shutdown? Any strong smell of gas or clouds of smoke when/if it does start? Could be bad needle valves....

 

Someone please help him...I don't want to have to tow him again... lol!

 

Check your float bowl solenoid?

Tank "whoosh" when you crack the cap after a run? (Charcoal canister saturated with fuel, oil, or water.)

How about crap in the checkvalve behind the AP housing?
(You turn off the engine and the float bowl solenoid seals the bowls shut. The engine heat continues to expand the fuel vapor causing a slight high pressure within the carb. If the ball doesn't seal, theoretically fuel can be pushed up through the AP circuit and out the nozzel until the level reaches the inlet hole for the AP pump.
Check the sight glass on that side.)

Did you try kicking it?

 

Another item I discovered today, the small tube on the charcoal canister has a restrictor in it that can plug up. This is the fuel tank vent. I drilled it out on mine, and the "Whooooooooooooooooooooooooosh" that sometimes spit gas out when removing the gas cap suddenly disappeared.

 

no. just narrowing it down to tired engine. drove it last night to see how well it drove when warmed up. had some real good white smoke pour out with a loss of power. had to be towed home. while being towed i dropped the clutch at about 25 and it started, but didn't run the best. so i'll count it out as a old goat.