My 1915 roadster was an easy-starting car. After two pulls on choke, the first pull on BAT would start it. On Friday, after an engine/transmission rebuild, I was ready to give the "new engine" a try. It took a lot of choking and cranking to get it going. I've started it and run it awhile a couple of times each day since then. I'm not surprised that the engine is tighter and the crank is harder to pull after a rebuild. But every start takes a dozen pulls or more to get it going. This is my first experience dealing with a rebuilt engine. Is this par for the course, or should it be a lot easier to get the thing running? If the latter is the case, I need to start checking things that may be amiss.
It may be taking a while for the new rings and valves to seat tightly. I was surprised how easy my old tired engine in the coupe starts compared to engines rebuilt even a few years ago. That is my uneducated guess. There are surely other opinions out there.
Rich
Steve,
That's why every time I rebuild a T engine I enlist a friend to pull me around a vacant parking lot for 20 - 30 minutes with the plugs removed and oil in the cylinders before trying to start it.
Other then being a little stiff, it should start just as easy as before. No matter if it is new or old it takes the same four things to make it run. Air and fuel at about the correct mixture, spark at about the right time and compression.
My guess is a delay in getting fuel to the cylinders. Maybe intake leak of something in the carburetor. An option would be to switch the carburetor and see what happens.
Good Luck,
Jim
Royce, you being a bit of a Ford purest, I thought you might try Fords way of loosening up a tight crank! start it up with no oil and run for about 30 seconds, of course I don't condone this way, but it is written up in the Service Bulletins.
I'd vote for the switch the carb as well. I have been running my new rebuild 3 different times now and find one NH starts a lot different than the other one I have, and a switch only takes a few minutes...Jim Derocher AuGres, Michigan
I will second Royce. One of my T mentors taught me this a long time ago and I have done it on all new motor rebuilds. Towing a new engine with the plugs removed (and oil added) is a great way to start breaking in the new motor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2UPuhMxdWA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sL948Cak2I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucqfcW1hrTk
Started like a "Dauntless Old Geezer" LOL... I could barely turn it by hand and that 1/2 hp Milwaukee drill was struggling with no plugs in the head... just lotsa oil. The running in method went on for a few days until the new Becker 12V starter arrived. The second was the very first start as evident by the smoke off the exhaust nut. ABSOLUTELY no choking ever! Just raw vacuum with a closed throttle is enough plus 1/4 turn extra on the main jet. Then next "hot" run produce some carb icing. Hmm
Do a comprehensive compression test first. After that its all semantics. Talk nice to it; gotta name for her??? ws
He's probably come up with several names by now, but I don't know that they fit into the 'Talk nice to it' category.