New to Forum, Need Some Initial Advise on an A14 Problem

[TAlfieri]

Hello All,

I recently bought a '78 B210 for my daughter.  It seemed like it was already in pretty good shape, but I didn't realize how much I would be doing to this car once I got it!

It had only 42K original miles on it, as it sat in a showroom in California for 16 years for reasons unknown to me.  In any case, it ended up out here in New Mexico with it's second owner, who sold it to me.  I wanted it to be a nice, reliable vehicle for her, so I got to work right away on what seemed to be the best things to do first:

 

Replaced rattling water pump -- this eliminated the clattering I was hearing.

 

Replaced all suspension components including ball joints.  Complete reconditioning of the leaf springs, adding some custom touches to eliminate noise and wear (I used an industrial grade teflon tape on facing leaves and padded the noise areas.  This eliminated all the clacking I was hearing on bumps an stops.

 

Replaced all steering linkage and adjusted out the steering play.  It feels much better now -- not as stiff and does not pull to the side anymore.

 

Replaced the exhaust system (cat, muffler, and went to 1 3/4 inch pipe).  Sounded much better after this, as the old one was completely rusted out.

 

I have installed an electric fuel pump back at the tank, tucking it in behind the seat and insulating it for noise reduction.  We can still hear it, but barely when the engine is running.

 

Replaced all vacuum hoses, finding one to be particularly leaky.  This eliminated the hesitation that we were having upon acceleration from a stop.  Also found the carb was actually loose, and I got some more power just by tightening it down.

 

All of this has really made this car feel much better, and my daughter loves it, but I've still got one nagging problem, and I do not yet know enough about this vehicle to decide on the right approach to correcting it.  The thing just struggles terribly to start after getting hot.  If I drive until it's up to normal operating temperature, turn it off, and then try to start it again 15 minutes or so later it just can't start.  No matter how much I pump the accelerator (or don't pump it, or any of the other things I have tried) it takes a lot of cranking before it starts.  Then when it does, I get a big puff of black smoke out the pipe as it clears itself (I'm guessing it's burning off the excess gas it's getting flooded with).  Have the B210s always exhibited this symptom, or is this a correctable problem?  It starts like a champ when after cooling down, so what's going on when it's hot?  I removed the air cleaner cover after driving and saw that gas was boiling out into the barrel and dripping down into the carb.  Is that normal, or should this not be happening?  I did install an original-equipment 170F thermostat to get it to run cooler, but no improvement.

 

I have done some poking around on the site for some help, but have not had time to follow all the leads.  So before I invest a great deal of effort, I would sure appreciate any of you who feel you have some relevant experience with the A14 engine to comment.  What I'm trying to decide is if I should replace the carb with another (perhaps better?) aftermarket unit, look into an EFI approach (if that is even an option) or simply get a rebuild kit and try to recondition the Hitachi carb.  Maybe there's yet another approach I have not thought of.  So please comment if you think you have a feel for it.

 

Thanks, guys.

 

Tom

[spottedog]

I have a 74 B210, cool cars.  Park on level ground with the engine running, check the fuel level through the glass window on the front of the carb.

It should be on or near the dot in the center of the window. If not, adjust the float level and check if the float is damaged and gas is leaking into the float.

 

Electric fuel pump? It is common for after market electric pumps to put out too much fuel pressure and push the needle valve in the carb open and cause flooding. Check the fuel

pressure if you have a gauge, if not try puting the mechanical pump back on or get one from a dismantling yard, or get a fuel pressure regulator and set it at about 2.5 psi.

 

There should be a metal heat shield under the carb, if not get one from a dismantling yard. During the summer months, without the shield when you shut off the engine

heat will cause gasoline to boil in the float bowl and dribble down the barrel it make it a bitch to start after turning off the engine.

[BrooklynAnnarkie]

If this has been sitting this long, I recommend several things. 1.) reset the timing and check the thermo dashpot. It;s supposed to advance when the ngine is warm, but the rubber diaphragm is often seized after 30 yrs. 2.) overhaul the carb... or if you can afford it, replace it. Replace the thermostat & flush the cooling system 3,). Either drop the gas tank & clean the hell out of it, or run 2 fuel filters in line to catch the crap that's gathered from sitting. 

[datzenmike]

What you describe is vapor lock, the boiling of gas in the carb from heat soak after shutting it off in hot weather. All engines exchange heat through the rad by air pulled by the fan. When the engine is shut off the fan and circulation stops but there is heat still in the engine block. The coolant temperature rises, peaks and then begins to cool. It easily will get hot enough to boil gas in the fuel pump, lines and in the hot carburetor. Gas spills out just like a pot boiling over on the stove.<br /><br />I would begin by checking the cooling system and being sure it is not running hotter than it needs to.

[TAlfieri]

Thanks guys for all the advise.  I took the carb off and intend to either do a rebuild or just replace it.  Two questions in that regard:

 

1) What rebuild kit do I buy?  I can see it's a Hitachi carb, but I don't see any identifying numbers on it except for a "5J" on the center body.

 

2) If I replace it, what should I replace it with?  I keep hearing about Weber carbs, but I'm no expert.  Any advise here?

 

Tom

[datzenmike]

Rebuild or replace does not make the heat go away.

 

When just run check the fuel level in the round glass on front of carb. Float may be set too high.