Trick to Cold Weather?

[EbidaDragon]

Really cold weather swept Georgia a bit earlier than I expected this year, and it's been a bit of a journey with my LX as it is.


Along with searching through things, I wanted to vent a little frustration about this..and really debating picking up an LXi coupe with 300k for $700 just to get away from carbs for the winter <.>

Since I lost my Hot Air Pipe around 2 months ago due to some burn from my P/S pressure hose blowing, I've been a little worried about truly -cold- starts, since it already started a little subpar.

Getting to my issue, though, on my cold starts, regardless of weather, it always starts up what seems to be very rich, and has a noticeable misfire/lack of fire, and my fast idle rarely kicks in. Before I cleaned the carb a couple weeks ago(simple carb cleaner/B-12 when it was running horribly on startup and idle), the car really seemed like it was dieseling until it warmed up at least a little, at least the very noticeable black smoke and very carbon-coated ND plugswhich I'd only had for 5 months after buying the car seeming like something was not perfect(bought NGK plats!) . It doesn't really spout as much black smoke(if any) when starting in <40F, but that chug-y behavior persists for much longer than before now that the weather is chilly(Even with a 60sec warmup, it still took me 4 miles before my temp gauge even seemed like it wanted to move!).

In the same vein, I still feel timid on how to prime my carb before a cold start, since I've heard these Keihin carburetors are very easy to flood, so starting can take a try or two sometimes with one half-push on my pedal, and I still tap the gas on a warm start after I go in a store or to pick up food real quick.

I was wondering for one:

-Is there any certain type of tubing I should/can use for making a new Hot Air Pipe that's not going to burn from the heat on my exhaust manifold port it ties in to?

And also!:

-Are there tricks I can use to make sure I get a good start cold?(Starter/battery are strong, luckily!)
-Is there anything on my carb that I need to set/change for winter, like fast idle or general idle?(Mechanic did a vacuum leak test, said there were surprisingly no leaks!)
-Is there a reason it takes my car for-freaking-ever to warm up?

Also, to add (if tl;dr hasn't come into effect and you're looking here), my coolant levels are just fine, and I do not have any overheating issues..would honestly say it runs perfect temp-wise; my gauge goes to a reasonable little bit below the half-way mark once it takes its' sweet time even warming up

[2oodoor]

There is a thermovalve, vac switch controled by coolant temps, that contols vac advance on the distributor. Follow the vac lines from the dist and find that. Make sure you have strong vac at the dist when cold.
A check of ignition timing wouldnt be a bad idea if the car acts cold natured a long time.
This doesnt rule out carb issues though sorry

[russiankid]

When I had my LX, gave it two pumps and fired right up. Kick down the idle and let it warm up until the idle would kick down to 1500rpm, then drive. Never had a problem with it starting even when it was buried in snow in PA.

[Dr_Snooz]

Check your thermostat too.

[Buzo]

Think in your carburetor as a "mechanical computer".
It has everything to make your car fire up at the first try and warm up by itself, at any temp. The combination of thermovalves & vacuum actuators around the carb does the same as the electronics in a FI car.

For start up issues, hot and cold, I would check first the choke. Make sure all the hoses are in good shape and connected (follow the numbers on each hose)
The choke is the responsible to get your car started every morning, or to flood your engine if not adjusted properly.

If the engine backfires while cranking, then the problem might be incorrect timing and not necessarily the carb.

And as the other guys said, check the thermostat for faster temp rise.

[EbidaDragon]

The engine doesn't backfire, just gets a little rough, like a cylinder isn't firing right, and there's very, very rich exhaust(can get black depending on the morning). It leans out and the car runs great once it's warmed up(a.k.a. right when I get to work/home when it's cold outside). Doesn't look like there's anything in the coolant, and my oil still looks like it's good regardless of the leak I have out my oil pan gasket :/

Next step is to replace fuel filter(s, yay carb), oil pan gasket, and my thermostat.

Also, did anyone have an answer on a good replacement tubing for my Hot Air Pipe?

[2oodoor]

You can buy that tubing at auto parts stores, they stock different sizes. Industrial supply or hvac/plumbing parts may have some too.

[gyates93]

I drive my carbed LX every day in the winter down to -35 degrees Celsius (-31F) and I don't believe there is any trick. Gas pedal to the floor once, start the car and allow it to run at high RPM for a moment, tap the gas to bring idle down, brush snow off of car, and then get in and drive. If its not that simple, I would definitely check mixture, jets, choke, etc. just like everyone else has mentioned. I don't consider my carbed car a hassle over a fuel injected one.. The only problem I have is when it's SO cold that my engine doesn't hardly want to turn.

[Keachman1]

The carb will ice up in cold weather if the warm air hose to the breather is missing. The hoses at the auto supply hoses are usually 1 1/2" or 1 3/4" or 2" where the factory hose is 1 1/4".

McMaster Carr has all types of flexible duct hose. They have a 1 1/4" ID hose that is silicon and good up to 500 degrees that should work. It is listed as: part no: 55125K73.

Also, make sure the temp control flapper valve in the air breather is working correctly. It is vacuum operated and works off the bi-metal controller under the breather that allows vacuum to open and close the flapper as needed. Check the diaphragm on the flapper too to make sure it will hold vacuum and that the vacuum hoses are in good shape and going to the correct vacuum ports.

The venturi in the carb can start to ice up when the temp is as high as 50 degrees F when the conditions are right so the intake heating system on a carb is very important to smooth operation.

And as stated above, make sure the choke and its actuators are working properly with no vacuum leaks.