Well, It's been about a year and a half since my daily driver 1976 230 died on me, so I can't really complain.

I left it in the garage for 2 weeks while I was away, so that may be part of the problem, because the problem started about a week after I came back.

I drove it for 1/2 hour in -18 C temperatures last week, came back out to it and it wouldn't start. Left the car to cool for a while and it got me home no problem.

Two days later, I stopped to get gas on the way home and after filling the tank, it wouldn't start again. Left it for a while, still nothing. I then changed the carb.(Stromberg 175) diaphragm, nothing. I took off the choke housing and made sure the choke/piston was moving freely, it was.

I managed to get it going by pulling off the vacuum lines and air filter housing and nursed it home, because the moment I took my foot off the gas it died, so I had to keep my foot on the gas and the brake at the same time.

I really don't know what else to do. I'm not too familiar with how vacuum works on my car.

Any advice on what else to check?

I'm suspecting it's a vacuum issue (of which I've had for years)

I'm hoping it's not transmission or engine related (I've been delaying working on my tranny for a few months)

Thanks,

AARON ROCHARD

1976 230 W115 4 cyl.

Your car will die BECAUSE of the vacuum lines being disconnected! And it will be a ***** to start!

Make sure there is no vac leaks before changing carbs.

__________________
Ed
1981 300CD (Benzina)
1968 250 S (Gina) 266,000 miles!
1983 Alfa Romeo GTV6 (Guido)
1976 Jaguar XJS-saved a V-12 from the chevy curse, what a great engine!
1988 Cadillac Eldorado (better car than you might think!)
1988 Yamaha Venture (better than a Wing!)
1977 Suzuki GS750B
1976 Yamaha XS 650 (sold)
1991 Suzuki GSX1100G (Shafty Gixser)
1981 Yamaha VX920RH (Euro "Virago")
Solex Moped
1975 Dodge P/U camper


"Time spent in the company of a cat, a beer, and this forum, is not time wasted!"

Some things to look out for on a 175 CD Stromberg -
These carbs are mounted to the manifold with a flexible rubber insulator flange. If the rubber cracks/separates, there will be a major vacuum leak.
(But if you had to pull hoses and create vacuum leaks to get it to run, it sounds like it was flooding out instead.)

Make sure the 'piston' (actually a cold starting valve) inside the 'choke' housing is connected to the bi-metal coil and working throughout its' travel and temperature range.
There's also a small 'pull-off' diaphragm on the 'choke' housing that is supposed to prevent flooding right after starting, before warm-up.

Another cause for stalling/not starting is failure of the electric fuel shut off solenoid valve or its' power supply circuit. The solenoid valve is attached at the bottom of the carb, fastened to the main mixture jet adjuster.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

Thanks, Mark. It does sound like the carb is flooding, however there seems to be no problems with the pull out diaphragm (I assume you mean the Orange, triangular one) and I didn't suspect the solenoid, because usually if it's not working I get a sputter, but it still starts. Is it possible that it could be needle/seat related, or should I test the solenoid first ?

Thanks,

AARON.

Aaron,
Yes, it's the little red/orange triangular diaphragm. If it fails, the car will start, then begin chugging/surging as it floods. Even if the rest of the cold-start system is OK, repeated operation with a bad pull-off will eventually foul the plugs.
Is the pull-off diaphragm new? If not, it could look OK, but a tiny pinhole or stiffness from age may keep it from working.

If the cold starting valve is not moving off the cold position, it will flood. Make sure the 'choke' bi-metal coil is connected to the cold-start piston linkage and it's adjusted properly and not sticking.

If the cold starting/pull-off system is OK, but the fuel solenoid isn't working, it MAY start and run when cold but die and not restart after warmup, when the cold start system and the fast idle cam has disengaged. By itself, this will not cause a flooding problem.

A sticking/heavy float or sticking/dirty inlet valve that doesn't limit fuel into the carb, will cause flooding.

Have you looked at the plugs to verify flooding? Are they wet/sooted up? Checked for any other 'no start' possibilities, like weak/no spark? You could also have a combination of these problems.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

Thanks again, Mark. I will check the orange diaphragm. I replaced it last about 2 1/2 years ago, so you never know, it could have worn out. The choke coil was fine, and the only other thing might be the solenoid. I wasn't able to check the plugs because I can't find my plug tool right now, but I'll give my mechanic a shout with the info.

I'll update you as soon as I find what it is.

Thanks,

AARON.

Just spoke with the mechanic and he says the problem is there is not enough gas getting to the carb. I brought him a spare solenoid that I had (and know is working) and he'll get back to me. I figure the only other thing it might be is the fuel pump, however, I changed this a year and a half ago and these mechanical ones don't usually go that fast.

I'll keep you all updated.

Thanks,

AARON ROCHARD

1976 230. 4 W115

Just another update, the mechanic said he tried the solenoid and it wasn't that, so he currently has the carb apart, checking the needle and float.

Aaron.

One more update, that mechanic put the carb back together and had it running great, so he let it cool overnight to see if it will start cold.

It didn't.

Back to the drawing board !

AARON.

You know what you need Aaron?
...an early 230 6 cyl with manual tranny to drop into that chassis. I wonder where you might find one?

Mark
'69 230 4 speed

Well, second morning in a row that the mechanic says he has the car running well and it won't start when cold. He says he tapped the carburetor with his "magic hammer" and it started, leading him to believe it is the carb.

Any ideas ?

Sounds like maybe the needle/seat needs replacing ?

Let me know.

Thanks,

AARON.

You didn't say what part of the carb he was hitting with his 'Magic Hammer'. It sounds like the cold starting valve is sticking. I had a similar problem on a '75 Fiat, with a Weber carb. On that carb the choke is operated through the same type of unit that operates your cold starting valve. When that carb cooled down the bushing for the fast idle cam/shaft would contract enough to bind the shaft, preventing it from closing the choke. After several trials, I figured it out and slightly reamed out the bushing to free up the shaft movement. Or your cold starting piston could still be sticking.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

Thanks, Mark. My mechanic said he also got it started by spraying auto start in the carb throat. He thinks it might be an air leak and suggested a rebuild.

By the cold start piston, do you mean the one that the auto choke regulates by expanding or contracting when warm/cold? If so, I sprayed it with lubricant and made sure it moved freely before re-attaching the housing. Same results. I don't know what else to check, really.

Thanks,

AARON ROCHARD

1976 230.4 W115

It's possible that your cold-start piston or linkage was free while the 'choke' housing was apart but it's binding while it's back together. If your carb is like the Stromberg on my friends '72 220, there's a little slot on the cold-start 'choke' housing through which part of the cold-start linkage and fast-idle cam is visible. You need to warm up the engine, then let it cool down completely. When the engine is cold, do NOT touch the accelerator pedal. Before you do anything else, open the hood and look through this little slot. You may need a small flashlight. While looking, with the ignition OFF, move the throttle linkage off idle or have an assistant step on the accelerator. See if the cold-start mechanism clicks/moves to the cold position.
If there's no movement, or you need to hit it with a 'magic hammer' to get it to work, you need to go back in and fix it. If it's moving normally then the cold-starting problem is someplace else.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

Just wanted to update you on my car, because it's still giving trouble. I had the carb. re-built and the mechanic fixed my cold idle problem by bypassing one of the resistors on the firewall (it wasn't functioning properly) however, the car starts with no problem while cold.

When warm, it turns over, starts and then dies. If I pump the gas, it will rev, but if I keep constant pressure on the gas it dies.

The mechanic got it fixed by adjusting the bi-metal coil in the choke housing to the rich position and the problem went away, the car ran great, but when I turned off the car and re-started it after 30 seconds, same result. Cough, sputter die.

The only thing I think that is left to check is the little spring under the choke piston that gives the piston resistance. Other than that, I don't know what else to check. The needle ? We checked the fuel pump and it's not leaking.

If you can help, please !

Aaron Rochard

1976 230.4 W115