Speaking of hard starting...
My 79 Fleetwood (Dodge, 440) has always been hard to start if it sits more than a couple of days. After sitting that long, it may take 5 to 10 minutes to get it started. And it requires a lot of gas pedal pumping. And, no, it is not flooded. I know this because at first I was very concerned about flooding so I skimped on the gas pedal, but later I found that the more I pumped it, the sooner it started.
Thus I expect the carburator is empty, and I don't think there is a fuel pump, so manual pumping the gas pedal is the only solution. But you need a fully charged battery to get it started. Once is has been started, it starts right up for the next couple of days.
Is it possible that a new ballast resister would fix this? Or, is it lack of fuel? It would seem that if it was the ballast resistor that it would always be hard to start. Or, maybe it is both?
Batteries lose some of the their charge when they are sitting idle. The longer they sit idle, the smaller the remaining charge. The fact the engine is easier to start after being run recently versus sitting idle for a longer period is indicative.
You may also have a parasitic battery drain. Try disconnecting the battery's negative (ground) cable when it's going to be unused for awhile. If the result is an easier to start engine, then I'd suspect a parasitic drain.
A quality multi-stage battery charger/maintainer would be a good idea, regardless of whether you replace the battery or not. The charger will keep the battery fully charged (unless the battery is tango uniform) and make it easier to start the engine. It will also counter any parasitic drain.
Note: Multi-stage charger/maintainers also keep the battery warm in significantly cold ambient temperatures ... that's what I have used for decades to make sure my vehicles start in -30 to -40 degrees F. (Whenever I encounter a battery heat pad or blanket, I rip it out and throw it away ... a drained battery is a drained battery, even if it's not as cold.)
Warning: Do NOT put a battery charger on a frozen battery. There is a distinct possibility doing so will cause an explosion. (When I worked at CarQuest, at least once every winter someone would come in with a battery that had clearly exploded.)
It's noteworthy that you considered a flooded engine. It's a common situation on engines with carburetors and especially Dodge big blocks. Most people aren't aware of this due to the proliferation of fuel injection systems, unlike decades ago.
Your motorhome definitely has a fuel pump ... there must be some way for fuel to get from the tank to the engine. (The carburetor -- or fuel injection -- cannot draw fuel from the tank. There are exceptions on some, especially small, engines but this doesn't apply in your case.)
Most likely, you have a mechanical fuel pump on the side of your engine. Alternatively, a previous owner may have replaced the mechanical pump with an electrical pump, ideally located close to the tank.
A possibility is a small air leak in the fuel line between the tank and pump. This would allow the tank to siphon fuel out of the line and back into the tank. (Mechanical fuel pumps on the engine suck ... both in terms of operation and application. Electrical fuel pumps, mounted close to or in the tank, push fuel to the carburetor or fuel injection system.)
However, I would first make sure your battery is good and fully charged. Likewise, I would make sure your electrical cables, wires, and connections are in good condition. (Especially, all connections are clean and tight.) Significantly, many people overlook the negative (ground) cables and connections.
Ballast resistors will NOT make an engine hard to start ... they're not part of the engine's START circuit. Instead, a failed ballast resistor will merely prevent an engine from running when you release the key to the RUN position. (The fact the START circuit bypasses the ballast resistor actually make it easier to start the engine ... bypassing the ballast resistor results in a hotter spark, which is necessary for starting an engine, especially when it's cold.)
Finally, there's no reason to replace a working ballast resistor. They are simple devices and either work or don't.
1970 Explorer Class A on a 1969 Dodge M300 chassis with 318 cu. in. (split year)
1972 Executive Class A on a Dodge M375 chassis with 413 cu. in.
1973 Explorer Class A on a Dodge RM350 (R4) chassis with 318 engine & tranny from 1970 Explorer Class A
The choke plate reduces air intake, creating the richer fuel mixture necessary for starting an engine. Pumping the accelerator pedal pours raw fuel into the intake manifold, partially offsetting a lean mixture.
Your fuel pump appears to be working. Pumping the pedal for "5 to 10 minutes" would drain the carburetor bowl. If the fuel pump isn't replacing what you've drawn through pumping the pedal, you'd wind up with no fuel in the carburetor. (Too much raw fuel in the intake manifold is what constitutes flooding.)
There is a stepped cam on the choke linkage that prevents the choke plate from closing completely. Flooring the accelerator pedal once before starting releases the cam, allowing the choke to close more completely.
This is why accepted big block starting procedure was to first press the accelerator pedal quickly all the way to the floor and release it completely. Then, press the pedal gently to half throttle and hold there while turning the ignition key to the START position. On an up-to-snuff big block (and most other engines), the result is a near-instantaneous start.
So, first check to see if the choke plate (located immediately under the air cleaner) is closing when the engine is cold. Report back on what you find. (There's lots of variations in choke mechanisms, plus previous owners love to mess with it, so I won't go further until you report back ... and a picture of your choke mechanism would be helpful.)
No it's not the battery. It has been hard to start since I got it about 10-12 years ago. It has had a couple of batteries in that time and it has always been hard to start. If the battery was low it would never get started since I have to crank the engine for 5 minutes or more. And I keep it on a battery maintainer. And I usually top it off with my big charger before I even try to start it.
Fuel pump--my bad, I meant I didn't think it had an electrical fuel pump. I'm concerned that it takes so long because a mechanical pump is only working when the engine is turning. With an electrical one you can turn it on and wait until the fuel line and carb are full before even trying to crank. Electric fuel pumps weren't the norm in 1979, were they?
It also starts right up if I squirt engine starting fluid into the carb. But, of course, that is not easy to do on a regular basis since you have to remove the engine cover and air filter to do it.
A leak in the fuel line sounds like the most probable issue. I will take a look at it. I should probably just replace it.
Thanks for the input.
I have been troubleshooting a similar issue. Got worse and worse to were it could sit for a couple hours and be difficult to start. Recently rebuilt the carb trying to troubleshoot. (It needed it... the bowl was warped and leaking.. the glue on the wells was failing and leaking fuel... But. Rebuilding the carb didn't help.
We took it for a trip this weekend, seemed to start Ok. Didn't have the big problems I had been having. Thought we had made headway. Over the weekend, the speedo stopped working again. So, yesterday, I wanted to back it up a little, so I could get under it, and fix the cable... transmission gear to be specific. Anyway. Wouldn't start... at all... I had even been keeping a can of starter fluid handy. Didn't help and ran out of light anyway. So... I figure today I'll change the ignition module. I seem to go through them about one a year. I think this one has lasted a little longer. But, before I do, thought I'd give it one more try. **** things started right up. Like... right away. So, I backed it up, fixed (I think) the speedo stuff, and went to put it back in its regular spot. Won't start again. Crank, crank, crank... I decide to let it sit a little. Worked yesterday right? come back an hour later, still no go. So, I go ahead with my plan and grab the other ignition module. **** it it didn't fire right up. shut it off... started right up again... shut it off... and fired right back up.
So... try and new ignition module.
Wait... before you do.
GRIFF!!!!
What is a good ignition module? The original one looks nasty. It's rusted, the protectant on the back has leaked out everywhere. But its never failed. I assume its going to however, so I keep buying new units. The new units eventually fail... and I revert to the original. Maybe I should just stick with the original... but I can't bring myself to do it yet. So... What SHOULD I replace it with? I started with the $35 dollar units... and have gone up to the NAPA branded higher $$$ units without a realistic change except that the higher $$$ version does't fail outright. Only made troubleshooting it harder.
The Mopar replacement has been good for years.
'73 Concord 20' Class A w/Dodge 440 - see profile for photo
Personal impression: The electronics manufacturing industry has declined notably over the decades, mostly due to cost-cutting and increasingly lax quality control. So, if something fail sooner than I'd reasonably expect, I try to determine who manufactured it and where it was manufactured so I can avoid their products henceforth.
Case in point: Over a decade ago, GM quietly decided seat warmers didn't need to work below -20 degrees F. (Yes, a truly remarkable lack of logic and understanding of reality.) You should have heard the CarQuest assistant manager when he found out that was why the seat warmers in his relatively new 2005 Silverado HD quit working. Multiple electronic control modules went into permanent fault mode when he turned them on at the seriously subzero (-30 to -40 degrees F) temperatures in interior Alaska.
Have you tried a genuine OEM Dodge ignition module? It may be a bit more expensive but I'd trust it more ... they have more at stake in terms of reputation than after-market manufacturers.
Note: OEM parts and dealer parts counters have long suffered a reputation for overly expensive parts. This is no longer a reality. Several decades ago, the Big Three realized they were losing out on a very large potential market, due to 'inflated' prices. So, they began to make efforts to make their parts and dealerships more competitive with independent and chain parts stores.
Their prices still tend to be a bit higher but it's now mostly due to better quality products. In some cases I've encountered personally, the dealership prices have actually been less than other sources, with better quality.
So, I prefer to stick with original electronic components until they fail. (Especially in terms of older Dodge ignition components.) When they fail, I try very hard to get original OEM parts, not OEM-equivalent parts.
I've run into the same issue with computer components ... it was/is an ongoing and tediously long-standing problem in the Air Force. Planes falling out of the sky due to faulty/substandard electronics is "embarrassing." (It not hard to find reports identifying substandard components as the cause of major malfunctions.)
Leeann wrote:
I bought a Mopar from Mancini Racing. They have a store in Mt Clemens and a website for those of us not close.
The Mopar replacement has been good for years.
I bought a Mopar from Mancini Racing. They have a store in Mt Clemens and a website for those of us not close.
The Mopar replacement has been good for years.
Yes, this is what I was trying to say ... without as many words.
Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
Yes, this is what I was trying to say ... without as many words.
Leeann wrote:
I bought a Mopar from Mancini Racing. They have a store in Mt Clemens and a website for those of us not close.
The Mopar replacement has been good for years.
I bought a Mopar from Mancini Racing. They have a store in Mt Clemens and a website for those of us not close.
The Mopar replacement has been good for years.
Yes, this is what I was trying to say ... without as many words.
And I was the English major
![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/wink.gif "wink")
(Sorry, I couldn't resist a bit of sarcasm ... it sounds like one of those situations that causes hunched shoulders and flat foreheads.)
![[image]](http://www.riffgan.com/misc/rv_net_stuff/facepalm.jpg)
It's an intermittent malfunction ... which tends to be especially frustrating to troubleshoot and fix.
I'd start with your ignition switch. It may be worn enough to cause intermittent faults. Or, the wire connections on the back of the switch may be loose or otherwise faulty.
As always, a loose ground connection could also be the issue. Try jumpering around the battery negative/ground cable and wires.
Finally, the starter relay may be malfunctioning or its wires and connections may be loose or faulty.
![[image]](http://www.riffgan.com/misc/rv_net_stuff/707390783789_aio.jpg)
BWD part number S654P. CarQuest list price $20.99
Dang it, folks, I'm starting to think I need a list of what everybody has, in terms of motorhome year, make, model, chassis, engine, and so forth. (My CarQuest commercial account keeps track of recently referenced vehicles but I can't remember which ones belong to who.)