I just acquired a 68 SS/RS 396 from my father-in-law. The car is pretty close to being done. The 396 was dropped in a few years ago, has been boarded out, and runs like champ... when it's warm.

For some reason, the car won't idle unless it's been warmed up. My father-in-law said he never had a problem with that.

The car came from Florida where, obviously, the humidity is a lot different than Santa Cruz, CA. My first guess would be to tweak the gas/air mixture on the carb.

My father-in-law speculates the fuel pump needs replacing.

Both are minor issues and, hopefully, that's all I need to do.

Does anyone have any other ideas on why the car won't idle unless warmed up?

I'd like to get some opinions/ideas before I dig in.

Much thanks!


- Trevor

 

Most likely your choke needs an adjustment. Either the choke butterfly isn't closing enough on a cold engine, or the fast idle adjustment screw is backed off too far. What kind of carb do you have? You can find sources online describing (with pictures) how to adjust the carb.

 

I have a BG carb. I'll take a look at the butterfly and the idle screws. Thanks for the advice! I'll let you know how it works out.

 

yeah, i had the same problem with my 78, i had to warm mine up for about 6min bc i didnt have a choke at all when i first got it lol, but a little adjustment should fix your problem