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R4 poor cold starting

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paddyglenny

Enthusiast
Messages
5
Hi everybody
I wonder if anybody can help me figure out why my R4 has such crappy cold starting?
The symptoms are that she starts just fine when warm but when cold I either have to bump start her down quite a long hill, or I have to remove the air cleaner and tip a dribble of petrol directly into the carb throat. Then, will full chike she will usually fire up immediately.
I have stripped and cleaned the carb and installed a new fuel pump including putting a mini non return valve in the fuel line.
I've also put new spark plugs in but still no better.
I can't decide if it's a fuel issue or a spark issue, so I'm just about to install an electronic ignition system as when I did so for my 1972 Fiat 128, it made her start and run WAY better.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance
Oh, I forgot to say that she was built in Yugoslavia in 1989 and has the 956cc C1C engine.
 
As the car starts & runs OK when warm but has problems when cold it suggests the problem may be with the choke control or mechansim. As you have managed to get the car going by pouring fuel into the throat of the carburettor what this is doing is enrichening the mixture, which is what the choke should do. I suggest removing the air filter & checking that the choke control inside the car is moving the butterfly valve in the carburettor throat. If it's not, investigate why not.....
 
There are a couple of things they can be bad for. Starting tends to be poor if the starter turns slowly either due to a poor battery or the internal contacts on the starter solenoid becoming dirty with clutch dust.

If the starter is turning at a reasonable speed then it could be evaporation of fuel in the float chamber combined with the length of time it takes the mechanical fuel pump to refill the float chamber. My van has this problem and takes 30 seconds of cranking to start the engine if left for several days. It is OK if left for only 1 day. The best fix for this is to fit an electronic fuel pump.
 
Sounds similar to our 1990 Slovenian GTL (1108cc): starts straight away when warm, but takes a long time cranking when cold in cold weather. OK when the battery is fully charged, but not so good if the car hasn't been used for a few weeks (when the battery has less charge).

Shame there isn't some kind of priming device you can fit.
 
Pull out the choke and then try to pump your trottle twice before starting... he/she wil fire up a lot quicker.
 
It may be a very simple thing like your battery. After the car runs a bit, the car warms up and your battery would have regained full charge and therefore start easily. After its rested overnight, it might lose a little power. If you have a multimeter handy, check the charge before you start, when its cold and again when the car has warmed up.
It should be 12,4V to 12,6V even after a night's rest and also when the car has warmed up.
I had exactly the same problem a few months ago
 
It might be time voor a new coil and condenser, distributercap, and cables to. Maybe check the fuel filter to
 
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