cold weather starts

[samos]

hello to everybody
here in one of the greek islands.....samos..... were i keep my 53 manhattan is not that cold, but when i try to start my car every month  i have a hard time. i charge the bat. and i have to use starting fluid every time. after it starts the first time, there after it starts fine until the next month i go through this story again. any ideas? in the summer i have no problem. i suspect the bat wires may need to be cleaned and reattached to the bat, engine, and solenoid.

[Gordie]

It seems like all of the gasoline is draining out of your carb.

[samos]

would that be normal for a car that sits for a whole month or more without starting? would the gas evaporate, or is there a problem with the carb. it seems that my other cars have more or less the same problem.
64 mercedes 190c
64 fiat neckar
53 kaiser manhattan
60 morris minor
they all exhibid the same problem in the winter only.

[Logan]

Ya sou!  I've never been to Samos, but have toured most of mainland Greece as well as Crete--beautiful!  If you look at this link http://www.thecarburetorshop.com/Troubleshooting.htm#Hardstartcold under hard starting cold it explains that modern fuels vaporize at a much lower temperature than old fuels.  It would seem that that's probably what is happening and can't be fixed.  The site gives some suggestions on how to combat this problem.

[pnw_oldmags]

Does your 53 Manhattan have the sagging back end like most do??  
I have this theory that the rear sag is making the gas tank lower than the engineers designed.
The lower gas tank creates a negative pull on the gas in the carb,  pulling it out of the carb past the fuel pump.
Put your car on jack stands in the rear for the next month and let me know if it reoccurs.

PS...  This is also my theory on why some 53 Kaisers vapor lock in the heat worse than others.

[Jim B PEI]

Lots of history on this issue on the Studebaker forum. Its a fault of modern gas. Also, the float level needs to be higher than factory in many cars to work reasonably better with ethanolized fuels, and having a 6 volt "primer" pump on a switch sure helps (hint, put it on a starter button sort of arrangement, and hide it under the edge of the dash) Then, after periods longer than a day or two, press the button to prime the carb, then try starting. Also helps with vapour lock in hot weather. Again, the problem is due to greater volatility in modern fuels making a bad problem worse. Yes, it reduces pollution, but since most cars that the new fuels have parts suited to it, and have fuel injection, it is only a problem with older cars with carbs.