Hard starts=Fuel Pump Issues??

[Ross72SIII]

Would really appreciate any advice/experience regarding my hard starts.

Have to turn the engine over for about 3 seconds, then flood it, to get it to start. Will not start any other way. Big black smoke cloud afterwards. It does start much better when it is a little cooler, and when the vehicle has sat for long periods of time. Choking doesnt seem to affect this issue much, if at all.

Ignition/timing is spot on. Just set at a trusted shop. New Pertronix ignitor kit and new plugs. New RN high torque starter too. Vehicle runs very well overall, just this starting issue.

Could the fuel pump be on its way out? This problem came on suddenly about a month ago. I waited to see if having the timing/ignition tuned up would solve the issue. No luck there.

Thanks a lot in advance. Still learning everyday!

[cetesse]

I had a similar problem on my weber 34ich carb. Would tune it just right and then after a couple of hours of running. Terrible. Turned out the spring on the idle mixture screw had weakened to the point that screw kept backing it self out.

Something to check.

[mearstrae]

Its working better when cold might be a hint as to a vacuum leak somewhere on the intake manifold. Give everything a light spray with water in different areas, if the idle picks up, there's the area leaking. A vacuum guage may also help spot an intake problem. The choke not affecting it much must mean that it's getting air from somewhere else.

'95 R.R.C. Lwb
'76 Series III Hybrid 109
'70 Rover 3500S