Cold Weather Start

[Livetoride]

I recently acquired an 82 Wagoneer. The straight 6 engine and transmission were completely rebuild about 3,000 ago. The previous owner added an electronic fuel pump so it usually starts right up. Is there anything I can do or add to help my rig start up in cold temperatures? I live in Salt Lake City so right now it's pretty chilly and takes about twenty minutes just to get her started.

Also, my speedometer just stopped working. I am fairly new to FSJs so any help on these rigs is extremely appreciated.

[jaber]

Glad you found us, welcome...

It sounds like your choke is not working, but I'm not familiar with the 6's.
The speedometer could be 2 cables if you have cruse control. It will screw into the back of the guage cluster, through the firewall to the fender mounted control box, the other from the control box to the t-case. If no cruse, then one cable. Check both ends, make sure they are still fully engaged.

[carnuck]

Sounds like the choke needs adjusting. Got any pics? Should take 1 hit of the gas pedal, then crank without touching the gas to get it going.

[lindel]

Welcome!

[AwesomeJ10]

IMHO there are three ways to get a good cold start;


1 - obtain a truly unmolested and 100% stock FSJ (whole rig) that performs like intended. Leave it alone and enjoy.

2 - become a carb genius - immerse yourself into the vast world and theory of carb/choke tuning. Spend all winter tuning the choke and mixture. You may eventually get it to the point where you get a good, reliable cold start that works every time.

3 - go with TBI. Couple of options here. First option; Go with an expensive 'bolt on' TBI setup such as Howell. Eventually end up wishing you had went with a junkyard setup. Second option. Immerse yourself with the Binder Planet Fuel Injection FAQ's here; http://www.binderplanet.com/forums/show ... hp?t=47254 EVERYTHING you need to know is there and has been hashed and rehased a million times. No need to post anything else. It's all been covered. Grab a junkyard GM TBI from a ~87-93 Chevy truck. Slap it on, install a TBI fuel pump on the frame rail, weld the dizzy and enjoy a very perfect and consistent cold start no matter how cold or how long it's been sitting.

At least this has been my experience.

Oh - I consider myself to be a 'carb guy'.

[Livetoride]

Thanks. Yeah pretty sure the choke isn't working so ill try adjusting that and see. Ill through some pics up. She's a beauty!

[jsinajeep]

Welcome aboard.

[Stuka]

Being that you have a 258, TBI is not really an option for you. I do not know of a single kit to modify the TBI to work on an AMC i6. Especially since most people just grab factory 4.0 parts and put that on. Although that is not truly a bolt on either. There is also a Howell EFI kit that works pretty decently from what I have heard, but I have zero experience with it.

So, pretty much stuck with a carb if you want to keep things cheap. I personally have a Weber 32/36 and it starts with zero issues even in 0F temps. The factory Carter BBD however was not the case. I really despise the BBD as it has several design flaws that prevent it from working properly even when tuned properly.

You can also go with a small-bore MC2150. Although the small bore version is the more rare version. And it requires some tuning to work, as even the small bore is a bit large for a 258. So requires rejetting and such to get right. Not that this is a big issue, just means its not a turn key solution.

Definitely make sure the choke is properly adjusted. With the engine cold, adjust the choke so that is it just barely open. And be sure it has power going to it so that it opens as the engine runs.

[AwesomeJ10]

Being that you have a 258, TBI is not really an option for you. I do not know of a single kit to modify the TBI to work on an AMC i6.

Here is the kit. http://howellefi.com/tbi-kit-1972-80-cj ... froad.html

Of course it's possible to do this yourself for about 1/3rd what they want for their kit.

[Stuka]

Being that you have a 258, TBI is not really an option for you. I do not know of a single kit to modify the TBI to work on an AMC i6.

Here is the kit. http://howellefi.com/tbi-kit-1972-80-cj ... froad.html

Of course it's possible to do this yourself for about 1/3rd what they want for their kit.

Yeah thats the howel kit I mentioned. Didn't recall that it used a GM TBI.

[AwesomeJ10]

Yeah, all the howell TBI kits are nothing but a GM TBI. In fact, I'm running a Howell TBI on my waggy attached to a junkyard harness and junkyard computer. There is nothing special about the Howell systems at all.

[Livetoride]

I'm very interested in the tbi, but not spending the unnecessary money on a Howells. Any help on building my own??

[jaber]

http://www.binderplanet.com/forums/show ... hp?t=47254

Happy reading...

[carnuck]

Manual choke for the win!