While getting around to the restoration of the 100-6, we have a nice restored 1961 BT7 to drive.
The engine was completely rebuilt during the restoration. Once warmed up, the engine runs well and has good power. However, it does start hard when cold. It starts and then sputters and quits. Giving it gas with the foot pedal may help but also may cause it to stall; still working on developing the best cold start procedure. After repeated starts and stalls, it warms up enough to run on its own. Also, when slowing to a stop, the engine may stall if one does not pull out the choke a bit.
The previous owner (a pilot) told me that he preferred to run 100 octane low-lead aviation fuel in the car. When he used premium pump gas, he added octane booster to get it up to 100 octane.
It looks to me as if the choke cable only leads to one of the two carburetors. Should the choke only work on one of the two carburetors? Or should there be an (internal or external) linkage between the carburetors that activates a choke on the second carburetor?
Should I live with the hard cold starts and having to use the choke when slowing to a stop, or is this just a matter of carburetor adjustment? I don't recall having these issues with my first Healey, although that was a while ago.
How about the 100 octane fuel recommendation? I don't know what pistons or compression ratio the engine has, but it seems to me that it should run fine on premium pump gas. Or am I wrong?
The engine was completely rebuilt during the restoration. Once warmed up, the engine runs well and has good power. However, it does start hard when cold. It starts and then sputters and quits. Giving it gas with the foot pedal may help but also may cause it to stall; still working on developing the best cold start procedure. After repeated starts and stalls, it warms up enough to run on its own. Also, when slowing to a stop, the engine may stall if one does not pull out the choke a bit.
The previous owner (a pilot) told me that he preferred to run 100 octane low-lead aviation fuel in the car. When he used premium pump gas, he added octane booster to get it up to 100 octane.
It looks to me as if the choke cable only leads to one of the two carburetors. Should the choke only work on one of the two carburetors? Or should there be an (internal or external) linkage between the carburetors that activates a choke on the second carburetor?
Should I live with the hard cold starts and having to use the choke when slowing to a stop, or is this just a matter of carburetor adjustment? I don't recall having these issues with my first Healey, although that was a while ago.
How about the 100 octane fuel recommendation? I don't know what pistons or compression ratio the engine has, but it seems to me that it should run fine on premium pump gas. Or am I wrong?