I have seen a couple different threads about this but their problems seem to be a little different than mine so here goes. Its been around 30-40 degrees where I live at lately and it is taking forever for my truck to start. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-20 seconds before it will turn over. It sounds fine when its trying, doesn't seem like the battery is weak or anything. Once is starts its fine it doesn't die. Is this typical with these trucks or maybe something is wrong with the choke or something? Possibly need to adjust the carb? Thanks.

 

I have a 20r with a carb. I pump the pedal twice, then crank it. If you're used to fuel injection you don't pump, carbed you need to pump gas into the engine. Here it's typically 5 to 20 degrees in the morning and I have no problem. Make sure your choke plate is fully closing

 

So you turn the key to start and nothing for 15-20 seconds, then the starter kicks in and turns over the motor? If I have the situation right, sounds like a starter or solenoid issue to me.

 

No it trys to start the whole time but it takes 15-20 seconds to turn over. Yesterday it was around 50 degress and I went out to start it up to test an old super sun tach II that I found and the truck started right up.

 

By "turn over" you mean for the engine to ignite fuel? Sorry, the confusion may be that when you say turn over, I think you mean literally turn the crank, period. Like you can turn over the engine by hand using a socket and breaker bar.
So it cranks over for 15-20 seconds before it catches and runs without the starter? If so, that's not exactly unusual for a rig this old. It may help to pump the gas a couple times before you hit the starter, though.

 

Yea by turn over I mean the motor is running or fuel is ignited. Yea i pump it a couple times while im trying to start it but never have tried before.

 

So to recap;
The engine turns but does not start for @ 15 seconds when it's very cold?
You have pumped the pedal and now it does?
In the warmer weather (50) it started easily?

Did you or anyone remove the air cleaner and check the choke plate?

For old folks like me, you need to speak slowly and even then I may need to read your lips some.

 

Yes you correct. Sort of. When it was 30 degrees I didn't pump the gas till AFTER it trying to start. Since the warmer weather is here now its starts fine. Next time it gets around 30 again I will pump BEFORE and see of that makes a difference.
And no I have not checked the choke plate. What should the choke plate being doing. Not all us new miss fully understand these old carbs.

 

my 82 does this,except i can crank for up to 1 min nothing,i have to pour gas into the carb to fire up.
my carb needs rebuild.

 

When you pump the pedal a few things happen;

1- The choke plate closes, which the amount of air into the engine compared to the amount of fuel (a good thing)

2- There is a fuel injector or pump that squirts a small amount of gas down the carb throat, just like "IGOTIT" is doing manually, but it is a controlled amount.

Even if it's not very cold outside you should pump the pedal once or twice before cranking when starting for the first time in a day. When it's really cold here ( 10 degrees or less) or it's been a week since I drove it last, I may have to pump mine three or four times.

To check your choke plate, when the engine is cold before you do anything else, remove the air cleaner cover and look at the carb. There should be a big "hole", then get in and pump the pedal once. Go back and see if the hole is now covered with a metal plate, if so, that's the "plate". I can be adjusted to make it only partially closed or close completely.

If you aren't comfortable about messing with it, most any mechanic can give it a once over. Carbs are really pretty simple but these days everything is fuel injected because of emissions controls. There's probably somebody else here that can explain it better, but there you are.

 

I ended up swapping out my ignition lock cylinder, the part that triggers the ignition switch was plastic... so it was warn down. Now it has a strong crank. $38, out the door, on partsgeek.com. I would test the starter relay as well. It's cheap to run a fused line directly off the positive post on the battery to the relay. Test the ohms on the relay first. Black with white strip and black. The 2 biggest gauge wires

83 starter relay, it has 2 plugs Blue is high voltage Black is relay wiring