New to me ‘76 Royale

[rexrogers]

First time owner here in Texas. Just picked up a 26’ Royale with bathroom in the back. Has had a rebuilt 403 installed in it. Runs and drives, inspected and registered. Having a little trouble getting it to fire up again since getting it home, but have not spent much time on it as I was right in the middle of a move when I bought it. Hope to get it going soon and start using it while repairing things on it. It came with maintenanc repair manual and parts manual. I am glad to have this searchable forum for help as well. I don’t know anything about the history of the vehicle other than previous owner bought it in San Antonio and drove it to my area couple years back. I submitted vehicle info to the registry. Hope to have some luck with it and get to enjoy it.

 

[rexrogers]

Got it to fire up. Sprayed starter fluid in the carb and it started right up. Carb is going to need some adjusting. Has an electric choke that looks to not be hooked up too.

 

[Scotty]

welcome to the family.

I too have a Royale - rear bath with 403 and carb - my electric choke was not connected either.

There are several who will recommend certain precautions be taken prior to starting an engine that has sat a while - they aren't wrong, but non the less...

here are some obvious checks...
make sure you have fresh oil, fresh gas, check your vacuum and fuel lines, new spark plugs, check the distributor - make sure the mechanical advance is not seized or sticking

if it's firing with starting fluid - then its likely a fuel issue - you will very likely want to rebuild the carb, but for now, replace the fuel filter, and keep a couple spares in the glove box. make sure the 4 carb to manifold screw/bolts are snug (do not over tighten).

there are several fantastic videos on the Rochester Quadrajet (assuming you have the original carb).
but this video is a by far the first one you should watch

Carburetor Chock Operation - by Rochester

 

[rexrogers]

Tremendous. Just watched that badass old video. 54 years on this earth and only just now learning proper starting procedure for older cars with carbs. Thank you!

And I will confess I was the ”pump it ‘til it starts” guy. Let’s see if I have better luck next time I go to crank it.

 

[Scotty]

more thought,

there is a fuel filter in the carb where the fuel line comes in - this is the one I was referencing in my previous reply, as it is commonly plugged as the fuel tanks age and sediment becomes an issue (Which would need to be addressed).

if you follow that fuel line back , there is also a larger fuel filter - at least there is on mine. This one is less likely to be the culprit, but always possible.

if the fuel filter replacement does not result in adequate fuel flow to the carb, you may want to check the fuel pressure, and if it is too low, you could have a cracked fuel line that is sucking air. The original fuel lines can age out, and are NOT compatible with modern fuels. You will want to change these out as well, but this is a larger project as it involves dropping the tanks. I have avoided doing this so far as I have been using no-oxy to buy me time.

the last cause for lack of fuel flow is of course the fuel pump.

 

[RF_Burns]

If it runs well after you get started, these old girls are noted for long cranking times if they have been sitting for a couple of days. The carb sits in a tight space so the heat of the engine evaporates the fuel in the bowl. The exhaust cross-over in the intake manifold makes it very hot as well. The carb also has plugs in the bottom that leak if they have never been fixed.

So with an empty carb bowl, the fuel pump must pull fuel from the tanks through a lot of line before it can begin to fill the bowl. Its not uncommon to hear them crank for 45 seconds or more before they fire up.

Some owner have added an electric fuel pump back near the tanks. This allows you to fill the carb bowl with fuel before cranking the engine. It also helps eliminate vapour lock.

Those of us with Electronic Fuel injection (EFI) do not have this issue since the pump runs and primes the system when you turn the Ignition key ON.

You might notice your Onan generator needs a long cranking before it starts for the same reason. Some of us have added a "Prime" button to run the fuel pump and fill the carb bowl before cranking. It will then start in a couple of seconds of cranking.

 

[LarryW]

That cranking for a long period of time is not necessarily a bad thing. While it is cranking, the oil pump is repriming the whole oiling system delivering oil to crank and rod bearings, lifters which puts oil to the cam and other bearing areas, so that when it finally fires it has the lubrication to resist metal to metal contact. The great Dick Patterson said many times (I'm paraphrasing cuz I can't recall his actual words) that the immediate start afforded by the EFI's that we are installing may not be the best thing for our engines that frequently sit for long periods of time between uses. He encouraged those installing EFI to build in a delayed start while cranking to allow oil to reach bearing surfaces. JWIT, JWIR.

 

[rexrogers]

All great info! Thanks so much!