Ok. so about a year ago I bought a 72 Maverick 4dr automatic with a 250 engine. Recently multiple things have started acting up. First of all, when the cold weather hit, every time I start it I have to slightly hold the accelerator or it will die. If I try to just take off, it will go until it is time to shift and then it acts like it can't, and when I let off the gas it dies. It also has a really rough shift into reverse. Once I get this fixed I will post what else is wrong with it. Please help me.
Needs a tune up, the choke on the carb isn't working (not that they ever do) and the transmission is gunked up with varnish causing the hard shifts. Add a bottle of Lucas Transmission Treatment to the transmission and chances are that will fix that.
I'll tackle the cold start issue. I will assume your car has no vacuum leaks and is in otherwise good operating condition. Bare with me here as I cover something very basic to start older carburetor engines - but in the age of generations of drivers that have grown up and lived with electronic controlled engines - some people do not know you need to pump the accelerator pedal at least once to set the choke and the high idle cam on these older cars. Are you pumping the pedal before hitting the key to start it? if not, try that. If you are pumping the pedal, first see if the choke is setting correctly. Do this with a cold engine. Do not hit the key to start it when doing this. Take the air cleaner cover off so you can see the choke plate. Pump the pedal once and then go look at the choke plate - it should be closed completely. If not you will need to adjust and clean it so the choke plate sets properly. If the choke is setting fully closed, the problem may be with the high idle setting. This adjustment varies from carb to carb, and I would need to know what carb is on your car to explain how to set the high idle. If you have access to a shop manual, any of these adjustments can be done with basic skills and tools. It helps to have a vacuum gage and a tach to set RPMS. On a final note - It is just these modern computer controlled cars where you just hit the key, it starts, and you drive away. That was not the way it was years ago. Having to nurse the engine a bit when cold to keep it running was very common back in the day. Hope this helps!
