Cold starting a '73 AMC

jfcwilson94
Tue, 13 Dec 2016 00:13:38 +0000
Maintenance/Repairs

On my '73 AMC Ambassador, I’m still figuring out how to correctly start a carbureted car. One thing I haven’t found a consistent answer to: should I, or shouldn’t I, tap the gas after a few minutes of warm up on fast idle to drop the engine down to low idle? Someone told me I should just put the car in gear and drive away, and not allow the vehicle to idle low first. But when I do that, shifting into drive at that high speed causes a thudding sound and chassis movement. If I tap the gas to low idle first, then shift, it’s perfectly smooth. Is there a real reason I shouldn’t tap to low idle?

17 posts - 13 participants