just a short word to me and my Firebird. It's a '68 350 convertible with manual 4-speed transmission and deluxe interior. I bought it in 1993 in California during a longer stay in the US and then brought it to Germany, where I live.
The car did well for many years, but about 10 years ago, I got the engine rebuilt by a "specialist" for US cars. After that I didn't run well anymore. There was almost no idle, no power and it almost did not start, when it was hot. You could only start it by a jump cable or by pushing it.
They tried to fix it and made it even worse. The shop went out of the business (which was good), but my problem was not solved. So I stored it in a garage for 2 years, before getting it checked by another mechanic. He found out, that the other mechanic had put Chevy valves into the heads. Obviously they did not listen to me, when I told them, that it is a Pontiac and not a Chevy engine. The rebuilding of the heads solved most problems, but not all. I still had the idle and starting problem.
So the idea came up, that there might be more Chevy parts hidden somewhere. Taking it all apart again or buying a new engine was the question. I decided to get a new one (400).
The engine was built in and I could drive the car after almost 10 years of problems. I thought!
But: The problem is still there … with the new engine! As Long as the engine is cold or cool, it works and starts well. As soon as the engine gets warm the idle goes down, so I have to keep it up by foot. And when it stopps, I cannot start it with the starter. Nice on traffic lights!
My mechanic checked the starter, which is a new. He checked the carburetor, which is new as well. An he finally run out of ideas. Same to me. I think, it must be something electrical, because the engine starts by jump starting. The battery is okay an all the cables look good.
What make/model carb do you have? What type of choke installed: manual, electric, stock manifold, no choke) . Also get a vacuum gauge to measure when it's cold and hot. Send us a video so we can hear the engine.
Engine Test Stand Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoxyUwptUcdqEb-o2ArqyiUaHW0G_C88 restoring my 1968 Firebird 400 HO convertible (Firedawg) 1965 Pontiac Catalina Safari Wagon 389 TriPower (Catwagon) 1999 JD AWS LX Lawn tractor 17hp (my daily driver) 2006 Sequoia 2017 Murano (wife's car) 202? Electric car 203? 68 Firebird /w electric engine 2007 Bayliner 175 runabout /w 3.0L Mercuiser__________________________________________________________
Bummer you had to go through all the trouble with your engine/s. There are several things that come to mind assuming your engine and carburetor are in good shape as you stated. To me, your idling problem sounds like a fuel, vacuum or distributor issue. I would investigate and make sure your gas filter in the tank is clear and check your fuel pump for leaks and performance. Blow out your fuel lines since it's been sitting that long. I would also disconnect the choke to troubleshoot the problem. Get yourself a vacuum gage and hook up onto manifold port to see how much vacuum its pulling (should be between 15-20 roughly) at idle. You can tune your carb with the gauge installed to get the highest vacuum and steadiest needle. Try this and report back. Good luck, have a few beers with it to calm the situation LOL....
It's an Edelbrock 650 cfm with an electric choke.The manifold is Edelbrock, too.
I have a vacuum gauge at hand, but cannot get the car out of the garage, because we have snow at the moment.
Do you think, it can be a carb issue? Why should it start when jump starting it then?
Oh, I forgot to mention: When hot or warm and trying to start, the engine turns very slowly like having not enough power to turn it. When jumpstarting, it behaves like normal.
Maybe there are 2 problems. Can it be, that heat lowers the electrical power to the starter and the ignition?
A few more questions for you Lemmi, Where is the battery located, under the hood or in the trunk? Has the car been repainted, and were the engines repainted when rebuilt? How old is your battery? When the engine is hot and will not start with the starter, does the starter roll the engine over at a normal speed and the car will not start, or the engine barely turns over?
Have you added or does the car have any aftermarket electrical accessories like a big stereo, driving lights, computer hookups/outlets? Have you checked the timing?
My first thought is a weak battery or poor ground because it will start with a jump when hot... Cal
the battery is at the standard place on the right side of the engine compartment. The car was not repainted, but the engine was in new paint, when i bought it. You think about an insulation by the paint?
The battery is about 9 months old.
As I have forgotten to mention in my first post, the engine barely turns over when hot.
I have no gimmicks built in. Even the radio is still the original one.
I know the mechanic checked the timing (and the vacuum, as he has told me). And he is an hot rodder and drives old US cars every day. I believe, he knows what he is doing.
I could try another ground cable directly from the battery to the engine. It does not cost much and is easy to do. But I will drive the car only as soon as the salt is gone from the streets.
It's an Edelbrock 650 cfm with an electric choke.The manifold is Edelbrock, too.
I have a vacuum gauge at hand, but cannot get the car out of the garage, because we have snow at the moment.
Do you think, it can be a carb issue? Why should it start when jump starting it then?
Oh, I forgot to mention: When hot or warm and trying to start, the engine turns very slowly like having not enough power to turn it. When jumpstarting, it behaves like normal.
Maybe there are 2 problems. Can it be, that heat lowers the electrical power to the starter and the ignition?
IMO, Edelbrock carb & manifold not necessary. Stock work much better. The after market does not have much out there for Pontiac unless you go high end. I HATE electric chokes! If your having trouble starting your car this electric choke will do everything to hinder your success in starting your car! You can get these things to work for you but why bother when stocks works.
Plan to get a rebuild Quadrajet carb and stock manifold and choke.
What are the cranking amps for the battery? You said you have a new engine. How many miles on it? Mostly stock engine or have you changed the cam? New engines can be tight. I had to use the biggest (cranking amps) battery for my rebuild perf 350 HO engine. Hi duration cam made things worse.
Anyone monkey with the wiring? There is a special wire that boasts the power to the coil when starting. I believe it's a resistance wire. You can check for voltage gain when starting engine at the coil.
Vac will tell us if you have any leaks in hoses or valves, rings. You want good steady reading around 20.
Engine Test Stand Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoxyUwptUcdqEb-o2ArqyiUaHW0G_C88 restoring my 1968 Firebird 400 HO convertible (Firedawg) 1965 Pontiac Catalina Safari Wagon 389 TriPower (Catwagon) 1999 JD AWS LX Lawn tractor 17hp (my daily driver) 2006 Sequoia 2017 Murano (wife's car) 202? Electric car 203? 68 Firebird /w electric engine 2007 Bayliner 175 runabout /w 3.0L Mercuiser__________________________________________________________
Here is a video of my 400. Note the vacumn is not steady and lower than 20. See the shake in the engine. I did a further leak down test and located the issue ... valve was not seated.
Just so we are on the same page here. Your 350 had these same hot starting and hot idle issues. You have put in a newly rebuilt 400 and you continue to have the same hot start and hot idle issues, correct?
Regarding the hot starting issues, when the engine is warm/hot is barely turns over; but with a jump it has no problem and will start right up? I would start by getting the battery checked. Don't assume because it is relatively new that it is good. What are the specs on it - CCA? Your negative cable from the battery to the engine, I wouldn't be quick to change it, but I would take it off the engine and clean off any paint that might be there where it attaches. Clean any paint off and reconnect. Same where the ground pigtail at the battery is attached to the fender. Do you have a ground strap between the engine and the firewall? You should have, but with the engines going in & out it may have been left off. If it is there, make sure there is no paint under the connections.
For the hot idle issues, I think there are a lot of checks to do before replacing the carb. Is this the same carb that was on the 350? You said it was new, so if it is new and you still have the same issue I don't think it is the carb. When the idle slows and the car quits; is it sudden or does it gradually slow in idle and finally quits? Have you verified the choke is working correctly? What is your low idle rpm set at? Have you checked the fuel pressure? Is the fuel pump new? When the engine is warm/hot and idles down and quits - if you restart it will it idle at all or no? If it does, for how long?
Get that vacuum gauge out and let us know what the results are. Cal
you descibed it perfectly.When the engine is hot, it barely turns over. With a jumpstart cable it behaves like normal. The battery is a good one, but I do not know the specs. I will check!
The next check will be all the ground cables. Couldn't I make a test by using a jumpstart cable when it's hot and hardly turning over? If it starts then without any problem, it must be a ground problem.
When I bought the car in 1993 it had the original Rochester 2-barrel-carb attached. Worked well and the car had really a strong performance with it. During the first "rebuild" they told me, the carb is worn and they changed it to an 650 Edelbrock. Now the mechanic told me, that this Edelbrock has a problem and should be replaced. So I have a brandnew one on it.
The idle goes down slow. The engine fights stopping, but the revs go lower and lower until it quits. How can I check the choke? I didn't read my regular idle, because I do not have a tach. Fuel pressure is not checked, but the pump should be new, because it came with the engine.
When the engine quits and I start it again, it immediatly tries to quit again. There is no difference to before.
The vacuum gauge has to wait a bit, because our weather is really nasty at the Moment and I do not want to kill myself by running the engine in the Garage.
At first I checked the voltage of the battery: It showed 13.1 Volts. That looks okay to me.
And I checked the capacity of the battery. It's a 60 Ah battery, what is different to the way the batteries are described in the US. To me this battery Looks a bit small. Ich checked at the manufacturer-site and there it says, the battery has 480 CCA.
After that I startet the engine without any Problem. The revs went up to about 1.000 rpm. I kept it like that without touching anything. After Maybe 1 Minute the revs went up a bit (About 100 rpm). Then I pushed the throttle cable and the revs went a bit down, but not much. The mechanic has put it high, so I have enough time when it starts quiting.
I warmed the engine up and when it was warm I again pushed the throttle a bit. After releasing the throttle the engine stopped almost immediately.
Then I tried to start it again and it turned very, very slowly without starting. The ALT-light was going dark while starting.
I stopped starting and took the jumpstart-cable to connect the minus of the battery to the block. Then I tried to start again. Nothing changed.
I took some pictures and videos of doing so. I try to upload it to here or put a link in.
I had a loud squieking sound as well, coming from the front of the engine. But I think that only is one of the beltdriven wheels.
I checked the electronic choke as well because of the high revs. The lever of the carb was not pushed or locked by the choke when it was warm.
So, my conclusions:
- Probably the battery is to weak.
- The revs are to high
- It's not a ground-problem on the block
As Cal told About his engine, I think About having to much friction in the engine, when it's warm. So I Need more power to start it. That could be solved by a bigger battery. But the friction (if it is that) leads to the stopping of the engine, what can nt be solved by the battery.
having skipped some of replies....may already be talked about...but if it starts cold but not hot....headers? headers will make it more hot....and you might need a heat shied for the starter?
friend of mine used to have that problem, and sometimes he threw ice down there to cool it off quicker...a heat shield solved his problem...
hopefully I didnt double up on somone elses response
The headers should not be the problem, because they came with the new engine and the engine is not tuned.s I could put a heat shield to the starter. I have some Shield material in my garage, but today I did not even drive the car, so I think, it did not become very hot.
Bjorn has a good point, your starter could be getting hot from your headers. Good news is as long as the header does not touch the starter you should be ok.
Lemme, It looks like your battery is rated at 500 cranking amps. Your better off with a 900 or more cranking amp battery. Your engine is very tight. Make sure you have good cooling fan. I remember push starting my coupe at the gas station after filling up. Engine just heated up big time and tight as hell. It would barely turn over.
Lemmi, what kind of distributor do you have? I see no hoses at the front of the carb for a vacuum advance. Maybe it is plumbed into the back of the carb? I could not pull up the videos, that could be my computer or more likely, me. Hopefully a heat shield on the starter will help. Do you have a charger on the battery while the car sits? The battery may be somewhat weak from sitting around. A good auto supply (at least here) can put a load tester on the battery and determine if it might have a bad cell. Your battery terminals are clean, and the cables are clean and tight? The pic of the choke linkage did not help me. Can you take a pic of the top of the carb with the air cleaner off, both before starting (cold) and (hot) and while the car is running (hot). Also, 1,000 rpm high idle when cold is not too much. Cal
That battery is a bit small in my opinion. I'd say somewhere upwards of 675CCA is needed. Im in the process now of dealing with starting issues much like you describe. This is my story, maybe you can get some hints or ideas.
This my second mini starter that has gone out on me after the stock style did as well years ago. The last one was a powerful MSD mini( a really good, expensive, starter). It would start the car fine cold but after warmup and shutting off would not turn over fast enough to start the car. I sent it in for a rebuild. Was informed it was roasted inside. The tech said it looked like it had not had enough voltage to the starter. He said you need 11volts, cranking. He suggested putting a volt meter on the battery cable at he starter and check my voltage while cranking the starter. Sure enough I had 9.5 volts. He said not near enough for the starter to live. I'm in the process now of replacing my battery cables with new, larger wire.
A heat shield is definitely also a good idea.
It seems to me that you are in need of a new carburetor for your other issues. Definately do a compression test and a leak down test to make sure there aren't valve or piston/ring issues. I've torn down my motor before to find broken rings in two cylinders and the motor was actually still runing prett well. Good luck.
There is especially one Thing I've learned through your comments: This seems to be a common problem! And this calms me down a bit.
So, I will get a much bigger battery. That's easy! :-)
Later I will go for a heat-shield for the starter. Is there something in the market or do I have to make my own?
The carb has a vacuum and the tube is going from the inlet manifold to the back of the carb. The distrubutor is about 4 years old, but hardly used. I do not know the make, because I did not change it. I replaced the coil about 3 years ago.
I will make pictures of the carb from above in Cold and warm condition, but cannot do it today.
Now my question is: Did all your tight-engine-problems go away by time through driving the car? Will it get loose? Or will it stay like this?
Your engine will loosen up over time. How many mi do you have on the new engine? If your header pipe come in contact with the starter housing then dipple the pipe so the pipe does not touch the starter.
I don’t where you can get a shield I cannot see how the shield can do anything for situations where starter is in contact with pipe.
BTW, how is your alternator? Have you had a rebuilt? If you get the right service guy it’s very inexpensive to rebuild your Alternator
Cannot view your videos
Last edited by Gus68; 01/10/1910:56 AM.
Engine Test Stand Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoxyUwptUcdqEb-o2ArqyiUaHW0G_C88 restoring my 1968 Firebird 400 HO convertible (Firedawg) 1965 Pontiac Catalina Safari Wagon 389 TriPower (Catwagon) 1999 JD AWS LX Lawn tractor 17hp (my daily driver) 2006 Sequoia 2017 Murano (wife's car) 202? Electric car 203? 68 Firebird /w electric engine 2007 Bayliner 175 runabout /w 3.0L Mercuiser__________________________________________________________
Hmmm, how do you post Videos here? Link to YouTube / Vimeo? I did not find a description here … just for pictures.
I have about 150 mi on the new engine. Probably not enough to loosen it up.
My headers are the original cast ones. And I am pretty sure, that they do not touch the starter. So it should not be a problem to get a heat shield between.
The alternator is just a couple of years old as well and has very low mileage.
Hmmm, how do you post Videos here? Link to YouTube / Vimeo? I did not find a description here … just for pictures.
I have about 150 mi on the new engine. Probably not enough to loosen it up.
My headers are the original cast ones. And I am pretty sure, that they do not touch the starter. So it should not be a problem to get a heat shield between.
The alternator is just a couple of years old as well and has very low mileage.
Your break-in period is at least 1000mi. Be sure to drive it as a break-in.
Your cast headers are excellent, you won't need a shield. I would try to get best battery for your size (800+cca cold).
Don't like the sound of that squeak. It could be either a fan belt or a bad bearing in alternator or water pump.
Try to put as much mileage as you can when breaking it in. Gotta open that puppy up!
The squeak could be the alternator or the water pump, get yourself a mechanics stethoscope and you'll be able to pinpoint the noise.
Sounds fine running cold and hot from what I can tell from the video.
The starting problem needs to be addressed. I'd start by making sure the battery is up to snuff and has at least 700 to 800 CCA rating. Then voltage drop the positive and negative battery cables (youtube the procedures), this will reveal if you are losing voltage anywhere in the starting circuit.
thank you for your great help. There are many ideas I can follow and work on. And now I know, that a tight engine is not the end of the world, but the beginning of a normal engine. All these things make me sleep much better.
I will work on the battery issue as soon as possible. For some other things I will have to take the car out of the garage, what will happen in spring.
As soon as I have new results or questions, I will post it here.
Lemmi, Videos work tonight. I did notice one glaring item that should help... get rid of the Chevy oil breather cap! I think a battery will go a long ways towards resolving your hot start issues. The car sounds good! So let's work on the poor idle problem. Do you know what your low idle rpm is? I note that you have the distributor vacuum line plumbed directly into the intake manifold, rather than the front of the carb. I don't know if that would make a difference in the operation of the distributor or not. I think somewhere I have a link to a good explanation of the carb-distributor-vacuum workings, I will try to find it and post it up. The squeaking might be from the belts slipping. If you rev the engine up does it really squeal louder? To listen to the alternator/ps pump if you cannot get your hands on a mechanics stethoscope, a long screwdriver, extension bar or similar long object will work. Those belts looks really skinny, they are way down inside the pulleys - my guess is that they are slipping. I also noticed that you are missing a piece of the alternator bracket. It is a short piece with a bend in it. It fastens to the bolt at the front of the thermostat housing and runs alongside the bracket off the water pump. Cal
One last thing, if you decide to replace your starter and/or alternator, consider getting them rebuilt If you take them into a “Auto Electric†shop they can inspect and provide you with a quote to rebuild and a detailed explaination as to source of your problem at no extra charge. A lot of people buy exchange alternators and starters. Some failures are attributed to inexpensive parts like brushes for example. Retailers love selling rebuilt alt&starters and giving you a core credit. They make a killing doing this. Save your money and your original equipment, rebuild not rebuy.
there were a lot of things, you mentioned to help me. But the first thing I wanted to do, was buying a stronger battery.
My reaserch resulted in the conclusion, that the strongest battery that will fit in the tray is an Exide Premium Carbon Boost EA640 with 640 CCA. You suggested more - starting by 700 CCA. Will 640 CCA be enough?
Now I have read, that many of you have moved the battery to the trunk - maybe to get more weight back there. If I move the battery there, i would have to build a rack for it and put new cables in. And I could take a stronger battery (900 CCA).
But wouldn't it be easier to just put the battery at it's orginal place and fix it somehow to the tray? Why do People move the battery to the trunk? If there are more reasons than performance I could consider this. For performance I have some other toys. The Bird is for cruising with the family.
And I always try to keep anything as original as possible. So I've already got my starter rebuilt instead of buying a new one.
"...My reaserch resulted in the conclusion, that the strongest battery that will fit in the tray is an Exide Premium Carbon Boost EA640 with 640 CCA. You suggested more - starting by 700 CCA. Will 640 CCA be enough?...
I wouldn't consider anything less than 800cca, for a Pontiac V8.
Just curious, what are the dimensions of the batt tray ? I just bought a 24F Wal Mart batt, for our Tacoma. I think it has 750cca.
I love the 34/78 series batts, which have both side terminals & top posts. I like to add short jumper wires, from the side terms up to the top post connections. That way, if the top post connection should lose all or most of it's contact, you still have good contact thru the side term. I used these type batts on my farm tractor, as well as my last 2 Pontiac drag cars. Both cars had 2 of these type batts, in the trunk.
Here's the batt I bought for my tractor. It was less than $100 from a local battery store, thru a friends commercial account.
Marine batts have posts & threaded studs. So, you could add some jumper wires on these type batts also.
Back in the old days, I had LOTS of hot no-start problems, with my drag Pontiacs. The Summit mini starters ended my start problems. They'll crank a high compression 455 Pontiac engine, even when hot. It was a big relief to know that my 455 would start, for the next round, rather than wonder if it would start. No longer had to leave it running while in the staging lanes.
I, and many others, also recommend using a Ford type starter solenoid, mounted on the firewall. Recently put one in my current '80 bracket Bird project. The main starter cable will have power only when trying to start. A small jumper wire will connect to the start term on the starter. Your main power wire will connect to the hot side term of the firewall solenoid, where the positive batt cable attaches. Quite common set-up on race cars.
This QuickCar brand seems to be popular with drag racers. Back in the old days I used a cheap black plastic one that stuck in the ON position. So, for my last 2 cars I went with metal case ones. Don't know that the metal case ones are any better. The Cole-Hersee solenoids seem to get good reviews, so I went with it. Haven't used it yet.
I'm looking for a battery that will fit for you and that you can buy in Germany. The battery that will do it if a different tech than what is normally used in Germany and the rest of Europe. The one you selected is fine but I going to check the physical size to see if it will fit.
They have a 1000 cca battery but this one comes in a case that is too large. I think we should stay away from AGM batteries as they will not benefit us in the cca's we want.
You should be able to up to the Exide Premium model EA770 and get a maximum CCA = 760
Take the battery try in and confirm it.
btw: Batteries can be moved to truck for racing issues or for personal reasons. Can't think of anything that moving batt will help you for your situation.
The problem is in deed, that we do not have Wal-Mart around here. And then they are only selling clothing and no batteries.
There is room for a stronger battery than the Exide 640, but it won't fit into the tray. I could put a little board into the tray and the bigger battery on top of it and than strap it.
The size of the battery tray is 10.04 x 6.89 Inches (255 mm x 175 mm).
The batteries are 241 mm or 278 mm long, which means, the 241 mm ones will fit in, the other ones won't. The strongest battery in the 241 range was the Exide 640 with 640 CCA. You think, that might be not enough.
I would prefer a stronger one, too, but if you think I should stay within the limits of the tray…!? I could build an interim solution and make a larger tray until the engine smoothed up. But I think I could attach a bigger battery just on top of the tray with some restraints.
I will do a test run with my Corvette battery, which has something about 540 CCA. If the warm engine of the Bird can be started with that, I will go for the Exide 640. If not, I will have to think bigger!
Reading my writing I still cannot believe, how stupid I am in not knowing, what specs the engine has.
I bought it as a newly rebuilt 400 engine. But they forgot to put the oil dipstick tube in the engine. The dealer did not feel guilty and so we went to court, where I won. But I won't get any information about the engine from him.
I think it's quite a normal 400 engine without any tuning. That's okay for me, because I do not want to "race" it.
The starter was taken from the old engine. I cannot remember any spacers when I removed it to get it rebuilt.
I am a native German, but without Lederhose und some other funny stuff. I was studying in SF, California in 1993 and needed a car. On the way to an old Beetle Convertible, the Bird jumped right into my way. The owner had to sell it, because his spouse was pregnant and wanted a bigger car. So I could make a pretty good deal. And after a couple of months in the US, I took it with me to Germany. Wow, that's more than 25 years by now!
Reading my writing I still cannot believe, how stupid I am in not knowing, what specs the engine has.
I bought it as a newly rebuilt 400 engine. But they forgot to put the oil dipstick tube in the engine. The dealer did not feel guilty and so we went to court, where I won. But I won't get any information about the engine from him.
I think it's quite a normal 400 engine without any tuning. That's okay for me, because I do not want to "race" it.
The starter was taken from the old engine. I cannot remember any spacers when I removed it to get it rebuilt.
I am a native German, but without Lederhose und some other funny stuff. I was studying in SF, California in 1993 and needed a car. On the way to an old Beetle Convertible, the Bird jumped right into my way. The owner had to sell it, because his spouse was pregnant and wanted a bigger car. So I could make a pretty good deal. And after a couple of months in the US, I took it with me to Germany. Wow, that's more than 25 years by now!
The reason I ask is: what other issues could be lurking out there affecting the starting of the engine when it's cold. Spacers on the starter if required (I use 2), will probably help the engine turn over when it's hot. Metal expands when heated.
If they rebuilt the engine to original spec your going to have issues with pumped gas. Need cam modification and dished pistons. However, that said, it did run quite nicely on your video. Keep in mind I'm not an expert on what specifically needs to be done to run on pump gas You need to put in that oil Zinc additive.
Well you picked up your English better most of us (self included). Are you an IT guy?
That's because I learned English in school and you out on the street. ;-) But thank you! That was very nice! :-)
No, I am in the insurance business, but was working for Firemans Fund in that time as a legal consultant.
We do not have a difference in fuel like pump gas here. I think, you are talking about the fuel that comes from the gas station. We have different kinds of fuel here like supreme with 95 octane, 98 octane ans 100 + octane. Until now I always took the low octane gas.
Shouldn't a tame engine be satisfied with a low octane fuel?
That's because I learned English in school and you out on the street. ;-) But thank you! That was very nice! :-)
No, I am in the insurance business, but was working for Firemans Fund in that time as a legal consultant.
We do not have a difference in fuel like pump gas here. I think, you are talking about the fuel that comes from the gas station. We have different kinds of fuel here like supreme with 95 octane, 98 octane ans 100 + octane. Until now I always took the low octane gas.
Shouldn't a tame engine be satisfied with a low octane fuel?
I'm more visual brained. I'm an old IT systems designer/programmer. I know appox 10+ computer languages.
Someone else is going to have to pipe in and discuss your pump gas issues. My engine's just work and I put in premium gas. But sounds like you have higher octane gas. Better explain to the guys what your fuel is exactly. Is it all Russian hi octane gasoline or is I mix of Russian and Ukrainian corn gas (Ethanol). ;}
I swapped the battery from the Bird (480 CCA) to the Corvette's battery (540 CCA). I made a test in the garage. Of course the cold engine started fine as expected. I heated it up and stopped the engine. And … it immediatly started again without any hesitation. To countercheck, I swapped the battery again to the 540 CCA and the old phenomenom was back.
Amazingly the car idled in warm condition and the Vette's battery without any problems. I always thought, the battery does not play any role when the engine is running. There must be some influence.
At the moment it seems, that the battery solves all of the problems. I will do a road test as soon as possible (without all the salt on the streets).
@Gus: I am an old C64-guy and still have 2 of it! ;-)