Hi all
I am having yet another cold weather related problem. My 318 has new plugs, wires, coil, and cap and rotor. When the temp drops below freezing she won't start without 5 min of cranking and when she starts doesn't run on all cylinders.
I find this funny because when shes warm everythings fine. Does anyone know what this could be?
Thanks
Gerry

 

Are you sure its "no spark"?? Coil is generator of spark.. but rarely "temp related" more often than not its "fuel mix", when cold compustion requires extra fuel for lamda. Choke (if carb) or inj dwell if duel TBI or updated to direct injection. pull a wire and ck spark color when no start. if no spark , ck coil volts and coil output spark. if spark is good, check fuel delivery (or partially choke off air horn and see if starts.. Just a thought !!

 

It has to be spark because when I do get her started it will miss and only fire on a couple cylinders. It did not do this before I put the new plugs in. But thanks for the help.

 

The old barrel coils are notoriously temperature cranky. When I lived in Idaho, I would replace the coil every 2-3 years in my 78 Ram 318 because it got well over 100° in the summer and many times below 0° in the winter and it is hard on coils and they do become weak when it's very hot or very cold and will eventually wear out. Most coils are dirt cheap, $10-$20, so it's a cheap fix. If a new coil doesn't fix it, check your choke. If you have an automatic choke, the temperature adjusting spring may be the culprit in hard starts. That was another common cold-start problem in cold climates. Makes me NOT miss the cold Idaho weather and appreciate these new computer controlled engines more.

 

I would check the firing order since this just started after replacement of the plugs.

 

Is it possible for there to be ice build up in the distributer cap when the temp is constantly changing from above to below freezing?

 

If you think that is a problem you should see moisture under the cap when the engine is warm. Pop the cap and take a hair dryer or heat gun to the cap and distributor interior to dry them out.