cold startup without AAR, real world experience wanted

[jeremy93ls]

I'm about to install my Pallnet fuel rail and want to remove a few things from the intake before putting it all back together -purely for aesthetics.

I live in the southeastern US, but still want to drive my '78 in cold weather here. I'm the kind of person who will always start (any) car and let it warm up a minute before gingerly driving away. I like to keep the RPMs low until the engine is warm.

That being said, how long would I expect to coax the car until it could idle steadily and could be driven in colder weather? A minute? 5 minutes? I believe my AAR is inoperable, or at least inconsistently working because the car has never started with a higher idle until it reaches operating temps. Once started (after a few times turning it over and sputtering to life eventually), the idle is steady, but very low and its slow to move the temp gauge. I'm OK with how it starts now, and wonder if it would start the same way with it removed/blocked off.

I won't know until I get the fuel rail in and everything buttoned up, but I'd like to hear from anyone who has deleted their AAR and drive in a similar climate.

Edited May 29, 2017 by jeremy93ls

[wheee!]

I am going the same route with a shaved intake and pallnet rail. I too am curious. My car will only be summer driven but in Canada, that can still mean cold mornings.

[siteunseen]

I live in North Alabama and keep mine in my garage. I deleted everything but the AAR so I'm not able to give real life experience without it but I can say for certain that mine never gets cold enough to open the passage inside for a h  higher rpm.

It always starts at 1,000 rpm, where I have it set. I honestly can not remember ever having a temporarily higher rpm on cold days. I start mine and hold it at 1,200 until the oil pressure gauge gets 3/4s then blast off.  I do know not to hammer down until the thermostat opens and flows coolant freely. Read a couple of people getting on their's hard when cold and blowing out a freeze plug.

If it were mine I would leave it off and see how it acts. You can always put it back in the loop of hoses. FWIW

[Zed Head]

You could block the hose and see what happens.  Even carb'ed cars have a fast idle mechanism on the linkage.  Best case you'd have a low idle for a while and the engine would not die while you waited.

I've read a few articles that suggest that warming up engines is not really beneficial.  Once oil pressure is up the best way to get the engine to operating temperature is to drive it, at light load.  Letting it run at cold engine temperatures actually puts more wear on the parts, because the gaps are wider and there's more unburned fuel washing away the lubricating oil.

[Dave WM]

The AAR  on mine works just as is should. Start up it idles about 1100, then after a few minutes it drops down to 750. Its a pretty simple devise so should be easy to diagnose if its not working. I would think it make since to leave it on just to make the start up process more automatic.

[S30Driver]

I removed the AAR from my car 8 years ago for strut brace clearance.   Normally about 2 or 3 minutes to idle decently without your foot on the pedal.   On very cold days, 5 minutes or slightly more.   The coolant lines feeding the AAR heater block are another reason to remove it.   I had that steel line rust thru and spring a coolant leak one night about 30 miles from home.   Fortunately caught the rise on the temp gauge in time, nursed it home with water after cooldown.

[jeremy93ls]

Thank you all or the advice and suggestions. Since I've never had to coax it to idle, I assume my AAR is at least somewhat operable. I'll take it off, clean it, maybe adjust it if possible and stick it back on.

Speaking of those coolant lines under the AAR, my two rubber hoses are sketchy at best. I'll replace those, while I've got easy access. I've seen a few with that coolant bypass blocked off completely.

[siteunseen]

The coolant lines are easy to block, it's those two vacuum hoses coming off that thermal vacuum switch you have to deal with.  I just pulled all that stuff off when I rebuilt mine, the BPT valve and the EGR.