Cold start problem

Angus' post is very relevant. First of all, it is worth simply exchanging the condenser, it is a very quick job and costs very little.  My car had (very) similar cold-start difficulty symptoms last year and I traced it to the condenser which would not function correctly when cold but once running the engine ran normally. The enrichment / starter carb. may be a red herring.  The condenser is a wear part, they do age, and insulation breaks down in them.  Don't use a cheap copy, best to get one either from Chris Prince or from Martin Jay at Distributor Doctor.  Giles Lacey Posted by lacey giles 17/11/2015 09:14:18

Talking of condensers, is electronic (pointless and condenser-less) ignition available for these models?  Purists are aghast, but you'll never have to adjust points again, and who knows, it might solve your problem. Posted by johnlayzell 17/11/2015 14:05:06

The faulty condenser suggestion is certainly worth a thought. Strangely, my recent faulty condenser symptoms were the reverse of those mentioned by Giles Lacey. My TE21 would start easily, idle perfectly but would struggle to put out much power until everything warmed up. A replacement condenser provided an instant cure. A learning experience for me; hitherto my experience was that either the condenser works and the engine runs ok or they don't and the engine won't start. Posted by vaningen 17/11/2015 18:36:40

Many thanks for all the useful comments. The problem may well be electrical rather than the starter carb and a new condenser and rotor arm will be the next plan of attack. Posted by Td21 21/11/2015 15:20:49

Thanks for this. Strangely the auxiliary carb was clean, it was the main carbs that were full of debris. Posted by Td21 15/12/2015 15:44:35

It is well worth ensuring that the fuel pump pressure is as it should be. If there is detritus in the carbs what is the filter like in the pump? I use a quality Ryco inline filter before the pump with inlet/outlet for 5/16 or 8mm hose. It is also worth checking what the pickup filter is like in the tank.    Richard Melbourne Posted by RichardWallach 15/12/2015 20:51:41

Geoff  Did you re-assemble the choke solenoid valve & plunger as per the drawing on p91 of the parts book?( EE20  &EE21,) if so, it won't work as the drawing is incorrect. To make it work, reassemble with the iron rod inside the the solenoid.The drawing fooled me about 25 years ago!  Happy New Year to All  Peter Posted by Peter Martin 31/12/2015 16:37:16

Problem Solved! I decided to check the float levels and found to my surprise that the rear float bowl was empty. It must have been slowly leaking  enough to empty itself overnight but not enough to make itself known by sight or smell. The bolt on the bottom of the bowl seemed tight but moved about an eighth of a turn which has done the trick. It now fires up instantly from cold, helped no doubt by the other measures I have taken as a result of the above suggestions. It also explains why once started it would re-start without problem. Thanks again to everyone who responded. Posted by Td21 14/11/2016 17:18:15