Getting ready to start my dad’s e type so I can (hopefully) take him for a spin here in Vermont when he comes for a visit tomorrow. Problem is that it hasn’t been started for months and it will be around 35f. Tips for very cold start?
Bill
Full choke. Turn on ignition, wait for fuel pump to stop clicking, then crank. If all is as it should be, it will start within a few seconds.
Regards,
Ray L.
Says Ray who lives in sunny California 
Make sure your battery has a full charge…
Cheers,
LLynn
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And a quick shot or two of starting fluid, will save your battery.
Up in the mountains in California. We see 35F, and much lower, and snow, very often in the winter. My car always starts right up, even after sitting for months.
Regards,
Ray L.
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All that Ray said, plus, foot off the gas AND the clutch.
Where is the best place to spray starter fluid? It is 12F as I type this…
First off, make sure the battery is fully charged.
EDIT: Whoops I see Lynn has also mentioned that .
I start mine the way Ray suggests in his first post in this topic. As soon as the engine is running I reduce the choke setting a notch.
Which series is your car? For Series 1/2, remove the triangular collection box on top of the air cleaner and give a quick spray into the throats of the carburetors. As others have said, full choke, gearbox in neutral with your foot off of the clutch and accelerator. If it was running when it was put away, it should fire right up. Once it starts, immediately reduce the choke to about half and continue to gradually reduce the choke setting as the engine warms up. For Series 3, the idea is the same, just remove the air cleaner to access the throats of the carbs. You may only have to spray one bank to get it started. Have fun with your dad!
I have to ask. Why are people recommending foot off the clutch? I would expect more drag from cold heavy weight oil in the gearbox than from a depressed clutch.
With the gearbox in neutral and your foot off of the clutch, there is no added friction placed on the flywheel and by extension, on the crankshaft. The engine is essentially free to spin as if there were no gearbox attached. With your foot on the clutch, the clutch throwout bearing puts considerable pressure on the flywheel via the clutch which forces the crankshaft forward against the thrust bearings, thereby increasing the frictional load on the engine and ultimately, the starter. Gearbox in neutral with foot off of the clutch pedal makes the starter’s job of spinning the engine easier.
Try starting your car with your foot on the clutch and then off with gearbox in neutral and I think that you’ll notice significant difference in the spin rate.
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Just as Mark said always start it with the foot off the clutch and in neutral.If you push in the clutch its putting a load on the throwout bearing and clutch and therefore the engine. And always put it in neutral when the car is idling at a signal.
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It’s a shame you can’t do that with a modern car that requires the clutch pedal to be depressed to start the car.
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All good advice for nought. The storage facility had parked a giant airstream behind me and wouldn’t move it 
I’ll have to wait until April.
IT also has to do with the fact that the carbon TO bearing actually creates a lot of drag.
I showed Ray L this, on a hot day, when his Jag stalled in 115F heat.
I’d stall too in 115F heat!
Another good reason NOT to press the clutch pedal down on the very first attempt to start a car that has not been started for some months, and cold weather, is the lack of oil on the thrust bearing. The XK thrust bearing is only a thin half-moon piece of bearing; not ideally suited for that kind of load without a good coating of oil on it.
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Starting fluid is highly flammable, avoid using it, it is not necessary. I have started my E many times as low as -12 C which is 10 F, using full choke, no throttle.
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If my engine is properly tuned it wont need starting fluid. The XK engine with SUs as tuned for E-Types naturally runs quite rich. Even when the temperature dips below 32 degrees (0 degrees in foreign money), full choke on my car is only required for a few seconds, and during summer when the temperature can climb to the dizzy heights of 75 degrees (almost 24 in not-USA), warm enough for Brits to take off their woolly hats and overcoats, full choke must be backed off almost immediately the engine fires.
As for the Airstream, seems like you need (a) some friends, preferably ex-NFL down linemen, with trolley jacks and (b) a new storage facility.
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I should have rented an in and out storage unit
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