1.7 not running at cold season

[MiIIe]

Folks,
my 340 GL with B17 engine - the worst running engine I ever had - is only starting badly when it gets cold outside.
After using the starter with full choke some time, I have to turn the starter with no choke but full throttle. After some minutes, the engine starts (rather badly, initially not on all cylinders).
However, after the first stop, there is no real power to start driving. Instead, the engine dies and can only be restarted after several minutes turning the starter without choke and full throttle.
There is quite smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe, but the engine does not like to start for quite a time.
Sometimes the engine is almost about to start but then the relay shuts it up!
Going for a walk helped me one time when it just did not want to restart after I drove the first 2 km - maybe the spark plugs were drying after many start trials.

Whenever I get the engine restarted (without choke and full throttle), the car drives until the next intersection or stop. Then, again, there is a high probability that the enigne dies when I start driving, due to lack of power in the low rpm range.
Only when the engine is finally warm, it runs quite o.k. and restart is acceptable.

Last winter, this problem disappeared as suddenly as it came at spring time, but this November I am facing the same problem again!

What the hell could be the reason?

Thanks a lot for any hints! Mille

[volvosneverdie]

have you checked the dizzy cap for internal moisture?
Sounds simple, but a common problem and easily fixed with a wipe and a blow.

[Chris_C]

Sounds like a new cap and rotor arm would be a really good step, ECP have the good ones atm as far as I can tell (as long as it's not a Halfords one it should be fine)

[MiIIe]

Folks, to my regret, the cap of the B17 engine is fixed with screws, not clamps.
So the cap cannot be removed as easy as that of the B14 engine (which I drove before for 22 years without ever having any problems with carb or distributor during all those years - apart from a boken spring one time in the distributor)!

Anyway, cap and rotor arm of the present B17 were already replaced (with VOLOVO parts) exactly 5 years ago, because the carbon pencils in the cap were burnt down.
Maybe they last not much more than 40.000 km?

At all events, I will check for moisture.

Thanks! Mille

[Chris_C]

Yup, either use a stubby screwdriver for the screws, or take the heater box off (it takes literally 2 mins, 2 screws and 1 nut)

5 years is hugely too long, when I was using a 1.7 as a daily I changed the cap and arm every 12 months or 10,000miles, it was noticeable worse after that.

[volvodspec]

for ideal working surcomstances it is advised to replace rotor arm, distributor cap and spark plugs every 10.000km.
that counts for all b14 (for pre-renix models also replace capacitor and points), b172k and i would even prefer that for the redblocks too. all leads every 20.000km

that way you're allways worry free, it'll start great and fuel consumption is affected on the positive side.