If you’re using it for weddings and or looking at renting it out, you need to learn how to maintain it. Where are you? Techenders is a great (and free) place to start.
I am in Kent. I absolutely agree by the way, I do intend to do that. That Techenders looks great thanks for the tip!
It takes more skill to start an engine with carburettors without chokes, but it shouldnt be a reason to buy a new engine. If it drives well once its running then it might just be practice. The problem with too many stabs at the accelerator is that you can end up putting so much petrol into the engine air intakes that it takes half an hour to evaporate to the point that the mixture will burn again.. Too few pumps and it wont keep running, plus having to nurse it until it has warmed up a little when it does start running. You need to drive it regularly, practicing starting it regularly.. then starting it wont be subject to the constant fear of not starting. Because I would be 100% sure that the one time I would fluff it up would be at the church.. Added to that is if you leave it for too long, the carburettor float bowls may be empty so it coughs once on the petrol from the accelerator pump then dies again until the float bowls are refilled. What does it actually do when it is being excessively reluctant ? Please try to come to Techenders if you can, there will be a lot of people to help you set it up better and show you starting their engines with similar setups.
my routine (2.0 with twin ict carbs, no chokes) stone cold; ignition on, let the fuel pump run for a few seconds to build some pressure. pump the accelerator 2-3 times to squirt some fuel into the carbs. crank then when it catches give it some blips with the throttle as its not going to idle on its own until there's some warmth in it. on a feezing cold day i might have to keep blipping/ small throttle pressure just to keep it idling. a minute or so is all it needs then it will idle fine on its own. i have my idle speed a bit higher than the manual recommends which makes this a bit easier. re-starting when its up to temperature; just turn the key. fires up first click. no messing around with the throttle. hot start - e.g. fueling up at m-way services during long drive - usually just as above, but sometimes needs longer cranking time - if its not firing, just keep cranking and push the throttle pedal down until it fires, sometimes needs a big throttle opening to fire up but it always starts. when the bus was new to me i also didn't have a clue about this sort of stuff. it would often take me several attempts to start up. as you get to know the engine you learn what's needed for different situations.
Big hole in the tinwear (left hand side) you should block off otherwise its making things hard for the cooling. Ditto the hole in the firewall. Your alternaltor is missing a cover plate (again needed to seal up the engine bay to ensure good cooling). You also have fuel hoses fitted with jubilee clamps - these are not the best for fuel line and can cause pinching/ leaks. suggest replace the fuel hose with stuff that's ethanol resistant and use proper fuel hose clamps at the same time. You're also missing the grille that goes on the front of the fan - its not a biggie but will stop leaves etc being ingested into the cooling system.
Someone told me when i first got my bus "all old cars smell of petrol" but this isn't correct. If you can smell fuel you have a leak which is a fire risk. Obvious places to check; fuel lines, leaks from the carbs, filler neck (remove the paint tin lid and put your hand up to feel if its wet - often the elbow at the filler neck perishes). Less obvious places to check are the breather hoses - quick search on here will show up how to check these. There are easy ones to check (over the top of the engine compartment) and hard ones to check (top of the fuel tank behind the firewall and the one that's behind the sparewheel well (take out the lhs rear light to see where this is). If they are perished then you'll get fuel vapour/ fumes or potentially a fuel spillage if you've just brimmed the tank. Also worth getting a fire extinguisher - either a handheld one in the cab or an automatic one in the engine compartment, or both.
