Autolite 1101 adjustment

[Johnsondawg]

David,

I did a little experimenting this evening. First, I went for a drive for about 30 minutes and checked the plugs. The plugs looked clean but had a very light carbon film around the base. I had also noted that I was getting excessive carbon and moisture out of the tail pipe and some black smoke when the engine is under heavy load ( Backing against a parking block) . I decided to try the 63 jet as suggested and opened up the carb to make the change from the 70 jet. When I opened the carb I found that the current 70 jet was not screwed in all the way. It was so loose that i was able to easily unscrew it by hand with one turn. I'm assuming that extra fuel has been passing around the loose jet causing it to run richer. Knowing that I still tried the 63 jet. I ran it for a short drive and it felt like it had a bit of a stutter around 40 miles per hour so I backed off. I have decided to try the 70 jet again. Obviously, I screwed it in securely this time. I'll run it like this to see if the loose jet was part of the problem. I expect it will still be too rich and that I'll probably need a jet sized between the 63 and the 70. Any suggestion on where to start? Is Pony carbs the only source for jets? It would be nice if I could purchase them locally but I highly doubt that's an option. I'll let you know if tightening the jet has any effect and I may also try the 63 again when I have more time to test it.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Back:

Good catch. A loss jet can be a problem. AKT a rich idle air screw, a high float setting or a rich choke can darken the plugs and show some smoke. AKT the condition of the valve stem seals and rings can send a confusing cloud of smoke. Just some other things to consider.

If the 70 is too rich, and the 63 is too lean, I'd be looking to try a 66 or 67. But, I'd give both the 70 and the 63 a thorough assessment before going to something else. Buying Autolite jets retail is too pricy for me. Yes, Pony is a good source. I started gleaning/scrounging jets out of junk carbs years ago, so I haven't had to buy any. Someone posted another site on this forum a while back. Mike may have jets by now. Give him a try first.

Another thought, What rpm is 40 mph in your rig? Rpms will need to be high enough that you will be through the transition circuitry of the carb, to be able to assess the main jet's rich/lean condition.

Keep it coming.

Adios, David

 

[Johnsondawg]

Thanks again for the help david. I don't know off hand what my RPM is at 40 MPH but I'll get an answer for you. This Engine only has about 50 miles on it so the valve seals and rings out to be in good shape. Maybe the engine not being broken in yet has some effect? Like you suggested, I was also thinking that the float may need to be adjusted. I have noticed that when I back down the curb at the end of my drive way it will stall sometimes if I don't back down really slow. My thought was that the fuel is sloshing in the carb when I go down the curb. I have the float set according to the info in the rebuild kit I have ( 1-3/32 ). Is there a "rule of thumb" for finding the appropriate setting for the float?

 

[Johnsondawg]

David, I just went out for another short road test. I'm attempting to get my kick down for the C4 dialed in in addition to getting the carb dialed in. On about a five mile drive, I tried to keep it at about 40 MPH and I'm finding that the RPM's are pretty steady at 2200 at 40 MPH. I plan to swap the 70 jet back to the 63 tomorrow after work and drive it like that for a day to get a better feel for how it does with that jet. Should I be concerned with running it too lean using that jet for a few days? I don't want to do any damage to my newly rebuilt engine. My logic is that it should be OK considering that the 63 was the jet in the 1100 carb that was run on this engine prior to the rebuild. The compression is slightly higher than it was before the rebuild due to the milling of the head 60 thousandths but that's the only real change other than having it bored 30 over.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy:

On the float level- I try to set the float lower then specs. But not so low that the bowl might run dry on a long acceleration run. What head gasket did you use on assembly?

On testing jets-
*Yes, not having the rings seated could add to oil smoke under some circumstances.
*The 63 jet was probably on the rich side in the 170, from the factory. Especially so at your elevation.
*The 63 was rich in the 150 cfm carb, but will likely be alot leaner in a 210 1101. IF fuel remains the same and air increases = leaner A/F ratio.
*A good hard drive of 20 miles or so should be safe. Watch your temperature gauge for increases. Start by checking only main jet- engine speeds above 2,000 rpm. Try to avoid idling, and/or acceleration. Drive at a steady 40 -45 mph for ten minutes or so, assessing for a steady engine. Any hiccuping or skips indicate lean. Going on- then stop by turning off the ignition at speed and then stop the car with the engine not running. Let the engine cool for a few minutes. Then pull a couple of plugs; I seem to go to one and three most often. This is the best way to assess main jet status. White, glazed or peppering on the porcelain indicate too lean. Light tan used to be about right. Additives in today's gas can cause different colors for plug readings. Of the gases I've read, Calif. gas is the hardest to read, depending on the season. Light and few deposits is good. Darker and/or deposits are not so good. I don't know about Colorado gas additives. Do you have a different summer and winter formula, like Calif?
*Once you've decided on a main jet, then you will need to fine tune low speed air screw, accelerator pump action, float level and choke settings. And initial advance and possibly vacuum advance settings.

We're moving to a new home and I'm taking the RV south in the next two weeks, so don't be surprised if I go AWOL for awhile. Keep it coming.

Adios, David

 

[Johnsondawg]

David,

I'm attempting to set my air/fuel mix and set timing with a vacuum gauge. First concern I have is the vacuum at idle. According to the classic inlines tech info, "normal" vacuum range should be 19-21 inches, or 15-18 inches on a low compression engine. My engine is freshly rebuilt and compression is about 9.3 to 1. I'm showing vacuum at only 17. Problem? I set my idle air mixture and moved on to set the timing. I'm already advanced to 14 or 15 degrees ( No pinging). I tried to advance it further but the Dizzy hits the block so I won't be able to go any further without pulling the distributor and moving it over a cog or two. I'm not sure I should go to the trouble of moving it How much more advance can I reasonably expect to get at this elevation?. Should my vacuum increase with more timing advance or decrease? I figured it was a good idea to make sure everything is setup correctly before I start swapping jets etc. I hope to get to that part tomorrow after work.

 

[Johnsondawg]

Oh, one more thing. You asked about summer / winter fuels in Colorado. Yes we do have a "formula change" from summer to winter and I believe the minimum amount of ethanol is 10%. I was thinking you had also asked about the head gasket as well. I'm running a Felpro because it came with my engine rebuild kit.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Back:

Your elevation will effect your vacuum readings. Mike's "Normal" is good from sea level to about 2,000 ft elevation. Above that "Normal" is not normal. Also any increase in cam timing duration will decrease cylinder pressure and vacuum readings. I don't recall which cam you went with, but FYI.

Yes, increasing the initial advance can increase your vacuum readings, but where you're at is a good place to start. But, I agree with you about getting the initial timing optimized before rejetting. When you say "set my air/fuel mix" I'm guessing you mean your low speed air screw?? is that correct? IF it were me, I'd move the distributor a cog, and try initial timing all the way up to 20 degrees BTC. With a rich carb main jet and thin air, why not. It's a cheap (free, except for your time) fix and will be something you will want to be able to play with at some time in the future anyway. Why not now?

The FelPro gasket is thicker than the stock shim head gasket by about .025" so you mill cut of .060" only raised CR by about a half a point rather than a whole point.

Adios, David

 

[Johnsondawg]

You are correct, I was talking about the low speed air screw. I'm going to move the distributor over a cog after dinner and try advancing a little further. I'll report back to you.

 

[Johnsondawg]

Didn't get it done this evening, I'm chasing a Instrument cluster voltage regulator issue and got caught up in that. I have the original that makes all of the gauges read high a spare that has them all to low and a brand new one that worked for a week and quit. I guess I'm ordering a new one. I'll pull that distributor tomorrow and see what I come up with.

 

[Johnsondawg]

I got the distributor moved tonight. I can advance the timing past 20 BTDC without hitting the block now. One thing I noticed today while sitting at stop lights ( Before I moved the distributor a cog this evening) was that it would be idling smooth and occasionally it would have a very slight stumble at idle. It wouldn't die or even act like it was going to it just stumbled slightly then smooth right back out. I have never noticed it while it idles in park just in drive at a light. Could that be a result of it running rich? I'm wondering if the the rich condition is costing me some power. Idling in the garage with all of the doors open I really notice the smell from the rich condition I also get a pretty significant wet black spot on the concrete where the tail pipe turns down. I hope I can find some usable donor jets at the junkyard this weekend.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Back:

On the miss, my guess is that a slow idle and in Drive/under load you are experiencing a weak spark signal at one of the weaker spark plugs or spark plug wires. What is the condition of the ignition system? Did you upgrade the coil along with the DS II? Is the engine completely warmed up and the choke wide open when the rich smell and sooty spot occur? Have you leaned out the low speed air screw? At an idle the main jet is not the issue. It is the idle circuit which is internal and not easy to access. It is a combination of a channel restriction and an air bleed. The easy and accessible adjustments are the air screw and, to a lesser extent, the float setting. Oh, and the choke. The main jet comes into play at above 2,000 rpms or so.

On the engine rebuild you said you used an 81 head casting milled .060" with a felpro gasket. Any other machining or parts changes to the '68 block? I'm thinking you don't have as much CR as you might think. I'm going to run these numbers on the CR calculator to see what I get.

Adios, David

 

[woodbutcher]

David.A question.Even though he milled the head .060.He also bored the cylinders .030.
Would that also affect the CR,such as not raising it as much as you OR he thought?
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

[bubba22349]

Boring the Cylinders would raise compression a little if the replacement pistons also have the same Compression Height and Dish CC's etc. However most all the aftermarket replacement Pistons we find here in the USA that are made for the Ford Small Six's will have a lower Compression Height of 1.5 compared to stock Ford 200 Six Piston Compression Height of 1.511 so you would now have a bit less C.R. if you don't also Deck the Block to compensate for it. The few exceptions to this are the Australian Spec Pistons with a Compression Height of 1.530 which would give you a Zero Deck Height in some cases or very close to it.

 

[Johnsondawg]

The ignition is pretty much all new. The cap, rotor, plugs, wires, and coil are all brand new. I'll run through all the plugs and wires etc. to make sure everything is making good contact. I'll have to go for a drive and get it up to temp then let it idle in the drive to see what kind of wet sooty spot I have once its all warmed up. On low speed idle, I may not have leaned it out enough. When I start to lean in out the smoothness of the idle starts to suffer so I'm reluctant to go much leaner. I have not yet changed the float level. I was waiting to do that until I swap the jet back to the 63.. On the 68 Block, all that was done is to bore it 30 over for the rebuild. Once I get this dialed in I'll probably start looking at a header and maybe even a more aggressive cam. I'll report back tomorrow on the rich idle issue and I also will be retrying the other jet.

 

[woodbutcher]

Bubba.Thanks for the info.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

[Johnsondawg]

I went for a drive and got it up to temp then let it idle in the drive for a little but and got almost no soot on the driveway at the tail pipe so I guess I'm OK for my idle setting. While working on it I also discovered and took care of a small vacuum leak. I hope that helps. I also reset timing and carb settings with a vacuum gauge and the highest vacuum reading has my timing past 20 degrees. I have to guess because my timing marks don't go out that far but it looks like its close to 24 degrees! My Damper is brand new so it should be accurate. I'm going to head out for a drive and see how well it actually drives with the vacuum that far advanced. I'll report back in a little bit.

 

[Johnsondawg]

Yep, it pings with that much advance. I'm going to take it back down a bit and see if the pinging goes away.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy:

Hey Johnsondawg- I ran some numbers on the calculator and came up with a CR of 8.6:1. That's not too bad with a stock cam on today's gas. More would be better at your elevation, but what you've got is what you've got. The calculations were done with an overbore of .030", a .060" mill cut on the late head for chambers of 52cc, and a Fel Pro head gasket with .050" compressed thickness.

Good catch on finding the vacuum leak. I'll be anxious to hear of that take care of the idle hiccup. I'd try 20 degrees initial and see how that works next. How did the plugs look after the drive with 24 initial? What plugs and heat range are you using? How did it drive with 24 degrees?

Keep it coming.

Adios, David

 

[Johnsondawg]

David, I got in a hurry and forgot to check the plugs after the 24 degree drive. It actually ran as strong as it ever has but started pinging when i ran it flat out. I have since backed it down to 20 degrees and i have not been able to hear any pinging. I thought I had the vacuum leak taken care of but it is only reduced so I still need to work on that. The leak is at one of the bolt holes for the now absent EGR valve. This is the plug I'm running. http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/ ... 05940_0_0_ I'm heading back out to try sealing up that vacuum leak.