Need Help!

[Anonymous]

Ok so I decided I could put in a new carb, hoses and a new vaccum advance myself. While I had everything off, I went ahead and painted the engine as well. So I got everything back together, started up the car and gas was leaking everywhere!! I shut it off, tightened the fuel line and tried again. This time it ran but was real rich (white smoke from the exhaust etc... So I figure it was a fuel/air mixture setting on the new carb. But then I saw a puff of smoke up by the altenator/battery. I turned off the car right away.

I noticed that there was still a small amount of gas leaking from the carb. So I re-tighted, checked out the altenator and battery, everything looks good. I also turned the idle screw about 1 full turn (before starting). So I go to try it again. This time nothing!! The starter motor makes a noise but the engine won't turn over

During this process, I did clean off the altenator, and I did use some degreaser on it. But I put it on a cloth and rubbed it on. Also the wires to the altenator are kind of old and one of the connections is showing an exposed wire. Can I test the altenator somehow? Any thoughts? could it be a solonoid? I cant see how the carb/fuel line/vaccum advance would effect the electrical system. I do have a pertronix module... and one more thing the dummy lights on the dash, One says oil and the other says ALT. They both are on. Oil level is good, I dont think these lights were on the first 2 times the car started.

Thanks

 

[pedal2themetal45]

HI
are you sure you put the wires back on the alt. right?? (You might tape the wires if your are afread they may short out). If so then first I'd check the battery conections. Make sure the post are clean as well as the insides of the cables. both parts should be nice and shiney.. Your probubly hear a buzzing sound thats the sylanoid due to low voltage (not enough to turn the starter). the Alt. not working shouldn't stop it from turning over or starting. White smoke is water vapor most likely its just condensation in the exhaust system if its cold where you are and you didn't take the motor apart.. (blown head gasket also well cause the white smoke)
Running rich did you mess with the float leves?? might check that. If the float levels are to high you would see fuel dripping down the inside of the carb after it has been run and shut off (or maybe just trying to start it as the fuel level will come up).
Air/Fuel mixture
I'd start with about 1 1/2 turns out from gently seated in, maybe 2 if it won't idle at 1 1/2.. to check for a vacuum leak if you screw the mixture screw all the way in the motor should die. to set mixture turn in/out 1/8 at a time to acheve smoothest idle ( a little goes a long way with the mixture screw) reset idle (650-700) and repeat mixture adjustment. For what is called a lean drop, after the final adjustment turn the mixture screw in just enough to get about a 25rpm drop in idle.
let us know how it goes
Tim

 

[Anonymous]

Went back to the car, tightened all battery connections and double checked the alt wires (against the wiring diagram) and the car starts!! Every time! The problem is it runs like a drag car, real slow kinda sounds cool but I've got black smoke out the exhaust as well. I tried turning up the idle screw and nothing happened. Tried the mixture screw as well, no change. Could the timing be off? I've never learned how to time a car but it's the only thing I can figure. I'm about ready to give in and push the thing to a mechaninc down the street. Any Ideas?

 

[pedal2themetal45]

HI
Was it running OK when you pulled the carb?
Did you check the Float level.. the black smoke is Way rich, is the choke stuck closed ??
Start it then shut it off and look down the inside of the carb and see if it is dripping gas or look for a fog of vapor down the inside of the carb. If it is dripping gas or there is a fog in there the float is set to high. Are you sue you got all the parts back in right like the ball and spring thats is inside (I beleve)??
It sounds like its flooding big time..
tim

 

[Anonymous]

1st guess -choke fully shut. choke should crack open a little as soon as car fires. you didn't say whether manual or auto choke. Leave off air cleaner housing and see whether choke is opening or not. If auto choke just open it with your a screwdriver blade and see if it clears up. If manual push the knob in.
2nd guess-float needle has trash lodged in passage. often happens when replacing carbs and using rubber lines especially. If choke is opening and engine contiues to run rich, try tapping top of carb where fuel line comes in with a srcew driver handle hard enough to do some good but not hard enough to break something. I have an old tractor that i carry a small ball peen hammer on and i reach over alot when working on my driveway and rap the carb as at almost 50 years old there is a lot of trash in the system and float sticks often--will go fromm sputtering and coughing to running like a clock with 2-3 good raps. If this does the trick next time it does it remove bowl and get the trash out--it may or may not ever do it again.
let us know how things go.

 

[Anonymous]

Below is a pic of the carb prior to installation. I'm pretty sure the choke is an automatic. How do I check the float level, is there a way to adjust this? The instuctions don't seem to indicate so. I'll give it another try tonight, and see how things go.

[/img]

 

[Anonymous]

You have a heat choke. Needs a line to it that goes through your exhaust manifold or around your headers. It provides hot air (not exhaust) to open the chike.

The part you circled is a vent line.

Steve-O

 

[pedal2themetal45]

Dam thats a life size pic
Did you rebuild it or did you buy it rebuilt..
If you bought it rebuilt (thats what it looks like) the float level is most likly OK... I'd say its the choke causing you the prob...
Their is a tube (copper pipe) that goes to the threaded end on the choke housing and goes to a spot in the exhaust manifold. If you are running a header you can get an adapter that goes on one of the pipes or you can wrap some copper tubeing ( 1/8") around one of the pipes and the other end to the choke housing. It just needs to be able to get hot so it can bring hot air to the choke so it well turn off as the motor heats up... You may have to adjust the choke for your likeing, when they rebuilt it they may not have adjusted it right.. There are three screws on the housing loosen them and turn the black housing so the choke opens (the black housing well be marked "rich/lean" ) then turn it the other way untill it almost close's. ( as you turn it you should crack the throtal a little so the choke moves freely as the linkage may bind up on the fast idle came.) After you get it started check to see that it open just a little bit as the vaccum of the motor well pull it open. if it is open too much you may want to turn it a little richer depending on how the motor runs.. do this with the motor cold. When the motor warms up it should open up all the way.
hope this helps..
good luck
Tim

 

[Anonymous]

OK, I spent all morning messing around with the new carb, and here's what I came up with.... After messing with all of the adjustments including the choke, I'm still running really rich. So I read through the installation manual. One thing they recommed is to starve the carb of fuel. So I disconnect the fuel line and set up a catch for the fuel line and let the car run. After a good 30-45 seconds, the car smoothes out and runs great! But of course the fuel line is not connected and soon after the car stalls out as all of the gas in the carb has been used up. According to the manual this should re-set the float. So I hook everything back up and start the car....Same problem way to rich to much fuel. So my thinking is maybe the carb is fine...is it possible for the fuel pump to send too much fuel? Is there a setting on the fuel pump? It's just a stock fuel pump, non-electrical. Secondly I did replace the vacuum advance when I put the carb on and while re-connecting, one of the posts on the dizzy broke off. Could this be the problem? Check out the pic below



The back circle is where the post broke off from, the purple is the spring that attached to the post. The blue circle is where I have the vaccum advance connected to. I'm running out of ideas and quickly thinking the mechanic is the best way to gohttp://home.comcast.net/~osufan/pics.html

 

[pedal2themetal45]

OK
The dizzy well not cause the flooding prob your having. all though if it has a broken post then it well need eather to be repaired or replaced.
Sence you said it cleared up after it almost ran out of fuel I beleve you have a float level prob.. a stock fuel pump shouldn't put in to much fuel.
Pull the top off the carb if the float is attached to the top then invert the top and see if the float hangs level (the distance between the float and the top of the carb). It should be level or just a slight angle up on the ends of the float. the bowl should be only 1/4 to 1/2 full of fuel without the floats in it.
If the float is attached to the body of the carb it should only be about 1/2 to 3/4 full of fuel.. with the floats setting in it..
tim

 

[Anonymous]

as long as you are checking the float and if you find its not the problem, check the needle and seat too. If this was rebuilt carb you never know, might have damaged seat or needle might have unhooked to float......

 

[Anonymous]

Good news! Before I tore into the new carb, I thought it might be a good idea to first open up the old one. (for practice) Anyway I found that I really had not adjusted the auto choke, so I went over to the new one, loosened the 3 screws ,turned the black placstic thing so the choke was open a bit and BAM! no more black smoke, or overflowing carb. I still need to fine tune it, and I think I may have opened the choke a bit too much because it's running too fast at Idle. Thanks so much for everybody's help!! I can't tell you how good it feels not to have to take the car in. I think I might go get some new plugs, the old ones are all sooty after running with a rich mixture.

Thanks again

 

[pedal2themetal45]

GLAD YOU GOT IT GOING
I mention the choke in an earlyer post.. anyway I'm glad its running...
As far as it running to fast when the choke is on just back the idle screw out alittle to set the idle..
ACTUALY I beleve it only has one screw to adjust the idle speed.. Adjust it when the motor is warmed up.. If you look at it you well see it rest on a cam that has some notiches on it... When the choke closes it moves this cam and steps up the Idle.. if it runs to fast at cold idle then their is only two ways to fix it. Eather open the choke up more or bend the rod that controls the cam so it doesn't rotate so much thus giving you a lower cold idle..
Then to adjust the air/fuel mixture you use the screw in the base of the carb. This is a fine adjustment and a little goes a long way.. turn this screw in/out 1/8 of a turn at a time.. to acheve smothest idle.. then readjust Idle speed to 650/700. then repeat this adjustment a couple of times to besure it good..
good luck and glad its running. Yes it would be a good idea to replace the plugs..
Tim