carbking

Often I am asked for the measurement or how to adjust floats on early brass carburetors. Many of these carburetors have an adjustable fuel valve which may be adjusted from outside the carburetor. Today, as most hobbyists do not have access to the special tool, the adjustment is often a "guesstiment". Many of the early carbs were to be adjusted such that the fuel level in the bowl was set to be 1/8 inch below the top of the discharge nozzle. To do this, the mechanic had a special tool. Since "a picture is worth a thousand words", here are two thousand words: http://www.thecarburetorshop.com/Glass_float_tool_1.jpg http://www.thecarburetorshop.com/Glass_float_tool_2.jpg The fitting with the "T" handle is screwed into the bottom of the bowl (many carbs had a bowl drain with 1/8 inch pipe thread); and since the glass tube is open at the top, the fuel level in the carb with be displayed in the glass tube. The mechanic would have measured and marked the distance to the top of the discharge nozzle on the outside of the carb, and could now adjust the fuel valve to give the correct dimension. These tools are not (to my knowledge) readily available; however, a handy hobbyist could make a substitute by using a couple of brass fittings, and some clear plastic tubing, clamped to the carburetor. Jon.

Charles - Edmunds was what I was thinking, and my fingers typed Fenton The only ones I have seen were for the 8. Never saw one for the 6. Jon.

Fairly common by the mid-1930's in rural Missouri for farmers or shops to have an older engine with a split manifold and two-barrel carb where half the engine ran the engine, and the other half of the engine was a compressor. The two barrel was replaced by a one barrel for the engine, and a filter was placed on the other half of the intake carb attachment. As for the manual air pumps, leather washers were available at the hardware store, and easy to replace. I have replaced more than one. One comment on modern tools: it only takes one trip to the emergency room to "unsave" all the money "saved" on cheap tools. Better tools that are used and in well-cared-for condition are a much better buy. Jon.

According to the factory Carter literature: 1929 4 175 RT-08 130s 1929 4 196 RJH-08 142s 1930 4 175 RT-08 156s 1930 4 196 RJH-08 142s 1931 4 196 RJH-08 171s 1932 4 196 RJH-08 228s Although very attractive in appearance (black body, brass bowl); none are much of a carburetor. Pretty much a pain in the (insert some portion of anatomy here ) Good luck on finding one with a tag, as the originals were red cardboard. Some of the service replacement units produced in the mid-1930's do have a brass tag. Just for the record, Carter produced 22 different TYPES of the brass bowl carbs (RT-08 is a type) in approximately 250 different models. Carter listed some other models (the type DRJH-08 included), but the factory literature indicates these were for export. Cannot tell if they were also used on domestic models. The ones listed above are shown for domestic models. Jon.

Pontiac used a two-barrel Carter on the 1953 239 as factory equipment. Do not know if the intake will interchange, nor do I have one. The carb was a Carter 2010s, which I can furnish, if needed. Have never heard of a multi-carb intake for the 239, although I believe it was Fenton that made an aluminum head and multi-carb intake for the 8. Last one I saw for sale was many years ago, and many hundreds of dollars even then. Jon.

Having a spare carb (or spare anything) to try is cheating Also a GREAT way to eliminate variables. Not much to go wrong in the idle circuit of the AFB other than needing the idle tubes opened up to compensate for the ethanol. Generally 0.002 is just about right. You might pass that on to your rebuilder. Of course, you could be right that there are mismatched parts inside. The commercial carb rebuilders do it all of the time! One other thing I have seen, although very rarely; is the throttle body improperly rebushed. My inventory tells me I have one 7011600 in used condition, if it comes to that. Hopefully, the rebuilder will figure it out. Jon.

Sounds to me like taking "going green" a step too far !!! Jon.

Two different Rochesters (early production 7011600 and late production 7013100) and a Carter 2800s were used as original equipment in 1958. The 2800s was superceded (factory replacement) with AFB 2982s. Many different causes for idle issues to include: (1) Defective distributor advance unit (2) Intake valve sticking from use of ethanol (3) Conversion to an electronic ignition without upgrading to an alternator (4) Lower energy content of ethanol requiring larger idle jets in the carb (5) Choke improperly adjusted or defective Jon.

Time to rejuvenate this thread. Have a bit more information now; and have loaded a sample "movie" on my website so those of you not familiar with the filmstrip / record training can see what it is about. Make sure your sound is turned on: http://www.thecarburetorshop.com/55-1.wmv Still looking for more of the Pontiac stuff. Will swap carburetors, carburetor parts, or "pictures of dead presidents in green frames". Also have a bunch of Chevrolet, and a few Oldsmobile to trade. No other makes at this time.

Joe - the Wheeler-Schebler Carburetor Company (interesting sideline, see Indianapolis Speedway building) would often STAMP the carburetor type, the letter X, and the carburetor number somewhere on the carburetor. Example AX-165 This should be read as model A number 165. There is very little documentation of the Schebler model A carburetors in the Schebler original literature. That which does exist in the Schebler literature is mainly for tractors, and aftermarket for cars. I have begged for those that have original parts manuals on older vehicles using Schebler to send me this information to place on my website for all to use, but still missing most of the information on the model A. I have 190 entries in my database for the Schebler (or Wheeler-Schebler) model A: 5 are automobile, 2 are truck, about 30 are tractor, and the rest are aftermarket. Jon.

I like what you have done with the Johnson model D. Another application is a lamp. Materials: 6 x 6 x 4 chunk of polished walnut 6 x 6 piece of felt (your choice of color) (length varies) piece of lamp rod microswitch for the electrics (length varies) piece of lamp cord Hide the microswitch inside the throttle area of the carburetor, and attach to the throttle shaft. The on/off switch then becomes the outside throttle lever. Jon.

An excellent use for any Johnson carb! However, this one was probably removed from a mid-teens Reo because the owner wished to drive the truck. Jon.

Tony - the original Carter 3923s AFB used on the 425 is EXACTLY the same size (625 CFM) as the 3921s used on the 401 engine. While the 3923s is less common than the 3921s, unless you are building an absolutely numbers matching show car, it would be relatively easy to recalibrate a 3921s to 3923s specifications. The primary side is slightly leaner for the 425; while the secondary jets are significantly richer for the 425. Either would perform much better than one of the modern clones; plus everything will fit without modification. The primary side is close enough (less than 1/2 calibration size) to just leave alone, and either fit the correct secondary jets, or drill the originals oversize by 0.007 inch(0.082 -> 0.089 inch). The correct Carter part number for the secondary jets would be 120-159 which was superceded by 120-389. DON'T buy clone jets if you do this. Stay with original Carter, or just drill out the originals oversize. Jon.

A vehicle with an issue may be viewed as a challange or a frustration; and the older I become the more the pendulum moves from challanging to frustrating There are actually a few television shows more enjoyable than changing the oil! (Not many!) However, possibilities: (1) Defective float valve (you have eliminated this) (2) Improper float setting (you have eliminated this) (3) Defective float (easy to check, remove and shake, then submerge in hot water) (4) Cracked casting (probably eliminated as you changed tops) (5) Too much fuel pressure Check (3), and if good, a fuel pressure gauge inserted at the carb may tell you something. If too much fuel pressure, possibilities: (1) New off-shore fuel pump (2) Defective original fuel pump (bypass not functioning) (3) Fuel tank vent plugged or missing (some were vented in cap, new caps mostly don't have vents). Jon.

Tom - the 12-91 is a date code, the carburetor was manufactured in December 1991. The adjustable main jet is a "T" handle that is visible in the second picture. It screws up into the bottom of the carburetor bowl at approximately a 45 degree angle. It also appears in the first picture, but that pictures displays upside down. Something else to check, since this is one of the Zenith universals with the adjustable throttle; is if the throttle plate on the carburetor is moved to the wide open (vertical) position by the throttle linkage from the footfeed. If not, the clamp nut on the throttle shaft may be loosened, and the position of the throttle arm adjusted. Jon.

From about 1933 to about 1975, Zenith placed the identification number on a round tag riveted to the body of the carburetor. From about 1975 to about 1980 Zenith STAMPED the number on the edge of the mounting flange. From about 1980 and newer Zenith STAMPED the identication number in a small semi-circle (small, as the entire semi-circle may be hidden by a single garden pea!!!), generally on the bowl cover. I have no specifications on the Zenith 14966 carburetor. The late model Zenith universal replacement carburetors make an excellent inexpensive replacement IN SOME INSTANCES! We have sold hundreds of them ourselves, but we always ask the question "What type of terrain will be vehicle be driven over"? WHY do we ask this question? Because the cheaper versions of the Zenith replacements have no power circuit (a circuit separate from the main circuit that augments the fuel going over hills). If the customer states that the vehicle will be used on relatively flat terrain, we suggest the Zenith. If the customer will be using the vehicle in hilly or mountainous terrain, then we suggest the customer purchase the much more expensive Carter BB or Stromberg SF series. Having said the above, BEFORE throwing rocks at the carburetor: check cylinder compression, and if good, then do a complete engine electrical tune-up. Another good check is a fuel pressure gauge AT THE CARBURETOR to make sure the carburetor is kept full of fuel when the issue occurs. As to adjustment: if the Zenith is equiped with an externally adjustable main metering jet, the suggested INITIAL adjustment is 2 1/2 turns. The final adjustment to be made based on how the engine performs at cruising speed on level terrain. 573-392-7378 (9-4 Mon-Tues central time) if you wish to discuss further. Jon.

In order: (1) compression test If poor compression, decide on if you wish to do an engine tear-down. If good compression (2) place the car on jack-stands, and check the bearings for grease and the brakes for drag. On to the engine tune-up. If an electronic gadget has replaced the points, make sure the generator was upgraded to an alternator. Check performance after each step. (3) SEE NUMBER 8, OUT OF ORDER FIRST. Then check the condition of points, and the dwell; replace points if necessary (4) Check operation of vacuum advance (5) Adjust the timing (note to do timing AFTER dwell). (6) Check the spark plugs (7) Check the spark plug wires (8) SHOULD BE NUMBER 3 - check the engine ground connection. (9) Check fuel pressure (10) If necessary, dig into the carburetor and rebuild Jon.

Try this link: http://www.thecarburetorshop.com/Troubleshooting.htm#Hardstartcold The most common cause is listed in the link; however with the Holley used as original equipment on the Ford, it is possible that the economiser valve gasket is leaking. There are many threads on the newer economiser valves not completely sealing. As there is a direct passage from the valve to the intake manifold, a minor leak here would drain the bowl over time. However, I would guess it is simply the volatility of the fuel, especially since you state it runs fine after starting. Jon.

Rebuilt one of these many years ago, and it took two to make one. Now offering the remaining parts: Airhorn, bowl, venturi insert, and choke cover castings ALL CLEANED AND RE-CHROMATED Float (passes hot water test) Throttle shaft, choke shaft, and other steel items cleaned and re-electroplated with white zinc. Various other used items Note that the throttle body is missing, as are some other parts. Price for everything, including shipping via UPS within the 48 contiguous United States - $100. VISA, or MasterCard Can email a picture, but it will not fit on this forum. 573-392-7378 (9-4 Mon-Tues central time). Jon.

Buick started testing dual carbs (1-barrels, not 2-barrels) back in the 1930's. The progressive linkage starved the rear cylinders except on WOT, and many Buick owners with the compound carburetion removed it in favor of a single 2-barrel. I can not remember ever seeing an original set-up that did not have a cracked manifold (possibly from the rear cylinders running too lean). We have built a number of set-ups over the years with 2 carbs from later Buicks and solid linkage. Driveability, power, and economy are all improved over the progressive set-ups. Jon.

Looks like the Rayfield (Marvel/Schebler/Wizard/Johnson/some other bogus brand) aftermarket replacement for Ford model A. Jon.

Close. August. Jon.

Just a thought: http://www.cleggengine.com/ford-ohv-6-223-3-6l-engine-rebuild-kits-1954-1964.html Jon.

If you look at the bowl cover, you may see a series of STAMPED letters and numbers. An example might be A-25200. This would decode as: A = January 25 = 1925 200 = identification number 200 Reread my first post in that this will allow you to decode the bowl cover, but it may have been replaced. Jon.

There are at least 10 different of the Detroit Lubricator/Stewart carburetors used by DB on the 4's. Had the kit been purchased from us, we include one of each of the gaskets used on ALL of the different carbs, as the customer rarely knows which carburetor the customer has. Cheaper to include them all than have to ship out one later. Looks like the vendor from whom this was purchased does the same. The above comment is NOT a shot at the customer's expertise. Most of the bowl covers on the DL/Stewart DB carbs are more or less interchangeable. PLUS, many Stromberg and Zenith bowl covers also interchange. As the fuel needles are also more or less interchangeable, many of these carbs were "rebuilt" decades ago with the wrong parts that the "rebuilder" had, and thus for less money. Quite common to see DL/Stewart carbs on ebay with a Stromberg or Zenith top or vice versa. Jon.