Things I used in this video: 1. Screwdriver set: amzn.to/2jaHIfP 2. Common Sense 3. 4k Camera: amzn.to/2hZ4AxX 4. Mini Microphone: amzn.to/2newgV9 5. My computer for editing / uploading: amzn.to/2i2sKYz 6. Video editing software: amzn.to/2jv5Fhf 7. Thumbnail software: amzn.to/2k7tz6C 🛠Check out my Garage to see what I use every day and highly recommend: www.amazon.com/shop/scottykilmer ❗️Check out the Scotty store: goo.gl/RwhRGU 👉Follow me on Instagram for the latest news, funnies, and exclusive info / pics: goo.gl/ohy2cA
I have a 1985 k1500 I don't know the carb I have on it its a 305 and I am getting bad mpg and I never did before but I can smell the gas when I decelerate and it started to sputter when I'm braking and when I turn it on it blows black smoke what do you think this could be
Scotty Kilmer, good vid but you left out how to check vacuum to and adjust if needed, the primary and secondary choke pull offs as well as the fine tune adjustment of the choke mechanism and choke step down idle speeds.
Hi Scotty, I have an 1987 Toyota starlet. (engine is 2e-c) Which is difficult to start when it is cold. I suspect this is the automatic choke that failed. How can I fix it?
Heh, I remember doing this back in auto school and it was actually kinda fun and educational. The instructor had the engine plugged into a smog machine to read the gasses coming out and we had to adjust the carburetor so that the exhaust reach at or below state exhaust requirements.
ThisISETHANBRADBERRY! New cars will never give the same feel as the originals. Dodge is bringing back the barracudas in 2020, but if you look at the assumed photos, it's nothing like the cars that cruised with style through the 70s and 80s.
Thank you so much! My car got repossessed recently and my only means of transportation to work is my 44 year old tank of a car. You have no idea how much I appreciate this!
This is a video on how to adjust the idle mixture and idle RPM. How about making a video on how to properly jet a carb, adjust the accelerator pump, and set the choke. Most peop leave no idea how to properly set up a carb for a new combination. Thanks, Chris
well that's pretty easy. Mainly you have 3 jets on a carb and in general you can say. One is for idle, the middle one is for normal driving and the main one the big one is for full throttle. What you need is time and various jets at hand. At first of course let the car warm up, and for the idler jet you simply let the car idle for a certain period and then check the colour of the sparkplug For the middle jet, you go on the freeway and drive it for about 1 hour with about 50% throttle. Now you can go by the colour of the sparkplug if you want clean emissions and low fuel consumption or you make several runs with different jets and find out when it got the highest speed. The same should be done for the maine jet although a richer mixture is preferable
Really helps to use a vacuum gauge. Get it idling as low as it will without jerking around, plug the gauge into a fitting on the intake (manifold vacuum), then adjust mixture screws .5 turn outwards at a time for each (.5 on left, .5 on right, left, right, etc) until highest vacuum reading, and then adjust idle to 700-800rpm in park. Too high of idle and the car will slam into gear. Anymore than 900rpm and most older carbureted cars with their stock 1100-1500 stall converters will start to engage. Thats why it goes into gear really hard. Manual cars idle speed can be a bit higher or lower, measured in neutral, parkng brake set and wheels chocked. Find what your engine likes.
Loved your video. Just bought a 66 mustang and I'm feeling it is time to tune the carb. Maybe even upgrade. I bought it about a week ago and I'm just getting started. I plan on getting a longer cam, headers, better hood with a scoop, and much more, including some major cosmetics. I hope by the end of the year, I will have a maroon and black pony with a mean engine to walk the walk. But I am glad I found your video to give me the official start to the restoration of my baddest dreams. God bless buddy. Give that stingray everything it wants. Lots of road and serious torque to leave its signature.
mclaine33 Do you also wish modern cars had worse fuel economy, didn't last as long, could be affected by small changes in fuel makeup, required more maintenance, and so on? I think its a fair trade off.
Gerberbaby922 Yeah fuel economy sucked but gas was very cheap. It isn't good for the environment though. Didn't last as long? Idk what you're talking about. I feel like many older cars were better build than todays cheapo junk parts that fall off or break (like bumpers made of plastic). More maintenance, yes sometimes, depending how often you drove. Overall it would be nice if cars today can be built just as well as older cars were. A really great example that I can say would be the Tesla Model S. That thing is very well engineered and I'm sure in the future that will become a "collectible or classic" too.
Gerberbaby922 What about SEFI & EEC, but pre OBD? Gotta 5.0 Windsor ('86 Colony Park) which uses half the fuel compared to my old '63 Impala: 283 with Edelbrock AFB. Not entirely fair, since the Merc has a 4 spd with lock-up, but I feel the improvements in maintenance aren't that big anymore between a 1986 panther and a 2012 one, and according to the EPA their carbon footprint is equal... The best of both worlds perhaps?
mclaine33 man I wish cars still had 5.7 liters of displacement and only put out 170 horses lol. i drive an old carbed 350 sometimes but i have to admit that modern cars with vvt, efi, forced induction ect are pretty amazing. the new eco in my mustanf is putting out 390 ob ft and 335 hp from only 2.3 liters !!! im notbgetting the estimated epa mpg but thats probably because its so much fun to drive
Wow!! You went waaaaay back Scotty. I can't remember the last time I've seen someone adjust a carburetor. The ones on my 80's GM's had caps over the mixture screws and couldn't even be adjusted.
I have almost the exact same car and was gonna waste almost 100 $ to get the carburetor adjusted now all I need to do is use a screwdriver thank you so much Scotty Kilmer you saved the day for me 👍
I had a 750cfm double pumper Holley on my bb 440 cu in with a 280 crane cam. I just Use a Vacuum/ pressure gauge to tune it. Ignition Timing has to be checked first before you tune the carburetor.
I turn the mixture out/rich until it reaches the steady high rpm. Then turn it back in slowly until the speed drops 50 rpm. Readjust idle speed and repeat on other side. The lean drop method will yield better results if you go offroad a lot or otherwise idle around in low gear like 4 wheeling.
Thanks Scotty. You've helped me a lot with my Saturn SLs, my Scout IIs, my Plymouth Acclaim and my girlfriend's Mitsubishi Montero. Living proof that you CAN fix stupid:-)
And remember, since at least 1982 automakers such as GM went mostly to computer-controlled carbs with mapped ignition timing. You can only adjust the idle speed on most OEM computer carbs. For better performance, people had to change the intake manifold, fuel jetting and sometimes the PCM. Because of growing fuel economy and emissions standards, engine performance was sacrificed majorly from 1973-1987. Of course, the old school performance aftermarket exists for those yearning for simplicity. Replace and burn rubber.
Your videos are great I don’t know much when it comes to cars wish I would of payed more attention to my dad growing up but your videos help a lot haha.
Thank you for this video, after getting turned down by several “licensed mechanics” who apparently don’t work on carburetors, I got my 72 Jeep commando purring just right! Whatever anyone does, don’t come to Puerto Rico lmao!
I learned the best way to adjust the carb is to attach a vacuum gauge to manifold vacuum, and to ALWAYS make sure the fuel idle mixture screws are adjusted evenly 1/4-1/8 turns at a time, until the best vacuum is found. You just seemed to turn the screws willy nilly
I never leave my mixture screws at highest idle. They are too close to a lean condition that way. For 45 years I have taught others to screw them out 1/4 to 1/2 turn out from high idle to allow for any contaminants that WILL get in the idle circuit. This of course is not how the EPA would like it but it allows more time until they need to be readjusted. The factory settings (in the 1970's)were slightly in from high idle and of course demanded readjustment in no time. I am surprised that others have not taken up the slightly rich practice as it works better for a longer time. Highest idle is not necessarily "perfect" as some would say if you have to keep readjusting them. In some states that unfortunately have smog tests I suppose you have to do it their way but not where I live. I have several cars with two four barrel carbs. and rarely have to adjust them.
i rebuilt several carburetors in my time ! they are a lot easier to work on then fuel injection ! I had cars back in the 60s and 70s with carburetors started and ran better then cars today !
That's why I love my 87 dodge ram and 80 mustang had to do my first mechanical fuel pump on my truck last winter was under 20 bucks and under 30 minutes to change
Scotty, this is clearly the Corvette from your intro. Is it yours? Do you still have it? Do you drive it when it's warm outside? I just love the sound of these old, carburated V8 engines.... (we don't have many of those here in Europe)
One serious pet peeve of mine is bad wiring jobs, especially on classic cars like this, like those black wires @1:22 ....but anyway, good video, thanks for sharing Scotty
thanks for all he help and ideals, question for you - i have a 1980 corvette with that same carburetor - cant keep ideal very well - i had never noticed if there was a spring or something on the other side for the choke? there are a couple holes over there that seems might be to keep in place or adjust ?? wondering if had any ideals on that. Thanks again
Hey Scotty, At 1:39 you said, "Go on the left side...", but the video shows you adjusting the RIGHT side at 1:45. Does it really matter which side to start with?
Wow Actually I am from Sri Lanka and have a old Mitsubishi Lancer. Tried from many garages but no one can fix it for better tuning. But with your video I got my maximum level of fuel consumption. Thanks so much. Also if you have the chance do a video for ajusting Dialpham to have minimum sound from engine and also for maximum plug distribution. Again thank you very much 😈😎
Hi Thank you so much for this. I have a 1984 Mazda B2000 4 cyl, manual trans. I have a nikki carb on it and the old bat won't idle where I can do an adjustment. How to I combat this? Do I just fiddle with it until it idles and then adjust from there? I truly hope there's an easier way I'm not aware of
definitely need more videos like this I have a 85 Chevrolet celebrity 2.8 2 barrel carburetor but it's a Rochester carb I wish u had video of something like that or close or just more videos of carburetor vehicles it would help. And love all of your videos been subscribed and watching for a long time your videos have really helped
Is this applicable for a struggling Nissan Bluebird ‘89? Changed every filter. Thinking it could be the cat or the carb.. or maybe it’s just old and tired. Never has broken down, but it does struggle a lot up hill etc
I have a question about the air fuel mixture screw adjustment? If the screws are not adjusted properly can that be causing my gassy smelling exhaust fume problem?
Hi Scotty I have a nissan 1400, it is the same as the datsun 1200 in your country. I bought a caburator and adjust it. The car is able to idle, but now it keeps on misfiring
The throttle return spring is a mess - should be doubled and hooked into the proper hole. - Connect a timing light with tach, plug vacuum advance hose to eliminate it during tuning. Ground idle stop switch. Set warm curb idle to recommended speed, usually 650 - 750 RPM. - Assuming timing is correct, shut car off and gently seat idle mixture screws. Right is richer, left is leaner. - Carefully and evenly back out mixture screws 2.5 turns. This is a very common baseline setting with OEM carbs. - Connect a vacuum guage to manifold vacuum. Start the car, and slowly but evenly back out the mixture screws to a point where manifold vacuum just starts to drop. Turn each screw in a quarter turn from that point. Check and readjust curb idle. - if turning the screws out (leaner) doesn't affect vacuum, you've got a vacuum leak someplace. Check hoses, intake, and carb, and repair. - Most aftermarket carbs are set up quite rich. That's only fine if your car never sees the street. Otherwise, you need to rejet to prevent unburned fuel from washing down the cylinder walls. - You set the choke, per mfr instructions, when the engine is cold. Don't forget to adjust the fast idle speed - 1200 RPM is fine on a street engine. - Hook 'er all back up and try it out. If the engine wants to die when warm, while putting it in gear, it wants a little more timing. If it falls on its face during normal acceleration, check the accelerator pump/setting. If it bogs when kicking it down, you need to adjust the secondary air door tension.
I just bought a mint 1989 Honda Accord LX that has an idle issue. Vacuum lines are all good. My next step is tuning the Carb. Could you give me some pointers?
I have a 1978 Ford F-250 straight 6 motor. It starts up and idols fine and runs good sometimes then sometimes while I’m driving it turns off while my foot is on the gas . Then starts right back up most times when I crank it . Sometimes it takes 10 mins to start back up . It has a new carburetor new fuel pump new fuel filter new air filter . It turns off when I’m in 3rd most of the time . I don’t know if my carburetor is tuned correctly so just wondering if that could cause it ?
Mr. Kilmer, I need your expertise advice. I have a 1987 ae82 toyota corolla le 4- door sedan. Started off as temporary transportation from A to B, but not i wanna put some money into it. Needs alot of cosmetic work and i just cant find it on the internet. Id appreciate it alot scotty. 👍🏽💯
New to the car thing, i swapped a 2bbl Rochester carb with a 4bbl edelbrock. Swapped the intake as well. Before with the old carb on acceleration it would pop or sound like someones sneezin then die. Now with the new carb the rpms skyrocket and it wont idle not to mention the fire/fireball that is fairly common occurrence. Any ideas?
I've got an old truck with a carburetor that previous owner adjusted so it would run richer /better but it does not pass emissions in the city I live in. what I need to know is how to adjust it so it will run lean enough to pass emissions.....would that be what was shown here or is there another way to get it super lean even at the expense of performance. I just need it to pass emissions so it can be registered again!!!! its been out of service for months now over this!
efi is good but what a pain to work on , carburators can be efficient if you know how to dial them in correctly, the Carter afb in my chrysler 413 averaged better fuel milage than my dodge ram 1500 with a 5.9
I have a 1982 CJ7 258 and the previous owner installed a weber carb on it.Its a 32/36. It runs like crap and will not idle until its warmed up.After its warmed up it runs fine.Should I buy an original setup to put back on it?Being a Jeep I dont like having an open air element under the hood.
A great video, Scotty, I have a question, I am about to buy a buick with a 455 engine with an edlebrock and and at cold start it is has a hunting idle, also when you hit the gas it does not pick up well, seems like it is out of power. This information might be a little general but do you have any idea what might be the problem? It it just a matter of tuning the carb or is it a more serious problem? What might be the steps to undertake? Greetings from Holland
I have an 82 Ford Fairmont straight 6 3.3. This past week been trying to find out why my car does not stay running while idle. Dies about 10 seconds after starting. Replaced plugs, wires, the coil, and the choke thermostat. When I replaced the plugs and wires a month ago, it was running great, then last week, it happened. I was told to find the idle mixture screw. No such luck on finding it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I had a bad carb on a POS 1989 Honda Accord. Found a carb at a junkyard and rebuilt kit, installed donor carb, Accord now runs but idles at 2000rpm. Will this tone it down to normal 700-1000?
As a single engine piston pilot, I've always wondered why auto makers never opted to include a mixture knob? Would it be ineffective due to the constant change of engine power being demanded (start, accelerating, stopping, etc.)?
Just a guess but I'd think that air is regulated by the throttle (gas pedal to throttle body) and fuel is regulated via engine load/ vacuum. It seems to me that a mixture knob would be redundant but perhaps I'm missing something?
That's why they make a vacuum gauge,to get the best results for the carburetor settings and the highest vacuum reading for the engine to perform to its best. Just using a screw driver,one it is the lazy way,and two,you can't depend on the vehicle running the the best,or max performance.DUH,Have a nice day......
Hey, Scotty! I just have a quick question! Maybe you or someone else here could answer! I have an 85 Camaro, 305 v8. I'm tinkering with the screws right now, but i'm wondering what it should idle at when parked? I have it at about 1300 rpm when parked right now! Also, how exactly do i know when the idle rpm is "ideal"? Thanks so much in advance!
So, the final step is adjusting the idling. How does this relate to adjusting the timing and turning the distributor left or right? Which one is tuned/completed first?
Hey Scotty, Can you tell me what it means if you have 2007 Jeep Wrangler that is making a siren sounds coming from the gear shift? It is a manual transmission. 2wd. Thank you!
I'm not mechanically inclined but have been learning a few things after I met with a mechanic after I had issues with acceleration and starting once in a while. He wants to put a Edelbrock carburetor in my '79 Trans Am with 403 instead of rebuilding the Quadrajet. He says it would be smarter and much better and he would've done it a long time ago if it was his car. Car group friends are advising me not to. What do you think?
nice you have Rota Shakotans on your corvette? lol have you heard of an 81 celica? i have one and i am gonna fix it up , what do you think about fixing up cars for more power , im not talking bolt on horsepower so much as fixing engine internals, boring out, etc..... i love your videos man ...funny too..i see some ppl just dont like u lol they are just hating hahaha
Don't adjust the "idle screw" if you have a vacuum advance distributor. it's wrongly named and actually adjusts your tranfer slots that controls when the distributor gets vacuum and starts advancing timing. If this is set wrong it will throw off your timing and most people confuse a timing issue for a carburetor issue and chase down a rabbit hole that leads no where. The transfer slots should be adjusted so the moment you touch the throttle it begins sending vacuum to your distributor. Furthermore proper idle RPM is set with a distributor adjustment not a carburetor adjustment assuming your mixture is correct.
I have 4 adjustment screws on my QFT carb 2 on each side of the carb, should I do the same with each screw like you did with the 2 on this carb? its on a 351 windsor
Okay so I ran into a strange situation. I did exactly what you did set them all the way down, then turned them up as many times as you said for all 4 on the QFT carb, ran it and then did some reading which was simular to what your saying, I set the car at 1300 rpm idle, started brining the screws more out towards me and was planning on doing it till the car hit 2000 rpm, then set idle down and do the next. What is happening is bringing the screws out/towards me is bringing the idle down not up
+DieselSmoke92 It may be that the jet sizes are not correct. This is really common for decent altitude changes between where it was tested and where you are using it. If the idle is highest when the screws are bottomed out, then you might have jet sizes that are too large and the mixture screws are continuing to richen the charge. You should probably get a set of a couple different size jets and start going down the sizes until you reach a set that have a maximum idle point around the stock 1 1/2 turns.
+DieselSmoke92 No, the mixture screws aren't the problem. There are little brass inserts in the carb that have a very accurately sized hole through them that control the amount of gas mixing with air. The mixture screws allow for an amount of fine adjustment. I believe the screws don't have enough travel to adjust for the size jets you have. If you changed the Jets to a different size like I mentioned in my earlier post, you should be able to properly set the mixture then.
Ok so I've got this 82 corolla, it rattles a bit like a diesel under load or when going up hills but when you pull the choke out, the rattle stops completely and it's nice & quiet. Plus this rattling thing only happens when it's fully warmed up.
Things I used in this video:
1. Screwdriver set: amzn.to/2jaHIfP
2. Common Sense
3. 4k Camera: amzn.to/2hZ4AxX
4. Mini Microphone: amzn.to/2newgV9
5. My computer for editing / uploading: amzn.to/2i2sKYz
6. Video editing software: amzn.to/2jv5Fhf
7. Thumbnail software: amzn.to/2k7tz6C
🛠Check out my Garage to see what I use every day and highly recommend:
www.amazon.com/shop/scottykilmer
❗️Check out the Scotty store:
goo.gl/RwhRGU
👉Follow me on Instagram for the latest news, funnies, and exclusive info / pics:
goo.gl/ohy2cA
I have a 1985 k1500 I don't know the carb I have on it its a 305 and I am getting bad mpg and I never did before but I can smell the gas when I decelerate and it started to sputter when I'm braking and when I turn it on it blows black smoke what do you think this could be
Ashley Marrone running rich
Scotty Kilmer, good vid but you left out how to check vacuum to and adjust if needed, the primary and secondary choke pull offs as well as the fine tune adjustment of the choke mechanism and choke step down idle speeds.
Ashley Marrone if it's blowing black smoke, you are burning lots of fuel. Try leaning it out.
Hi Scotty, I have an 1987 Toyota starlet. (engine is 2e-c) Which is difficult to start when it is cold. I suspect this is the automatic choke that failed. How can I fix it?
Scotty Kilmer is literally keeping my 86 Firebird Trans Am alive
He’s keeping my 90 Camaro alive
same w the 82 square body
89 ta here
After a few days I'm here for my 88 firebird 🤷
It’s crazy because I’m literally watching this video to try to get my 86 firebird I just got started
Scotty you’re a F’n life saver man, I’ve been tuning and adjusting my carburetor for months now man. Thank you for your service
It took you months to turn three screws?
They are not the easiest things to adjust. Good to know you’re such a smarty with carbs.
Heh, I remember doing this back in auto school and it was actually kinda fun and educational. The instructor had the engine plugged into a smog machine to read the gasses coming out and we had to adjust the carburetor so that the exhaust reach at or below state exhaust requirements.
Love this guys editing sometimes lol just cuts off
+Greig300 maybe it was the camera guy, didn't like scotty talkin' smack about new cars hgahah "CUT!"
ThisISETHANBRADBERRY! New cars will never give the same feel as the originals. Dodge is bringing back the barracudas in 2020, but if you look at the assumed photos, it's nothing like the cars that cruised with style through the 70s and 80s.
Edelbrocks are easy to tune and maintain. Quadrajet not so much, but it's a gas saver. Great video!
Thank you so much! My car got repossessed recently and my only means of transportation to work is my 44 year old tank of a car. You have no idea how much I appreciate this!
This is a video on how to adjust the idle mixture and idle RPM. How about making a video on how to properly jet a carb, adjust the accelerator pump, and set the choke. Most peop leave no idea how to properly set up a carb for a new combination.
Thanks, Chris
shadowdog500 theres plenty of vids on that. not really scotty's cup of tea. he does quick vids
also most factory carbs only let you adjust the idle mixture, idle speed, and choke.
well that's pretty easy. Mainly you have 3 jets on a carb and in general you can say. One is for idle, the middle one is for normal driving and the main one the big one is for full throttle.
What you need is time and various jets at hand. At first of course let the car warm up, and for the idler jet you simply let the car idle for a certain period and then check the colour of the sparkplug
For the middle jet, you go on the freeway and drive it for about 1 hour with about 50% throttle. Now you can go by the colour of the sparkplug if you want clean emissions and low fuel consumption or you make several runs with different jets and find out when it got the highest speed.
The same should be done for the maine jet although a richer mixture is preferable
14725800369 instructions unclear. My carb is now lying on the freeway
Really helps to use a vacuum gauge. Get it idling as low as it will without jerking around, plug the gauge into a fitting on the intake (manifold vacuum), then adjust mixture screws .5 turn outwards at a time for each (.5 on left, .5 on right, left, right, etc) until highest vacuum reading, and then adjust idle to 700-800rpm in park. Too high of idle and the car will slam into gear. Anymore than 900rpm and most older carbureted cars with their stock 1100-1500 stall converters will start to engage. Thats why it goes into gear really hard. Manual cars idle speed can be a bit higher or lower, measured in neutral, parkng brake set and wheels chocked. Find what your engine likes.
Good advice
that is if the car is automatic, manual transmission cars don't engage anything
Loved your video. Just bought a 66 mustang and I'm feeling it is time to tune the carb. Maybe even upgrade. I bought it about a week ago and I'm just getting started. I plan on getting a longer cam, headers, better hood with a scoop, and much more, including some major cosmetics. I hope by the end of the year, I will have a maroon and black pony with a mean engine to walk the walk. But I am glad I found your video to give me the official start to the restoration of my baddest dreams. God bless buddy. Give that stingray everything it wants. Lots of road and serious torque to leave its signature.
Back when it was easy to adjust and fix anything.... Man I wish cars today could be easily fixed without needing a scan tool computer.
mclaine33 Do you also wish modern cars had worse fuel economy, didn't last as long, could be affected by small changes in fuel makeup, required more maintenance, and so on? I think its a fair trade off.
Gerberbaby922 Yeah fuel economy sucked but gas was very cheap. It isn't good for the environment though. Didn't last as long? Idk what you're talking about. I feel like many older cars were better build than todays cheapo junk parts that fall off or break (like bumpers made of plastic). More maintenance, yes sometimes, depending how often you drove. Overall it would be nice if cars today can be built just as well as older cars were. A really great example that I can say would be the Tesla Model S. That thing is very well engineered and I'm sure in the future that will become a "collectible or classic" too.
Gerberbaby922 What about SEFI & EEC, but pre OBD?
Gotta 5.0 Windsor ('86 Colony Park) which uses half the fuel compared to my old '63 Impala: 283 with Edelbrock AFB.
Not entirely fair, since the Merc has a 4 spd with lock-up, but I feel the improvements in maintenance aren't that big anymore between a 1986 panther and a 2012 one, and according to the EPA their carbon footprint is equal...
The best of both worlds perhaps?
mclaine33 it was common to get valve jobs done, idk about every 30,000. It was rare to get 200,000 miles out of a car. Also, the metal rusted easily.
mclaine33 man I wish cars still had 5.7 liters of displacement and only put out 170 horses lol. i drive an old carbed 350 sometimes but i have to admit that modern cars with vvt, efi, forced induction ect are pretty amazing. the new eco in my mustanf is putting out 390 ob ft and 335 hp from only 2.3 liters !!! im notbgetting the estimated epa mpg but thats probably because its so much fun to drive
Wow!! You went waaaaay back Scotty. I can't remember the last time I've seen someone adjust a carburetor. The ones on my 80's GM's had caps over the mixture screws and couldn't even be adjusted.
by the 80s they had sensors and computers that would adjust them automatically
Good to see the Vette back!
I have almost the exact same car and was gonna waste almost 100 $ to get the carburetor adjusted now all I need to do is use a screwdriver thank you so much Scotty Kilmer you saved the day for me 👍
Christian Commanda
Thanks Scotty, worked like a charm on my '62 Caddy with an Edelbrock carb.
Watching your videos helped me fix my old truck. Great stuff!
Thanks so much for this. My 66' C10 was stumbling at idle it was so rich. Its much much better now
I love how you start on these massive rants but you edit it out.
Now do a V12 with 6 double Webers. That's where the fun begins!
Thank you, your videos are so helpful in my adventure with owning a 1990 jeep
I had a 750cfm double pumper Holley on my bb 440 cu in with a 280 crane cam. I just Use a Vacuum/ pressure gauge to tune it. Ignition Timing has to be checked first before you tune the carburetor.
I just bought a 1972 datsun 521 so this video really helped!!!🙏🏽
I turn the mixture out/rich until it reaches the steady high rpm.
Then turn it back in slowly until the speed drops 50 rpm.
Readjust idle speed and repeat on other side.
The lean drop method will yield better results if you go offroad a lot or otherwise idle around in low gear like 4 wheeling.
you are a star, you make it as simple as possible as if you live in our heads.
These types of cars (carburated cars) is what Scotty seems to know more about than any other kind of cars
Thanks Scotty. You've helped me a lot with my Saturn SLs, my Scout IIs, my Plymouth Acclaim and my girlfriend's Mitsubishi Montero. Living proof that you CAN fix stupid:-)
That was easy... I don’t think I’ll ever see a carbureted car but if I do, now I’ll know how to tune it up!
And remember, since at least 1982 automakers such as GM went mostly to computer-controlled carbs with mapped ignition timing. You can only adjust the idle speed on most OEM computer carbs. For better performance, people had to change the intake manifold, fuel jetting and sometimes the PCM. Because of growing fuel economy and emissions standards, engine performance was sacrificed majorly from 1973-1987. Of course, the old school performance aftermarket exists for those yearning for simplicity. Replace and burn rubber.
Your videos are great I don’t know much when it comes to cars wish I would of payed more attention to my dad growing up but your videos help a lot haha.
Hi Scotty, glad to see that you started posting video after the great flood. Hope you and your family are doing OK ?
Doing this tomorrow on my 68 coupes brand new Rochester quadrajet. Just waiting on the divorced choke for my edelbrock manifold.
Thank you for this video, after getting turned down by several “licensed mechanics” who apparently don’t work on carburetors, I got my 72 Jeep commando purring just right! Whatever anyone does, don’t come to Puerto Rico lmao!
I have a question man, what does scotty mean by saying "Bottoms Out" ? Thank you!
Scotty! Can u make a playlist strictly for Old school? 💯 🙏
You literally are saving me 1000 of dollars! Thxxx😭
I learned the best way to adjust the carb is to attach a vacuum gauge to manifold vacuum, and to ALWAYS make sure the fuel idle mixture screws are adjusted evenly 1/4-1/8 turns at a time, until the best vacuum is found. You just seemed to turn the screws willy nilly
I never leave my mixture screws at highest idle. They are too close to a lean condition that way. For 45 years I have taught others to screw them out 1/4 to 1/2 turn out from high idle to allow for any contaminants that WILL get in the idle circuit. This of course is not how the EPA would like it but it allows more time until they need to be readjusted. The factory settings (in the 1970's)were slightly in from high idle and of course demanded readjustment in no time. I am surprised that others have not taken up the slightly rich practice as it works better for a longer time. Highest idle is not necessarily "perfect" as some would say if you have to keep readjusting them. In some states that unfortunately have smog tests I suppose you have to do it their way but not where I live. I have several cars with two four barrel carbs. and rarely have to adjust them.
i rebuilt several carburetors in my time ! they are a lot easier to work on then fuel injection ! I had cars back in the 60s and 70s with carburetors started and ran better then cars today !
Lloyd Dailey tell that the emissions department
Are there always TWO air adjustment screws in every carburetor? I can only find one in my GA2 Nissan engine carburetor...
Scotty you need your own TV show!!
I have to admit that was a fast simple video on Edlebrock carburetors, My 69 Mustang has a Holley it looks pretty different
I really love your videos! They're perfect! Funny and filled with instructions and info. Thanks for doing them! :D
Kilmer is a Superstar!
That's why I love my 87 dodge ram and 80 mustang had to do my first mechanical fuel pump on my truck last winter was under 20 bucks and under 30 minutes to change
Scotty, this is clearly the Corvette from your intro. Is it yours? Do you still have it? Do you drive it when it's warm outside? I just love the sound of these old, carburated V8 engines.... (we don't have many of those here in Europe)
One serious pet peeve of mine is bad wiring jobs, especially on classic cars like this, like those black wires @1:22 ....but anyway, good video, thanks for sharing Scotty
What about the choke, metering rods, springs? I like the ease of adjusting the edelbrock carbs compared to holley
thanks for all he help and ideals, question for you - i have a 1980 corvette with that same carburetor - cant keep ideal very well - i had never noticed if there was a spring or something on the other side for the choke? there are a couple holes over there that seems might be to keep in place or adjust ?? wondering if had any ideals on that. Thanks again
One of my favorite mechanics 🪛🧰
Hey Scotty,
At 1:39 you said, "Go on the left side...", but the video shows you adjusting the RIGHT side at 1:45. Does it really matter which side to start with?
Hey Scotty , big fan here. Can you please make a video on how to clean the carburator? My car is on ventilator
Great help for me. Thanks for posting this. 🇨🇦👍🏼
Wow Actually I am from Sri Lanka and have a old Mitsubishi Lancer. Tried from many garages but no one can fix it for better tuning. But with your video I got my maximum level of fuel consumption. Thanks so much. Also if you have the chance do a video for ajusting Dialpham to have minimum sound from engine and also for maximum plug distribution. Again thank you very much 😈😎
Hi Thank you so much for this. I have a 1984 Mazda B2000 4 cyl, manual trans. I have a nikki carb on it and the old bat won't idle where I can do an adjustment. How to I combat this? Do I just fiddle with it until it idles and then adjust from there? I truly hope there's an easier way I'm not aware of
Would you be able to do a video on how one uses a vacuum gauge or does this work best
definitely need more videos like this I have a 85 Chevrolet celebrity 2.8 2 barrel carburetor but it's a Rochester carb I wish u had video of something like that or close or just more videos of carburetor vehicles it would help. And love all of your videos been subscribed and watching for a long time your videos have really helped
Scotty for president 2020
Scotty for president 2024😅
highest vacuum at idle is the ultimate setting
K exatimundo!
Why what's the benefits?
Correct fuel/air ratio
+bicylindrico oh serious? Hmm gonna have to look into that
you should have done that some decades ago
Is this applicable for a struggling Nissan Bluebird ‘89? Changed every filter. Thinking it could be the cat or the carb.. or maybe it’s just old and tired. Never has broken down, but it does struggle a lot up hill etc
I have a question about the air fuel mixture screw adjustment? If the screws are not adjusted properly can that be causing my gassy smelling exhaust fume problem?
As a car mechanic i approve! :D
Not but seriously I do like injector engines as well.
You sir are a live saver
Hi Scotty I have a nissan 1400, it is the same as the datsun 1200 in your country. I bought a caburator and adjust it. The car is able to idle, but now it keeps on misfiring
Thanks scotty, my 650 holley on my 305 is 1600 at park or nuetral and 700 in drive.
Is this a good idle setting for this motor?
Should be at 900-1000 rpm’s
Scotty saving the day 5 years later
Just put a carb on my 66 falcon
The throttle return spring is a mess - should be doubled and hooked into the proper hole.
- Connect a timing light with tach, plug vacuum advance hose to eliminate it during tuning. Ground idle stop switch. Set warm curb idle to recommended speed, usually 650 - 750 RPM.
- Assuming timing is correct, shut car off and gently seat idle mixture screws. Right is richer, left is leaner.
- Carefully and evenly back out mixture screws 2.5 turns. This is a very common baseline setting with OEM carbs.
- Connect a vacuum guage to manifold vacuum. Start the car, and slowly but evenly back out the mixture screws to a point where manifold vacuum just starts to drop. Turn each screw in a quarter turn from that point. Check and readjust curb idle.
- if turning the screws out (leaner) doesn't affect vacuum, you've got a vacuum leak someplace. Check hoses, intake, and carb, and repair.
- Most aftermarket carbs are set up quite rich. That's only fine if your car never sees the street. Otherwise, you need to rejet to prevent unburned fuel from washing down the cylinder walls.
- You set the choke, per mfr instructions, when the engine is cold. Don't forget to adjust the fast idle speed - 1200 RPM is fine on a street engine.
- Hook 'er all back up and try it out. If the engine wants to die when warm, while putting it in gear, it wants a little more timing. If it falls on its face during normal acceleration, check the accelerator pump/setting. If it bogs when kicking it down, you need to adjust the secondary air door tension.
Are there two air screws because it's a two barrel carburetor? My Carter YF on a 300ci-6 is a 1bbl and has one screw.
I just bought a mint 1989 Honda Accord LX that has an idle issue. Vacuum lines are all good. My next step is tuning the Carb. Could you give me some pointers?
I have a 1978 Ford F-250 straight 6 motor. It starts up and idols fine and runs good sometimes then sometimes while I’m driving it turns off while my foot is on the gas . Then starts right back up most times when I crank it . Sometimes it takes 10 mins to start back up . It has a new carburetor new fuel pump new fuel filter new air filter . It turns off when I’m in 3rd most of the time . I don’t know if my carburetor is tuned correctly so just wondering if that could cause it ?
Mr. Kilmer,
I need your expertise advice. I have a 1987 ae82 toyota corolla le 4- door sedan. Started off as temporary transportation from A to B, but not i wanna put some money into it. Needs alot of cosmetic work and i just cant find it on the internet. Id appreciate it alot scotty. 👍🏽💯
New to the car thing, i swapped a 2bbl Rochester carb with a 4bbl edelbrock. Swapped the intake as well. Before with the old carb on acceleration it would pop or sound like someones sneezin then die. Now with the new carb the rpms skyrocket and it wont idle not to mention the fire/fireball that is fairly common occurrence. Any ideas?
Good luck, you are a very good person
I've got an old truck with a carburetor that previous owner adjusted so it would run richer /better but it does not pass emissions in the city I live in. what I need to know is how to adjust it so it will run lean enough to pass emissions.....would that be what was shown here or is there another way to get it super lean even at the expense of performance. I just need it to pass emissions so it can be registered again!!!! its been out of service for months now over this!
efi is good but what a pain to work on , carburators can be efficient if you know how to dial them in correctly, the Carter afb in my chrysler 413 averaged better fuel milage than my dodge ram 1500 with a 5.9
I have a 1982 CJ7 258 and the previous owner installed a weber carb on it.Its a 32/36. It runs like crap and will not idle until its warmed up.After its warmed up it runs fine.Should I buy an original setup to put back on it?Being a Jeep I dont like having an open air element under the hood.
you are a professional mr.scott.
good job.
Peace.
A great video, Scotty, I have a question, I am about to buy a buick with a 455 engine with an edlebrock and and at cold start it is has a hunting idle, also when you hit the gas it does not pick up well, seems like it is out of power. This information might be a little general but do you have any idea what might be the problem? It it just a matter of tuning the carb or is it a more serious problem? What might be the steps to undertake? Greetings from Holland
I have an 82 Ford Fairmont straight 6 3.3. This past week been trying to find out why my car does not stay running while idle. Dies about 10 seconds after starting. Replaced plugs, wires, the coil, and the choke thermostat. When I replaced the plugs and wires a month ago, it was running great, then last week, it happened. I was told to find the idle mixture screw. No such luck on finding it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I had a bad carb on a POS 1989 Honda Accord. Found a carb at a junkyard and rebuilt kit, installed donor carb, Accord now runs but idles at 2000rpm. Will this tone it down to normal 700-1000?
As a single engine piston pilot, I've always wondered why auto makers never opted to include a mixture knob? Would it be ineffective due to the constant change of engine power being demanded (start, accelerating, stopping, etc.)?
Just a guess but I'd think that air is regulated by the throttle (gas pedal to throttle body) and fuel is regulated via engine load/ vacuum. It seems to me that a mixture knob would be redundant but perhaps I'm missing something?
That's why they make a vacuum gauge,to get the best results for the carburetor settings and the highest vacuum reading for the engine to perform to its best. Just using a screw driver,one it is the lazy way,and two,you can't depend on the vehicle running the the best,or max performance.DUH,Have a nice day......
I just started tinkering with the carb on my VW. i think you have to have a good ear for these things .-.
You are legendary 💪
Hey, Scotty! I just have a quick question! Maybe you or someone else here could answer!
I have an 85 Camaro, 305 v8. I'm tinkering with the screws right now, but i'm wondering what it should idle at when parked? I have it at about 1300 rpm when parked right now! Also, how exactly do i know when the idle rpm is "ideal"?
Thanks so much in advance!
i have a boat 2 barrel carburetor how do you adjust carburetor my RPMs is off the chart is it my carburetor that needs adjusting
Hi What could be the cause of oil in filter sucked up to carburetor
thank you man this rlly helps
So, the final step is adjusting the idling. How does this relate to adjusting the timing and turning the distributor left or right? Which one is tuned/completed first?
I had to pause at 00:19
And appreciate that come up
Hey Scotty, Can you tell me what it means if you have 2007 Jeep Wrangler that is making a siren sounds coming from the gear shift? It is a manual transmission.
2wd. Thank you!
I'm not mechanically inclined but have been learning a few things after I met with a mechanic after I had issues with acceleration and starting once in a while. He wants to put a Edelbrock carburetor in my '79 Trans Am with 403 instead of rebuilding the Quadrajet. He says it would be smarter and much better and he would've done it a long time ago if it was his car. Car group friends are advising me not to. What do you think?
Finally, I get to see where the stingray came into play.
Can an engine cut out if the idle speed is adjusted too low and the if the air mixture is incorrect?
+michael jagger only if you go too low
Hi how to u get a 1400 bakkie to start carbutaer need tuning have carb kit 😭😭🙏🙏🔧🔧
Thanks sir. Very helpful.
nice you have Rota Shakotans on your corvette? lol have you heard of an 81 celica? i have one and i am gonna fix it up , what do you think about fixing up cars for more power , im not talking bolt on horsepower so much as fixing engine internals, boring out, etc..... i love your videos man ...funny too..i see some ppl just dont like u lol they are just hating hahaha
Tony Cruise I don't think those are shakotans mate. These designs are pretty common on old American cars of this era.
Don't adjust the "idle screw" if you have a vacuum advance distributor. it's wrongly named and actually adjusts your tranfer slots that controls when the distributor gets vacuum and starts advancing timing. If this is set wrong it will throw off your timing and most people confuse a timing issue for a carburetor issue and chase down a rabbit hole that leads no where. The transfer slots should be adjusted so the moment you touch the throttle it begins sending vacuum to your distributor. Furthermore proper idle RPM is set with a distributor adjustment not a carburetor adjustment assuming your mixture is correct.
Hey Scott !! Could you possibly do a video on possible causes of a misfire in your system?
Thank you so much my truck runs like it’s brand new again.
I have 4 adjustment screws on my QFT carb 2 on each side of the carb, should I do the same with each screw like you did with the 2 on this carb? its on a 351 windsor
+DieselSmoke92 yes
Okay so I ran into a strange situation. I did exactly what you did set them all the way down, then turned them up as many times as you said for all 4 on the QFT carb, ran it and then did some reading which was simular to what your saying, I set the car at 1300 rpm idle, started brining the screws more out towards me and was planning on doing it till the car hit 2000 rpm, then set idle down and do the next. What is happening is bringing the screws out/towards me is bringing the idle down not up
+DieselSmoke92 It may be that the jet sizes are not correct. This is really common for decent altitude changes between where it was tested and where you are using it. If the idle is highest when the screws are bottomed out, then you might have jet sizes that are too large and the mixture screws are continuing to richen the charge. You should probably get a set of a couple different size jets and start going down the sizes until you reach a set that have a maximum idle point around the stock 1 1/2 turns.
your saying get different screws?
+DieselSmoke92 No, the mixture screws aren't the problem. There are little brass inserts in the carb that have a very accurately sized hole through them that control the amount of gas mixing with air. The mixture screws allow for an amount of fine adjustment. I believe the screws don't have enough travel to adjust for the size jets you have. If you changed the Jets to a different size like I mentioned in my earlier post, you should be able to properly set the mixture then.
Ok so I've got this 82 corolla, it rattles a bit like a diesel under load or when going up hills but when you pull the choke out, the rattle stops completely and it's nice & quiet. Plus this rattling thing only happens when it's fully warmed up.