i recently rebuilt my carb and i'm having trouble adjusting the air fuel mixture. i read instructions from sterling about turning the screw clockwise till it wants to stall and then turn it back 1/2 a turn. i do this and the car runs fine and idles fine. the problem is that when the car is cold it wont start and it wont idle, i need to run it richer by another 1/2 to a full turn. is this too rich, is there something wrong?
also i noticed that i have a weird squeel coming from the engine. i usually hear it when i havnt driven the car for a few days or weeks but then it goes away after i drive it around the block. the car was sitting for a few weeks when i was doing the carb. i always thought it was just some buildup from sitting. but now after the carb rebuild i drive the car and the squeel dosnt seem to go away. it sounds as if a belt is slipping or something but i think its coming from the engine. anyone have any ideas?

any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

maybe i should change the thread title to "my girlfriends *****".... i'd get more peoples attention

 

Make sure your choke is operating correctly. If so, a couple of pumps of the gas pedal should start it. Is the accelerator pump putting a good shot of fuel in the barrels?

Have you removed the air pump on your car? The squeal sounds like the alternator.

 

i'm guessing the accelerator pump is working fine, the car runs fine. i'm just unsure if its running too rich, because it needs to be richer when i start it cold. i can run it leaner when its hot. also the choke works fine, but i usually dont need the choke to start it.

i have not tried removing the air pump, can i just pull the belt off and try running the engine without it. will that hurt anything?

 

The reason I asked about the air pump, is that you will get squeal without the air. It requires a dual pulley to eliminate the squeal.
Have you checked the tension on all of your belts?
Could be a water pump heading south too.

Use the choke to richen the mixture when cold.

 

Exactly. Engine will require a richer mix when cold. That's what the choke is for.

 

does everyone use their choke when the engine is cold? is this a daily routine to use the choke everytime till the car warms up. i never really used it unless it was cold out in the winter time or if the car hasnt been started in a long time. it sits about a month at a time when i'm up at school.

 

I never use my choke (its removed). I have to admit though there are days where I wished I had it. Usually for me, if it doesnt want to idle when cold I simply hold the RPMs up to about 3K and hold it there for about 30 seconds and slowly let the speed come down until it "cathches itself" and idles correctly.Its all about the carb tuning. My car idles rock solid at 500 RPM. It should be set at 750-800 though.

 

Yes, the choke is used anytime the car is cold.
I don't have a choke on mine, because I have a Yaw modified carb. But, I hooked up the choke cable to the linkage and use it like a choke. It doesn't enrichen the mixture, but at least I can set the idle, and not have to hold my foot on the pedal.

 

Same here with my Sterling carb. But who needs a choke in So Cal?

 

awsome, thanks guys!

now all i need is to figure out what the hoarse squealing noise is, almost sounds like a vaccum leak but i couldnt imagine it is. whats a common place for a vaccum leak and how do you check?

 

i have a similar problem but opposite, what? my 82 gsl when is cold starts right up, but if i go to the gas station to get some gas, when i try to start the engine it won't start, I have to hold the ignition key all the way down and then after 45 seconds of pounding my starter the car starts, Does anybody know what my problem is?

 

Yeah, you need a new starter, lol.

~T.J.

 

i really believe my starter is fine , the car start awsome in the morning or when i get out of work (when the engine is cold) but if i drive it for a couple of miles and the car gets hot enough it will not start inmediatly, now my gauges are all messed up. i can't have an accurate reading of my temp, at least i know next week i'm replacing the manifold and carb to a Racing Beat one ! , if that;s not the proble i think It might be the apex seals, or something related to them, my next upgrade would be MSD system.

 

Try disconnecting the hot start assist. unplug the motor when you do or it'll squeal like a pig.

 

How's your timing?

 

I don't know, I haven't check it, you think is off !!

 

Could be wabbit, could be..... Either that or it's flooding for some reason.

 

I get complaints about the fact that our modded carbs don't have a choke. I'll only leave the fast idle if someone requests it.
The way I see it, the engine shouldn't be driven until it's warmed up. The fast idle linkage just raises the idle speed so you're not running off the idle circuit.

 

I use my choke upon every 'cold' startup. I still have my rats-nest and air pump as I just can't bring myself to go for any removal as long as it isnt' broke. And although I use a street port Racing Beat exhaust system, I just let the air pump push air to nothing; no piping.

 

Keep an open mind when you're diagnosing this. It sounds earily like my six port while the bearing on the rear rotor was working it's way out, forcing the rotor into the center iron. That engine is currently being torn apart in my garage while it's replacement is going in.

 

Is your OMP working? Adjusted correctly?

 

Sorry i've been away for awhile!

I believe my OMP is working, i didnt really check and measure the amount though. i just took the hoses off the carb to see if it was pumping oil. i ran the car at around 2k rpms and a drop or two of oil came out of both tubes in just a few seconds. i figured this was good enough since every other tank of gas i usually put in 4oz of MMO. i didnt know there was an adjustment for the OMP, how do i go about doing this?

Thanks!