[61 389-348]

Ok, I'm starting to believe what I've heard so long about Edelbrock carbs. The 63 has been running great for a while with a 6 month old 1406 on it. Out driving around last night, I pull up to a light and notice all of a sudden that it won't idle right and seems to be running rich. I decided that after taking a quick look around the engine bay and seeing nothing wrong that while my gettin was good and I wasn't on the back of a flat bed (yet), that I'd better take the car back home. Once I was into the throttle, it was fine. The problem was only at idle.

Once home, I played around with the idle mixture screws trying to smooth out the idle and found that I could turn the passenger side all the way in without it stalling. In fact it idled better with the screw all the way in. I could set the driver's side almost all the way in. I could smell that it was idling extremely rich and the one plug I pulled was black with carbon.

I let the car cool for a few hours and then put my trusty crusty rebuilt Carter 9635 back in and all is fine.

Wonder what happened to the 1406? Carb is only about 6 months old.

[Sirrotica]

Dirt or corrosion would be my guess, sometimes you can rev the engine up with the air cleaner removed and close the choke and dislodge the dirt with increased vacuum. I've fixed carbs many times by using that trick during my years as a mechanic.If that doesn't work the next step is to remove and disassemble it and physically remove the obstruction.

[Deadhead]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

sometimes you can rev the engine up with the air cleaner removed and close the choke and dislodge the dirt with increased vacuum. I've fixed carbs many times by using that trick during my years as a mechanic.

I live for advice and experience like this. Thanks for sharing it!

Amazing how a carb can last for 50 years and then you can get a reproduction that wont go 1/10 the amount of time. This story repeats so frequently with so many parts. It comes as no surprise that man lost the recipe for concrete for 1000 years.

[61 389-348]

Originally Posted by Deadhead

I live for advice and experience like this. Thanks for sharing it!

Amazing how a carb can last for 50 years and then you can get a reproduction that wont go 1/10 the amount of time. This story repeats so frequently with so many parts. It comes as no surprise that man lost the recipe for concrete for 1000 years.

So true and way too much like my fuel pump stories of last year. When I did the restoration, the original AFB was still on there and it ran great. Had it down to the Wangers 75th birthday event and ran at Carlsbad the next day and ran a 14.7 just as I bought the car and that's includes the original AFB on it.

I replaced with a Carter 9635 during the restoration and it was also fine for all these years until I started replacing everything trying to run down that problem I was having last fall that turned to be a bunch of crap fuel pumps. Given that I put the 1406 on at the end of the season last year and it's just the beginning of this season, I bet I don't have 500 miles on.

So out to cars and coffee and then to Jeg's

[61 389-348]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

Dirt or corrosion would be my guess, sometimes you can rev the engine up with the air cleaner removed and close the choke and dislodge the dirt with increased vacuum. I've fixed carbs many times by using that trick during my years as a mechanic.If that doesn't work the next step is to remove and disassemble it and physically remove the obstruction.

I'll get a kit today and rebuild my six month old 1406 with less than 500 miles on it!!!!!! For right now the Carter 9635 is back on it and it's running fine.

[Ragtop Man]

Be sure to check the whole fuel system from cap to carb; alcohol fuels play hell with anything plastic or rubber, and it's not all that friendly with steel or diecast.

[61 389-348]

The old Carter is working fine, but I stopped by Jeg's to see if they had any idea what fails in these to cause this. The guy who originally sold me the carb said I'm the 2nd one this week with the same issue. He looked up my receipt in their system and I bought it earlier than I remembered (Aug 2012). I didn't ask for anything, except where are the rebuild kits, but he offered to exchange it. So I went home and got it, came back down and we exchanged it for an AVS 1806. There's only a 90 day warranty on these so Jeg's went way beyond without a peep from me. Obviously, very very pleased with Jeg's.

[61 389-348]

Originally Posted by Ragtop Man

Be sure to check the whole fuel system from cap to carb; alcohol fuels play hell with anything plastic or rubber, and it's not all that friendly with steel or diecast.

I use http://www.lucasoil.com/articlelist1...uelConditioner hopefully this helps

[mnfatcat]

It sure sounds like the basic problem was just dirt in the fuel system that made it's way to the carb, and caused the idle issue. If you don't have a filter between the pump and the carb, I would think that would be a good idea, or the same thing might happen again. The passages in carbs are very small and have no tolerance for foreign matter.

[61-63]

Having tried to help several people with Edelbrocks, and having no luck no matter what I did, I am of the opinion some of them have castings flaws in their internal circuitry. Sometimes they work well and you can see testament to that in the pit area at Norwalk every year. But then some do not work right and apparently never will. I have seen this with both their AFB version as well as their AVS version. So I refuse to work on them anymore.

If the problem IS an internal casting flaw a kit will not solve anything. Nor will thorough cleaning.

For one to have idled OK for several months and then stop working suggests to me either trash in that circuit or perhaps a bit of casting flash or drill bit shavings, coming loose inside, or bending over, and blocking off the passage. To remove that I would blow those passages out from both ends with high pressure air. My compressor puts out 160lbs. so that is what I use.

The blockage could also be in the booster(s) so I would blow them out too, after running a needle into all of the airbleeds and idle jets.

[66bonne]

Originally Posted by 61 389-348

The old Carter is working fine, but I stopped by Jeg's to see if they had any idea what fails in these to cause this. The guy who originally sold me the carb said I'm the 2nd one this week with the same issue. He looked up my receipt in their system and I bought it earlier than I remembered (Aug 2012). I didn't ask for anything, except where are the rebuild kits, but he offered to exchange it. So I went home and got it, came back down and we exchanged it for an AVS 1806. There's only a 90 day warranty on these so Jeg's went way beyond without a peep from me. Obviously, very very pleased with Jeg's.

Good story about Jeg's that they did the exchange.

Jim

[Scarebird]

Wasn't there a post last year about this Ethanol gas absolutely tearing up the plating on some of these carbs?

[61 389-348]

Originally Posted by mnfatcat

It sure sounds like the basic problem was just dirt in the fuel system that made it's way to the carb, and caused the idle issue. If you don't have a filter between the pump and the carb, I would think that would be a good idea, or the same thing might happen again. The passages in carbs are very small and have no tolerance for foreign matter.

New stock filter in the stock location between pump and carb. I replace fuel filters a couple times per year.

[61 389-348]

I now have a 1806 on it (650 CFM AVS) and all is fine until the next time.

The car now feels stronger than it had and seems to be smoother too. Probably just my imagination ecstatic that's there's nothing wrong right now.

I do use a bit of http://www.vpracingfuels.com/vp-drag-racing.html (C-12) in it to control detonation. A gallon or so per tank is enough to control it. When my engine was rebuilt about 15 years ago the compression ratio was left stock.