Posted by Tim on April 19, 2000 at 01:23:27:
In Reply to: Carb Rebuild Questions? posted by Richard Rogers on April 19, 2000 at 00:12:43:
If you are going to rebuild that carb. then don't Half-Ass it, do it right. Here's where it starts. You need to get a good, clean and flat work area. Setting an old clean sheet over your work area works pretty good as to keep certain items from rolling off your work area. Get the repair manual out and look up disassembly instructions for the carb. Lay the parts out on the table one at a time. DO NOT try to rush. There are several small pieces inside the carb that you will be dealing with. Get a clean glass style ash tray or somthing similar to lay these little parts in. Now here is the tricky part. That carb is very old. You really need to go into the governor and rebuild it as well. Not doing it may cause problems later on that could really affect engine performance. Check the throttle plate housing and make sure that the rod doesn't have excessive play from side to side. If it does then you need to see if an automotive machine shop or rebuilder in your area can "RE-BUSHING" the throttle plate housing. You will need to use a really good Carb cleaner. It comes in spray cans, 1 gallon cans w/basket and 5 gallon drums w/basket. I don't know what your budget is like but the 5 gallon cans are usually best as the carb will fit all the way down in them. You can also store and reuse it over and over again for many overhauls. If you are using spray then use a good brand like Gumout and by all means make sure you wear eye protection because carb clean is caustic and will burn the hell out of your eyes. It's not good on the skin either and can be absorbed through the pores and cause problems. It would be a good idea to wear protective gloves as well. Playtex Gloves work well for the do it yourselfer. Be careful and make sure your wife is not around when you swipe them from the kitchen. Make sure you allow time for the carb clean to do its job. It the carb is really dirty then use a 1 or 2 inch paint brush to help break the gook free. Using brake cleaner to rinse it off works real well and evaporates leaving no residue. I usually rinse the carb off with water and then use a blower nozzle to blow the parts off. DO NOT do that to the little parts. Just the throttle plate housing, float bowl and air horn. If you do not have a compressor available then do not use water to rinse it off. You will never get it all out and it will cause corrosion problems for you inside the carb. Re-assemble the carb exactly like it says in the manual. When replacing the Needle and Seat for the float be careful not to damage the seat. It is usually made of brass and doesn't take much to ruin it. When you are setting the Float level in the carb pay attention to how it tells you to set it. It will specify if the air horn gasket should or should not be installed when checking for proper level. Pay attention also to whether or not the carb should be right side up or up side down. Use the proper guage to check the float level. They usually give a paper type guage with the carb kits. If not then you can get a cheap Metal one at a Napa Store. Now here is another important step to finishing the carb right, pay close attention to the float drop level. If you don't set this right you will either get to much gas coming into the carb or not enough when it is needed. Setting it right will keep a steady supply of gas coming into the carb as it should. As far as the Governor goes, if you take the time to read the manual you should be able to do it and do it right. There are generally springs involved but just TAKE YOUR TIME and pay attention to what you are doing and it should go okay. As for the base plate gasket, REPLACE IT! Most of the time when you try to re-use them they will fail and cause a vacuum leak. Even the smallest of leaks can ruin an engine. It can cause a "LEAN MIS-FIRE" which can burn a valve and or melt a hole in the piston from detonation. If you have ever heard a pinging sound in an engine then you know what I'm talking about 'cause it ain't from running rich! Make sure after you are finished that you take the time to reset and or replace your points, check and or reset the timing and properly adjust the carb. Many do it yourselfers thing the richer the better. NOT TRUE! Set it according to Factory specs. and this includes the timing. None of that,"Damn Abner, I set it by ear and it sure do run fast! Sounds like a bunch of marbles when ya step on the gas!" Get my drift? Set the air/fuel mixture like it should be. Trucks are bad gas hogs to begin with, but if you set everything right then not only will you get better fuel mileage but it actually runs better!!!