Carb set up - '65 1bbl

My old carb was stalling when I punched the gas too hard, I had gotten used to just smoothly flooring it, though suffering the lack of acceleration I've enjoyed. I was more worried for my wife Holly using the car, fearing she'd stall during a left-hand turn at a light somewhere where she couldn't readily restart it safely.

So, rather than a rebuild and waiting a few days, and having a mechanic install it, I decided to buy a rebuilt one [bid actually, got it off ebay] and install it myself. The newly rebuilt carb came today. It was only $30US.

The removal and installation went smoothly. I was careful to check the set up of the old carb [had been tweaked as best it could by a mechanic but he believed the float was probably to blame which only a rebuild could get at. Read - he wouldn't do it for $30. U.S. or otherwise. ;-) ]

The connections were remarkably good except for the vaccum advance which appears to have been a lousy connection plastered with some goop some years ago. The nut was a toughy, but the others were fine. I'd like to replace this line sometime but would not fix won't ain't broke.

New carb installed. Try to fire her up. No gas injection. The lines are much newer than the car itself, maybe 12-15 years old. So I'm thinking the carb is missing something. Was the reservoir even getting any gas?

Not a question of checking the fuel pump, it's only 2 years old. The lines spewed gas anytime I was undoing them, and the previous carb was getting gas properly.

So I undertake something I've never wanted to do - I open the top of the carb. Even with a book handy this was not something I really wanted to do, especially to a newly rebuilt carb. Anyhoos, all looked clean inside. Then I figure, since I really didn't know what I was looking at, I'd open the old carb. I noticed the inlet nozel had a different float pin type. Probably not using the right tech terms here, but basically the nozel thingies weren't the same.

So, I take the old nozel, which looked clean anyways, out of the old carb and insert it into the new carb. Hooked up the fuel line again and crossed fingers.

Got in and cranked. Once, twice, third time lucky - she fired up. Oh boy did she fire up, the idle screw was set way too high.

Now here's my question after all this. Why the hell is the idle speed screw facing upwards and obviously not meant for a screwdriver? I had to use plyers to turn it. What then is the screw facing out the driver's side that is hidden between the back of the carb and the choke housing? THAT should be an idle screw, but slight turns made little difference.

Took her for a spin, set the mixture screw a little richer and she is purring like a kitten now. I did read that this should be set just a half turn backed off of having the engine start to stall and be careful not to crank it all the way in for fear of damaging the jet. Right?

And for a '65 6-cylinder she has a great little kick in her now.

I enjoy doing these cheap little projects so don't diss me on this one. Maybe when I get a Caspian blue '65 GT convertible I'll have the money to splash around. For now it's pray this works so I can drive it to work tomorrow. I mean, I COULD drive the Escape, but nobody smiles at you in one of those.

Andrew Croft

'65 Caspian blue 6 cylinder coupe, blue interior [07.85 to present]

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'96 Forest green GT coupe, grey interior [04.96 to 04.00]'88 medium blue 5.0LX hatchback, grey interior [93-04.96]'80 white hatchback, red interior [91-93]

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Andrew Croft
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Part of the problem was a thirty dollar carb and another part of the problem is opening the thirty dollar carb and voiding any implied warranty. Other than that, I'll bet that if you had primed the carb or at least turned it over a couple more times, the float bowl (not reservoir) would have been full enough to fire the thing up. Study the carb carefully to determine what is part of the choke system (giving a 'fast' idle) and what is not. Quality rebuilt carbs usually require very little in the way of adjustment.

As for the idle mixture...... we always set what we called "lean - best idle"...... slowly, very slowly, turn the mixture screw out until it either has no more effect or the idle starts to lope.... whichever comes first (if the idle climbs above curb idle spec with the engine warm, re-adjust the idle speed screw to be sure that the transfer slot isn't uncovered). Turn the screw in slowly until the rpm starts to sag a bit..... turn the screw back out slowly to achieve the best idle quality and then re-adjust idle speed. IIRC, that is probably the Carter YA carb or the Holley 1946.... both of these had a penchant for the screws holding the throttle flange to the float bowl to come loose. Removing the air cleaner and grasping the top half of the carburettor and trying to move it in relationship to the throttle flange is part of good preventive maintenance. Waiting for the screws to fall out on their own can get spendy.

This is a six cylinder.... more noise is usually the only thing you get when you "punch" it.

-- Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

Reply to
Jim Warman

Hey Andrew,

Fred here. Your Mustang neighbour in good old TO. ('66 Turquoise)

I cannot offer much to help in the way of carburetors but I can share an experience I had.

I had mine rebuilt last year and I remember them explaining to me what all the dials/screws/thingys on it were. Today I cannot remember squat but I can provide you with the address...Perhaps you can drive there and they can give you an explanation?

Carburetor Rebuilders

90 Eugene St 416-781-8114.
Reply to
F.T.S.

I'm at a loss for words here, Andrew... your freshly rebuilt carb didn't work from the get-go forcing you to open it up and plunge face first into unfamiliar territory and even now it appears to be a source of grief..... Andrew.... after 30+ years as a mechanic, I can assure you that any carburettor that wont have the car running decently out of the box is indeed a piece of crap. I installed an Holley 730 repro carb (actually a 750 IIRC dressed up like the OEM) on my bosses 66 Fairlane 390 about a month ago..... I didn't even have to adjust the mixture screws - this is a good rebuilt. Having to make minor adjustments is a decent rebuilt. Having to remanufacture the thing is crap and shouldn't have to happen.

If the shop that rebuilt the carb is so reputable, why was the carb faulty and why ae you faced with problems?

Anyway, I'm still trying to help you but you refuse to tell me if this is the Carter YA or a Holley 19?? series carb....... at this point you are starting to sound a tad ungrateful and I'm not above spending my spare time elsewhere.....

Most of the "carb" problems I see on older iron have more to do with choke pull offs and rotted out choke stoves. Without knowing what model of carb you have and realizing your unfamiliarity with carbs, I can't offer a definitive solution to your problem - I need some basic information.... you see, I'm not a graphic designer, I'm a mechanic.

-- Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

Reply to
Jim Warman

Hi Jim,

Please don't take me wrong, not ungrateful at all here. The fact I was able to get a rebuilt carb for $30 was a good deal for me. To say it is outright crap is wrong. It is not a source of grief - didn't you read how well the car worked Friday? It's a blast!!

The fact the intake jet thing didn't work is a minor point to a mechanic, really, a risk I took getting a carb shipped to me instead of buying it locally. A pat on the back for being able to change it and for taking the effort to know how my car works instead of throwing it at someone who charges by the nanosecond.

As far as I know it's a basic Ford Autolite 1100. I didn't see that you were asking that in your post. So any help knowing how to adjust the idle speed properlly would be greatly appreciated. I see two adjustable screws at the back of the carb body, one faces up and one faces the driver's side [though it's on the passenger side, you have to have a long screwdriver to reach through to it].

Thanks.

Andrew Croft

'65 Caspian blue 6 cyl> I'm at a loss for words here, Andrew... your freshly rebuilt carb didn't

Reply to
Andrew Croft

Hi Fred,

Thanks for the tip. I have a reliable mechanic, just don't have the time to get it there for a while, which is why I undertook the job myself. The car is running much better and is a blast to drive now.

All the best for the summer... see ya around if you're driving by the neighbourhood again soon.

Andrew Croft

'65 Caspian blue 6 cylinder coupe, blue interior [07.85 to present]

formatting link
'96 Forest green GT coupe, grey interior [04.96 to 04.00]'88 medium blue 5.0LX hatchback, grey interior [93-04.96]'80 white hatchback, red interior [91-93]

Reply to
Andrew Croft

Now there's a carb I had totally forgotten (or at least wish I had..). IIRC, the screw that points upward was for fast idle adjustment only. With the motor warm, position the fast idle cam (the piece that this screw contacts when the throttle is closed) so that the fast idle screw contacts not the fastest step of the fast idle cam, but the next step down...... With the vacuum advance disconnected and blocked off (the carb end), adjust the screw to about 1600 rpm. Blipping the throttle should allow the cam to fall to the choke open position and we can now adjust curb idle using the other screw you mentioned (be sure to reconnect the vac advance for this part). Once we have our desired curb idle, we can adjust the mixture screw by turning it in until the rpm starts to sag..... slowly turn the screw out (it takes a couple of moments for the carb to respond to this adjustment) to achieve the fastest idle.... you will get to a point where the rpm stops climbing. You may have to repeat this to ensure that you don't have the mixture unecessarily rich.

With the idle mixture set to our satisfaction, we may need to readjust the curb idle speed...... repeat the adjustment of the idle mixture. You might have to tweak the curb idle speed one more time and then you should be done.

Please remember that these carbs were a whole lot newer when I worked on them and age can make the memory fuzzy. However, I can assure you that this carb was easy to adjust and the screw that seems to be giving you grief is definitely NOT the curb idle screw.

HTH

-- Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

Reply to
Jim Warman

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