ECONOMECHANIX
4404 NW 13th Street #25, Gainesville, Florida 32609
(352) 376-5624 / Fax (352) 376-5624

Here's some questions I've answered about vehicle fuel systems. Maybe they can help you sort out your problem! If not, feel free to contact me!.

George

I sure need your help if you could. I need the choke emisions control setting and idle setting for ford ltd carb 7200 vented venturi. Its a 1986 ford ltd
Thank you i sure hope you can help
Terry Davis

Quoth Chilton:

FAST IDLE SPEED ADJUSTMENT

1. With engine warm and idling, place fast idle cam on 2nd step. Disconnect and plug EGR vac. line.

2. make sure the high sped cam positioner lever is disengaged.

3. Turn fast idle screw to adjust to fast idle indicated on hood decal (prob. about 2000 rpm)

FAST IDLE CAM ADJUSTMENT

Install Ford special tool T77L-9848-A . It's called a stator cap: it installs in place of the choke housing. You must drill out the rivets. Top 2 from outside, the bottom must be driven out from the rear.

Place the fast idle lever in the corner of the second step (the highest step is #1) with the high speed cam positioner retracted.

Turn the stator cap clockwise until the lever contacts the fast idle adjusting screw
Turn the fast idle cam adjusting screw until the index mark on the cap lines up with the center index mark on the choke casting
Reinstall the choke cover.
COLD ENRICHMENT METERING ROD ADJUSTMENT
Install special tool stator cap.
Attach a weight to the choke coil mechanism to seat the cold enrichment rod
Install a dial indicator with the tip on the enrichment rod. Raise and release the weight to verify zero on the dial indicator
With the stator cap at the index position, indicator should read .360 . Turn adjusting nut to correct.
Replace and re-rivet the choke cover: set on center index.
NOTE: I've looked up the specs on your your car and inserted them in the above instructions. If your hood decal differs, go by the decal specs rather than the ones I gave you.
Have fun! the variable venturi carb is one of Ford's more infamous "better ideas" ! Thank God they finally went to EFI on everything!

George

I OWN A 1882 CHRYSTLER LeBARON (4 CYLINDER, 2.6 LITER), WITH NEVER ENDING CARBURATOR PROBLEMS. SEVERAL DIFFERENT MACHANICS FURNISHED ME WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT OPTIONS. ONE THING THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON IS THAT THERE DRAINING MY BANK ACCOUNT. TO DATE I'VE REPLACED THE CHOKE, HAD IT ADJUSTED MANY TIMES. ANYTHING SHORT OF REPLACING IT, WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS. CARBURATOR BRAND IS A MIKUNY. PLEASE RESPOND. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

Athough the Mikuni 2 barrel is an unusual carburator, it is rebuildable. Most people "lock up" when they see the nonstandard choke setup: it's different from any other I've seen. Basically, it uses engine coolant through 2 hoses to heat a paraffin pellet which pushes against a piston. This piston opposes a rather strong spring, which opens and closes the choke via a gear system.

Trouble modes:

Piston can freeze, linkage can be bent/maladjusted
Coolant hoses can clog, keeping the paraffin pellet from being heated.
what are the symptoms? the only thing choke can do is make it run bad cold but good when hot (stuck/maladjusted open), or make it run really rich and smoke black wiht a high idle (stuck/maladjusted closed).

George

.I have a weber carb on an 87 Montero. The electric choke thermostat has gone bad. Weber says the part number is 57804-333 but nobody in our town has one and no one seems interested in looking very hard for one. Do you have or do you know where I might get this part? Thanks very much.

I can get anything Weber makes, usually overnight. The last one I they ordered was in Oct. 1995 and at that time it cost $32.

George

I HAVE TWO FORD TRUCKS AND A JEEP AND A 1968 MUSTANG. I HAVE A STRANGE PROBLEM WITH ONE OF MY TRUCKS. IT'S A 1987 F150 300 CU. 6 CYLINDER. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL MECHANICS WORK ON IT BUT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPAIR IT. THE PROBLEM IS WHEN I TRY TO START IT SOMETIMES IT JUST SITS THERE AND TURNS OVER BUT WILL NOT START. I HAVE REPLACED THE FIRE MODGULE UNDER THE DISTRIBUTER AND THE RELAY THAT CONTROLS THE CURRENT TO TH FUEL PUMPS. IT HAS TWO TANKS. IT IS A SOMETIME THING WHEN THIS HAPPENS IT IS FORMING A PATTERN OF NOT STARTING WHEN IT HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR ABOUT 25 MILES AND LET SIT FOR 8 OR 12 OR MORE HOURS, THEN IT WILL NOT START. BUT LET IT SIT UNTILL NEXT DAY AFTER YOU HAVE TRIED IT AND BINGO IT STARTS. I COULD NOT HEAR THE FUEL PUMPS KICK IN WHEN THIS HAPPENS. THIS TELLS ME IT'S NOT HEAT RELATED. IT HAS 175000 MILES AND DOES NOT USE ANY OIL. I BOUGHT IT NEW. I SURE DO LOVE THIS OLD TRUCK. BUT HE HAS LEFT ME STRANDED AT WORK 3 TIMES NOW OVER A 3 MOUNTH PERIOD. IF YOU COULD GIVE ME ANY IDEAS I WILL REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR KNOWLEDGE.

might be something in the tank switch. It switches the lines via a solenoid valve, also the gage and the pump. There may be an inertia switch: these can do intermittants on Ford stuff of that year also.

George

George www.econofix.com Just a note to say that you were exactly right! Thanks....

I have 1974 Ford Truck with a 361 cu. in. engine. The carb. is a 4 barrel . I went to change the gas filter in the carb. and I used two wrenches to take it out , one for a back up the other to loosen the fitting. When I put it back in (finger tight) I noticed someone must have partially stripped it out. There is threads inside the carb. but not enough for the fitting to grab. Is there a longer fitting I can use so I don't have to replace the carb. What advice do have. Is there an economical way to fix this problem? thanks, I hope you can help.

Check with NAPA: they have some carb bowl fix devices. Could also JB weld a brass fitting then put on an inline filter.

As to plug: use some penetrating oil, then just go for it. Work it back and forth. Clean up the head threads with a rethreader. Put a drop of oil on the plugs from now on: off the dipstick works fine.

George

How can I adjust the carburator on my 1978 Chevrolet Caprice?

Unless you have a 4 gas analyzer, do it like this:
Turn in screw until engine starts to miss
Back out 1/4 to 1/2 turn
Repeat for other barrel

I am trying to find information about adjustments (fuel,air,float,etc) for a >Weber 38mm carburator. Can you help........

Float level comes with the carb kit. When unavailable, make it sit level with it inverted. Fuel air: turn screw in until idle messes up. Turn out 1/4 to 1/2 turn, or until it idles well. Should take no more than 1 turn. Base adjustment: screw all the way in, back out 2 turns.

George

i need directions on replacing my fuel pump for my 1989 chevy s-10, 2.5L-4cyl, 2 wheel drive, standard tran and cab, 12 gallon tank. thank you.

If fuel injected: (which I believe it is)
Raise and support vehicle
Drop fuel tank
spin off retainer ring (hammer and screwdriver works)
replace pump

George

>Hello, could you please tell me what cfm stands for? Thanks for your >help.

That's Cubic Feet per Minute. It's the volume of air capable of being sucked through the carb. Too big a carb (big cfm) will stall a engine at idle if you floorboard it!

George



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Gainesville has been my home since 1974, and I've loved Gvl and the Gators since I came to Gainesville in the fall of 1974 to attend the University of Florida. I loved it so much I stayed and opened my car repair business. Originally it was out of the back of a 1963 Chevrolet wagon, but in 1977 a fellow mechanic and I opened an auto repair shop with actual walls, etc. Fixing cars for over 20 years now from the same address (just more auto repair bays now than then) , we'd love to be your mechanic shop! George G. Scott, Jr.