Dumb-ass carburettor Q?

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

A brand new like for like 1406 performer is just under £400 direct from Edelbrock Europe. So not cheap!

The refurb sets I’ve ordered come to just under £130 so well worth doing this I think.

 

As Junkman said, the kits are basic gasket sets or a comprehensive refurb kit containing all gaskets, springs, needles and seats etc etc.

I’ve bought the comprehensive kit regardless as it contains the (imho) essential needles and seats. I’ve also ordered with it the pair of new floats with hinges (come separate from kits) and a ‘tuning kit’ containing various other bits and new jets.

My reasoning is that if I strip the whole lot down, clean it, and reassemble with everything new then it should cure the problem.

Last time it was only cleaned out and checked. It’s done it again now so clearly there’s still shit inside somewhere or the floats are fucked or the needles/seats are fucked. I’m spectacularly short of patience for shit like this so don’t fuck around anymore and just replace it all I think is the better option.

 

 

Extra £270 and it's brand new and works. No rebuilds, no fuck ups, no finding that the carb body is distorted which his why big 4 barrels play up.

 

I know what I'd do, and it involves taking a deep breath first. 

[danthecapriman]

Extra £270 and it's brand new and works. No rebuilds, no fuck ups, no finding that the carb body is distorted which his why big 4 barrels play up.

 

I know what I'd do, and it involves taking a deep breath first.

 

I know what your saying! I did think about doing just that but £400 is a bit of a lump! Especially now as I’ve got other things to pay for Capri related!!

 

Thing is, this problem has got to be the carb at fault. It can’t be anything else really.

So if this doesn’t do the trick (I’m sure it will?) then I will just stick a whole new carb on it instead. Only option left after that too.

I was looking at a carburettor replacement for a basic fuel injection kit. It literally replaces the carb and the electrics can be put elsewhere in the bay but your looking at significantly more money for that sort of stuff (starting at $1500) and I’m not sure how good these aftermarket injection kits actually are. It’d certainly eliminate the problem assuming it worked as intended though.

[Junkman]

Extra £270 and it's brand new and works. No rebuilds, no fuck ups, no finding that the carb body is distorted which his why big 4 barrels play up.

 

I know what I'd do, and it involves taking a deep breath first. 

 

Whether it works or not has yet to be determined. Those aftermarket carbs are by no means plug and play.

And frankly, I'd steer clear of Edelschrott whenever I can.

 

If replacement is considered - and I always considered it only after a proper rebuild didn't yield the expected results,

I'd suggest this:

 

https://unitedcarb.com/products/ford-motorcraft-d5ae-ra-model-4350-carburetor

[danthecapriman]

It’s a shame this car didn’t come with the original carb, fucked or otherwise. At least then I’d have had the core unit, and could rebuild that.

 

I’m pretty sure tbh this edelbrock carb on it now was a random spare they shoved on to get it running. It was incomplete when I first got it and they’d even bolted it on minus the spacer plate and they’d used completely the wrong gasket to fit it with.

No point worrying and complaining now of course as it’s too late! Just have to try and work with what I do have.

If this edelbrock is a used spare carb it’d explain the missing parts and possibly if the needles or seats are worn or damaged as I’ve barely used it really.

[jonny69]

Extra £270 and it's brand new and works. No rebuilds, no fuck ups, no finding that the carb body is distorted which his why big 4 barrels play up.

 

I know what I'd do, and it involves taking a deep breath first. 

 

This is not the Autoshite way. Don't spoil things

 

I'm quite confident with carbs, however. The old fashioned way is: 

1) take the the floats out and check them for any leaks. They'll be full of fuel if there's a leak. Brass ones can be fixed with a soldering iron, plastic ones probably just have to be replaced;

2) check the float height is correct. There's usually just a little tab you bend with pliers to adjust it and the correct height will be in a manual somewhere or online;

3) get your lips round the fuel inlet, blow hard and check the needle valve shuts it off when you close it.

[Talbot]

It’s a shame this car didn’t come with the original carb, fucked or otherwise. At least then I’d have had the core unit, and could rebuild that.

Can you get a second-hand good-used carb of US ebay or similar? A carb would parcel-post across from the US for not too much cash, and you could then have a spare, or indeed the correct one..

[danthecapriman]

Can you get a second-hand good-used carb of US ebay or similar? A carb would parcel-post across from the US for not too much cash, and you could then have a spare, or indeed the correct one..

This is the correct factory fit carb I believe https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/mercury,1973,marquis,7.0l+429cid+v8,1200294,fuel+&+air,carburetor,5904

 

Not exactly expensive, and it’s a fully rebuilt original item.

Only slight issue, is my current carb has had a few bits and bobs removed or altered on the engine etc to run the new replacement Edelbrock carb so the original carb would need these things putting back again. Which I’m loath to do tbh! It’s not particularly difficult to do, I just don’t want to do it really! (Yes there are secret reasons...!)

Of course if this carb recon kit doesn’t work as I’m hoping I might have to do that. Pointless if it doesn’t actually work and all that.

The bits should arrive tomorrow for this anyway. I won’t have time to actually fit them or do anything until the weekend, or maybe the following weekend.

[danthecapriman]

Oh, and annoyingly the thing seems to be running ok and starting well all the time now! The bastard!

 

There’s clearly something in the carb causing this though so it’s getting done regardless.

I think heat seems to be playing a big part in this. Once it’s cool or cooler it seems fine. Running and driving the engine until hot, coupled with hot weather like the other day seems to bring the problem on. It only played up after being driven to the meet up and sitting in the hot sun all day. Maybe there’s some gunge in there which gets sticky when it gets hot?

[nigel bickle]

Might you also need a new coil?

[danthecapriman]

Might you also need a new coil?

Coil is relatively new. Though it does sit in a stupid place right on top of the engine!

I was going to get a longer HT lead so I could fix a new bracket to the inner wing somewhere cooler but never have...

[nigel bickle]

Similar symptoms though; got a spare you could swop over, temporarily - just to check, like?

 

One from a Capri, for example?

[danthecapriman]

Similar symptoms though; got a spare you could swop over, temporarily - just to check, like?

One from a Capri, for example?

Should have. I’ve got a new unused Capri one and a used Mercury one, and probably another from something else somewhere. I’ll have a look.

I’m surprised they put it where they did on this engine though, must be one of the hottest places you could find! Not what a coil wants really.

[PhilA]

Could very easily have just been a small particle of crap making one of the floats not close fully.

 

Idleberk carbs aren't bad but it's likely they just doing a random spare that was either on a car or on a dusty shelf somewhere. They seem to crop up all over as they are the cheap-n-cheerful go-to in a "need a carb in a hurry" situation. Full rebuild should help for sure, timing light and gas analyzer would see the correct jetting further down the road also. These engines will run with the most awful setup imaginable but can be set up quite well too.

 

Phil

[danthecapriman]

Carburettor is now rebuilt!

The filter was spotless, the float bowls were spotless. There was nothing visible or obvious floating around inside or gumming up the needles/seats. Floats seemed ok, though one was set different to the other!

I’ve driven it around and it seems fine, starts well and easily from cold and hot. I’ve run it up the motorway and, again, it’s faultless. It is different now to how it was before, it seems smoother running and doesn’t smell ‘petrol-ey’ either.

The only wear I could find on things was a faint wear line around the needle valves where they close to seal. It wasn’t particularly excessive though imho, you can just about feel the line if you run your finger nail over it. Everything was obviously old and had been sitting in petrol though. The floats had a tide mark around them but nothing seemed particularly dirty or anything.

 

Only conclusion I can come to is that there was something somewhere in there making something stick now and again or occasionally something like the needles werent working as they should letting excess fuel through.

Or

The problem is/was something else...

 

So far it’s been fine though. So I’ll drive it around a bit more and see what, if anything, happens.

 

One thing I am considering doing though is getting a couple of sections of that heat proof foil tubing stuff and rigging it up to collect cold air from the front of the car, grill or under the front bumper, then aiming the other end onto the fuel pump, fuel pipes and onto the top of the engine where the carburettor is to try and force cool air onto these parts which might help stop any fuel vaporisation.

It might not be an issue with this car but it occurred to me the other day it could be a possibility?

It did seem to be more of a problem when things were hot though, particularly after the car had been used then sat in the sun. Then the problem started.

Could it have been the heat of the engine and hot weather caused the fuel to start evaporating causing vapour locks?

Another idea was to use foil heat reflective tape to wrap the fuel pipes in the engine bay?

 

Either way the carb is now as good as new.

[nigel bickle]

Put a spare coil in the boot.....

[danthecapriman]

Put a spare coil in the boot.....

Done!

[danthecapriman]

And yes, before you ask, doing this today has indeed required me to use this car in the rain! Now the bottom of my car is WET!!

It did make me do a massive burn out pulling away at a wet greasy roundabout though. Seemed entertaining to everyone nearby at least!

[danthecapriman]

If you can feel the wear on a float needle it is fucked.

 

Ben

You could see a clean ring around it where it’d been wearing and dragging a fingernail across it you could feel your nail catch on the wear ring as it passed over it.

I’ve had one before on another car with an actual flat worn step on it!

[danthecapriman]

Check post two of this thread.

 

You could have saved a few bob if you had followed tommytwo's advice.

 

Ben

If the needles were fucked, as they turned out to be I’d still need new ones which I bought. I just spent extra getting new gaskets and other bits aswell. No point doing a half arsed job.

Fortunately I didn’t lose my temper with it and buy a whole new carb for £400.

 

I’m still to be fully convinced this problem has been sorted however...

Trust in this car is at a record low at the moment! It’s fantastic to drive on the rare occasion it’s actually drivable. Sadly that’s not often.

Funnily enough today the drivers seat belt fucked up. It’s now jammed half retracted and useless. One thing done and now yet another problem to fix. And to add insult to injury it’d be illegal to drive without that particular seat belt! So it’s still not drivable!

[danthecapriman]

https://www.nissan.co.uk/vehicles/new-vehicles/qashqai.html

 

Ben

Hahaha!

 

I’d rather not have a car! In fact I think I’d rather have a terminal illness!

[danthecapriman]

Stop whinging about the lovely thing you have then!

 

Ben

I’m good at whinging! It’s what I do.

 

Seriously though, I think I’ve fucked up in general really. Taking too many things on at once.

 

Mercury - needs TLC

Transit - been spending every weekend for months converting it to camper (it’s been a right ball ache!)

Capri - full on resto.

 

Not the best idea really in hindsight! I could do with the Mercury not being a pain in the arse for a while ideally given how much it’s had over the last few years.