First run with Thermoquad

[71 SE3834V]

Cool! Now ya got no excuse to come get your.....learn how to set your timing. And I've got questions on body work. Got nothin to do tomorrow. If I get bored enough I might have to yank the car out of storage and do something to it.

[Dino]

Finally had the time to look at the TQ again.  I set the floats as high as I could, gave the secondary air door a bit more tension and made sure it didn't stick any longer.

It fired right up and settled in a high idle.  Quite a lot of blue smoke coming out the tail pipes though.  I took it around the block and warmed it up.  Pulled over and checked the exhaust, no more blue smoke.  The bog at higher rpm is gone, the car pulled through all gears real nice and I can finally roast the tires again! 

And then it went south.  I was driving it back home when I came to a stop.  I let off the gas and coasted to the stop, but the idle got so low it started to run bad.  When I was almost stopped, the power assist on the brakes went out, 2 seconds later the car died.  I popped it in neutral and turned the key but nothing.  I floored it and tried again and it reluctantly fired up, but ran rough.  Pulled over again, tried to set the idle but every time I gave it some gas it would settle in a different rpm.  Back on the way home, car ran like a champ but as soon as I let off the gas the idle would get freakishly low and power brakes would go out again.  Once more it stalled so I pulled off the road.  I cranked and cranked and finally after flooring it it fired up again.  Rough idle but once past 1000 - 1200 rpm t runs like a dream.

I have to do more adjustments obviously and I need to reset the linkage again.

Does anyone have an idea why is it doing this?  Too rich or too lean at idle?  Floats too high maybe?

At least I got that bog out!

[cdr]

sounds like the floats are to high,or needles & seats are not sealing.

[Dino]

sounds like the floats are to high,or needles & seats are not sealing.

Needles and seats seat nicely and metering rod is tweaked.  The floats however must be too high.  It would certainly explain the rough starting and rough idle, not sure about the smoke though.  I'll reset the floats today and give it another shot.

[cdr]

sounds like the floats are to high,or needles & seats are not sealing.

Needles and seats seat nicely and metering rod is tweaked.  The floats however must be too high.  It would certainly explain the rough starting and rough idle, not sure about the smoke though.  I'll reset the floats today and give it another shot.

if it is running VERY rich from a float issue it will smoke.

[Dino]

Raised the floats a tad, set the kickdown linkage and she runs real sweet with no bogs anywhere and very nice power.  The tires spin happily once more!   

Vacuum got a bit closer to 16 at idle, no smoke, no fuel smell, nothing.  Only when I really punch it can I smell some gas, but that doesn't seem out of the ordinary either.  Timing has been set and everything seems great but now it'll detonate when you first fire up the car.  Need I retard it a bit?

I have vacuum advance disconnected.  Tried full vacuum for giggles and idled a bit weird, like a staccato.  I'll try ported on my way home from work, not sure if it'll do anything.  Strangely enough, my idle goes up with full manifold vacuum so you'd think that's good!  Also my vacuum reading went from 15 to almost 16 when I turned the idle set screws out to 3 turns, up from 2.  That gave me a bit more of a fuel small at the exhaust but not by much.

After this week I'll be in CA for 2 so I hope all goes well driving it this week.  When I return I can do the work I've been wanting to do and I can do it knowing the car will run fine when I'm done.   

[flyinlow]

Good news   :

Well Grasshopper, if you have mastered the Thermoquad, you are a true Doctor of Carburation .

[Dino]

Good news   :

Well Grasshopper, if you have mastered the Thermoquad, you are a true Doctor of Carburation .

I wouldn''t go that far Master Po but thanks!   

Although nowhere near as bad as with the eddy, I have more of a fuel smell than I had before with the TQ so either the floats need to be dropped a tad more, or I have it running too rich at idle.  I suspect the latter as it runs a bit too nice at cold start.  I do have to feather it but not for long and not nearly as long as with the first try so that's telling me it's too rich.  No smoke though.  I may turn the idle screws back in, lose a tad of vacuum and see what it does.  Still running with vacuum advance blocked and it does run very nice, no complaints.  No bogs, no stumble, no hesitation.  Runs and feels like a modern car + the aroma of the old.   

[Dino]

A little update:

I drove home from work with ported vacuum advance and promptly pulled into the first parking lot to cap it, the car has always run with vacuum advance but the idle just doesn't sound right this time.  Seems to run just fine when capped so that's how it's gonna be!

I turned the idle mixture screws from 3 out to 2 3/4 while it was warming up and 5 minutes later there was very little fuel smell, I had to get real close to the tailpipe.  I may turn it in a bit more though as it still runs too easy when cold.  I don't think it's supposed to run this well without the choke. 

Still smelling fuel and exhaust under moderate and hard acceleration but nowhere near what it once was.  When I used to back up into the garage, the place would smell like fuel and exhaust for quite a while, I have to leave doors and window open to air it out.  This time when I pull in I can barely smell anything but come back a little later and fuel smell galore!  Are the floats still too high maybe?    
Any other reason why it might be venting fuel after shutting it off?