Rich at idle and noisy rear axle

[Dino]

Thought I'd combine the two.

I'll start with the axle.  Ever since I installed the 2.96 gears it has a whine around the 30 mph mark which is only there when you're pushing the gas pedal.  As soon as you let go it stops.  I understand this is due to the preload on the axle.

The noise is nothing more than a nuisance, it's way down on the list to fix as it's really not that bad.  Since a few days it started making noise when I'm braking and am almost to a stop.  It just sounds like your trans would if you brake on the engine.  Again it's not that loud, it doesn't sound bad or anything but it was never there before now.  Am I safe to assume the preload setting somehow got worse, even though the little clip is on one of the axle bolts?  Should I just try to redo the preload setting?

For the carb, it's an eddy 1407 and it's way rich at idle.  It'll burn your eyes if you stand near it.  I also get fuel smell in the car, especially if I step on the gas in a sporty fashion.  Since I also have a leaky driver's side header this may be part of the problem, I'm not sure.

I know I should be able to adjust the idle mixture with the two screws on the front of the carb but I have no clue how much to turn them.  Is there a standard amount of turns to start at?  Am I turning them clockwise one by one until it starts to stumble?  How does this work?

[Chryco Psycho]

the gears have a load side & a coast side , under load one side of the tooth is meshing with the driveshaft putting pressure on the gear set  , this is not set up right causing the whine , the coast side is the opposite side of the tooth where the axles are putting pressure on the gears . so the gear mesh is wrong causing the whine , if it is left like this for long resetting the gears will not stop the whine you will need new gears .
DO you know how many inches of vacuum the engine has at idle in gear ?
Start with the mixture screws out 2 turns from the bottom , turn them counterclockwise a bit to see if the idle speed increases if it does keep turning them out until the rpm quits rising , if they do not increase idle speed turn them clockwise equally until the rpm starts to drop , basically you want to leave them where the rpm is highest without turning them out any extra . Loosen the covers over the metering rods & make sure they stay down at idle in gear  , if they do not the springs under the metering rods need to be changed to a lighter spring so they will stay down .

[Dino]

I better get cracking on that axle then!  It was only $50 for the whole pig but I love the ratio to cruise so I really don't want to mmess them up.  My 3.55 gears were dead quiet so those may go back in when I have taller wheels and some sort of od.

I know nothing about vacuum whatsoever except that enough of it will clean the carpet!   

I'm going out this weekend to buy a vacuum gauge and will do some research on how to use it.  I'm clueless.

Chryco thanks again for your clear explanations, I will be playing with those screws this weekend and will let you know how it goes.  As long as I'm running this carb I at least want the wife and me to stop going blind because of the fuel being dumped out the back.

[Chryco Psycho]

you can swing the metering rod covers open a little & watch the rods without a vacuum gauge

[bakerhillpins]

the gears have a load side & a coast side , under load one side of the tooth is meshing with the driveshaft putting pressure on the gear set  , this is not set up right causing the whine , the coast side is the opposite side of the tooth where the axles are putting pressure on the gears . so the gear mesh is wrong causing the whine , if it is left like this for long resetting the gears will not stop the whine you will need new gears .

So besides the fact that the annoying whine will never go away it's otherwise harmless to leave it that way?

Mine rear whines and did when I bought it. According to the receipt that came with the car it has whined quite some time and I don't want to start taking it out on long trips (say 7hrs to Carlisle) if I am going to end up being stranded.

[Chryco Psycho]

Maybe , if it whines it is telling you it is wrong & not happy
Will it wear out - yes over time , will it break & leave you stranded no not typically unless the whine is very bad , how much is very bad ..... about this much !! hard to demonstrate !!

[bakerhillpins]

Maybe , if it whines it is telling you it is wrong & not happy

Yes, I realize that. There are several things wrong with this car. Some of them can be dealt with at a later time. Lets just say that for the sake of friendly banter we are trying to prioritize this problem. 

Will it wear out - yes over time , will it break & leave you stranded no not typically unless the whine is very bad , how much is very bad ..... about this much !! hard to demonstrate !!

It whines under decel (no throttle), whines under accel until say 2nd gear. (Auto) It whines the loudest under decel at slow speeds.  It's probably junk..   I realize that it's difficult without being right there.

[Chryco Psycho]

Whine under decel is not a big deal , there is almost no load under decel , if it whines under load it is worse

[bakerhillpins]

Thanks. 

I am trying to find a swap in pumpkin local. Might just buy new gears and see if I can fit it in to the rest of the heap of stuff that needs handled.

[Dino]

It's weird but it seems the noise on mine has gone down in the last few days.  I still have some whine under load in the 30-40 mph range and a little bit under decel coming to a stop but nothing major.  I hope it's not the quiet before the storm!