PLEASE HELP WITH THIS CARB!!

[ajay716]

this thing always frickin says i already submitted the post...hey guys, its snowing here and i have my 73 charger in a sealed portable garage outside. it has the 400 engine with the 2 barrel carb. it was starting and running(after alot of pumps) but it would bog out if i gave it gas too much or too quickly. I ended up spraying some carb cleaner in the float vent bowl just to see if that would clear it up a bit and it did. It made it much much better but not completely, it would bog once every minute or so as apposed to bogging whenever i got on it. i then started playing with the idle screws. i got it down to a nice low idle(no tach). one day i started it and let it warm up while i was doing something and the car started to idle real high, and idk i tried to adjust the idle screws but they werent doing enough to it. so i ended up parking the car because it was cold and left it. now when i went back to start it up, it wouldnt start. im not sure if it was below freezing from the 20-30 range that made it not start or what, but i pumped it many many times. i stopped because i didnt want the battery to die. so i took a look under the hood, and i notice that when i pull the throttle the whole plate doesnt open up, it only opens up a crack. It looks like the thing that hits the fast idle cam doesnt hit it untill the latter part of the stroke of you pushing the throttle? take a look at these pics and tell me if everything looks right, and if anyone has an engine with a similar or same carb could you take pics of the fast idle cam/throttle linkage with no throttle and full? id really apreaciate it guys i just need to know if this is right(i mean i dont think so cause at full throttle the plates only open a crack lol) or what needs to be fixed and what can i do to fix it, and pics please also. the pictures i have now are in order, the first 2 are just the whole carb, the third is the throttle closed close up and the last is the throttle held all the way open and in that one you can see the plate is only open a crack. please let me know so i can get this thing running again! thanks guys...   

aj

[1974dodgecharger]

nozzle adjustment?  I know on my holley I can adjust the nozzles if I bog upon acceleration it means its not getting enough squirt of gas.  Here in AZ its cold now so I upped my nozzle spray and in summer I put a smaller on in.

[thrillbilly]

The top "flap" is your choke.  I don't think it will do anything when you push on the accelerator pedal.  It won't open up until the engine is warmed up.  Sounds like the choke isn't opening up, that's why it bogs.  Sorry I can't help with the fast idle adjustments though. 

[Pete in NH]

Ajay,

The first thing I would suggest is to get a factory service manual for your car, if you don't already have one. It will be invaluable as you work on your car. To get the carb. set up correctly you will need to follow the adjustment instructions for your model of carb.

It a little hard to tell from the pictures but, to my eyes it looks like the throat of the carb. is black and varnished up. If that's true, a rebuilding may be in order. If it is all varnished up, that may be the reason some cleaner helped it out a bit. A rebuild kit will give you a new accelerator pump also, and that may be the cause of the bogging down when you open the throttle. A rebuild kit and a gallon of lacquer thinner or good carb. cleaner is all you need to rebuild that carb. If the carb. is all varnished up, internal passages will also be dirty and you'll never get it running right.

To start the car when cold press the gas pedal to the floor and release it. That should set the choke plate to a closed position. The engine should then start when you turn the key and crank it. It should go to a high/fast idle.
As the engine warms up the cHoke plate should gradually open and if you step on the gas again the fast idle should release and settle to a normal idle. The small vacuum diaphragm unit in the upper right of the first picture is a choke pull off unit, they do go bad with age and may need to be replaced.

You mentioned pumping it over and over, you may have flooded it with too much gas and you should never have to pump it repeatedly to get it to start if the thing is set up correctly.

[ajay716]

okay guys so i tried starting it when it was about 45 out and it started on the first try real quick so thats good, i let it get warm and adjusted the idle accordingly. and now she runs pretty good but bogs on low throttle, could be dirty carb or needs some new ignition components, but as she warmed up the choke plate opened up, idk what i was thinking thinking it was the throttle but it opened right up so thats good. thanks everyone for your help now i just have to get a tune up.

[70redbee]

Save the tune-up until after you get the carb fixed. By the sound of things, the first thing you need to do is rebuild the carb. Your carb looks to be varnished up, so a very good cleaning and rebuild is in order. After doing so, make sure the choke is adjusted properly along with all the linkages and set your idle screws and air fuel mixture screws. See how she runs with the carb rebuild then do your tune-up with new plugs, wires, dist. cap, rotor button and check your coil and battery for proper operation. Take it one step at a time and see how she does. Good Luck and maybe someone else will have more or better advise.

[myk]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but tapping the gas should over-ride the choke flap and open it up; that's how it is on my 'Carter/Edelbrock...

[ajay716]

where is the fuel mixture screw? thanks for the advice i will try to clean the carb before i start to throw parts in it lol. but i already adjusted the idle ones what does the fuel mixture do as far as idling and running go

[Cooter]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but tapping the gas should over-ride the choke flap and open it up; that's how it is on my 'Carter/Edelbrock...

It will a little , but not all the way. If that were tg e case, you wouldn't even need the choke if it got over ridden with throttle.

[Cooter]

where is the fuel mixture screw? thanks for the advice i will try to clean the carb before i start to throw parts in it lol. but i already adjusted the idle ones what does the fuel mixture do as far as idling and running go

You say hesitates at low rpm....does it sound like a hiss? Kinda falls with no pick up?
Then, if pumped throttle really fast, does it try and come around???

[ajay716]

like if i get on it really fast it might bog and backfire, but if i ease into it she revs right up, and it only bogs like 1/3 of the time it used to do it every time.

[Pete in NH]

Ajay,

There is no main air/fuel mixture adjustment, that is set by the carburetor jetting internally. You only have a fuel/air mixture adjust for the idle circuit. There are two idle mixture adjusting screws, you can see one of them in the lower left corner of your first picture. There is another on the opposite side, they are both at the carb. base. With a tachometer connected you adjust both of them for a peak RPM reading at idle, then readjust your idle speed.

You really should find a factory service manual and do a little reading on how carburetors work. This is getting to be old technology these days and its getting harder to find mechanics who understand it. Again, I think you're going to have problems getting this thing set up correctly until it gets cleaned up and rebuilt. I still think your bogging issue is a bad accelerator pump. I'm sure with a little on line research you can find a basic primer on carburetor operation, adjustment and theory. One of the joys of owning a 40 year old car is learning how to deal with these old systems

[Cooter]

like if i get on it really fast it might bog and backfire, but if i ease into it she revs right up, and it only bogs like 1/3 of the time it used to do it every time.

Time for rebuild.....needs accelerator pump....watch and make sure you get a kit with neuroprene? Pump for use with ethanol.
That'll be $100.00 thank you very much....see signature.lol

[ajay716]

haha alright i will look into the rebuild kits...but i was going to just get a new edlebrock carb performer 650...maybe ill just get the rebuild kit for now and save up for that expensive carb lol and yeah cooter sharing is caring 

[Pete in NH]

Ajay,

That Edelbrock 650 is going to need a new intake manifold and throttle linkage setup so it's going to be more of a project than rebuilding your 2 BBL Holley. I think your Holley is a 2210 and if you do an internet search on rebuilding a 2210 You'll see some very detailed information on one of the International truck forums. Lots of photos and step by step guidance.

[ajay716]

oh yeah im also going to be ordering the performer intake and some headman headers....lol and im looking for a set of closed chamber 915 heads to boost up the compression a tad....i think i will rebuild the carb for now but what does that sound like for future plans? it already has a single magnaflow exhaust on it....?