Engine and Transmission Tech

So, my car was seven months in a shop having the auto box rebuilt... should have been about 3 weeks but that's another story.

Came back on a trailer, would hardly start, won't run at idle, misfiring.

Ignition all OK, but the carb has blue crystals and slime, haven't got into the pressure reg and the fuel tank and piping yet.

When the car went in, everything was clean, it ran perfectly. I suspect it was left out over the winter, I know they burned up 7 gallons of E5 playing around, and then I guess they put a couple gallons of E10 in it. No additive, no Stabil. I never use E10.

So now I have to strip the carb, the reg, and clean everything.

What's the best way? Carb cleaner? Don't have compressed air other than a duster.

And the tank... don't want to have to drop it. Drain, squirt carb cleaner in the top?

Any experience?

Ivor

Ps I didn't pay their last bill.

If you are stripping it down, you can't go much wrong in purchasing a can of berrymans to leave the items to soak. This stuff is great. Isn't crazy aggressive that it works in seconds, but put the components in the can and leave it soaking overnight, and they come out looking crazy clean.

[www.berrymanproducts.com]

Thankyou.
I see I can get that over here. It looks good for the carb, clean all those little fuel passages, and if it saves dropping the fuel tank it will be worth the cost.

And I could put the pressure reg in there, and the piping and the fuel pickup.

Ivor

That's very effective stuff. Also extremely stinky, you will want to keep it out in the shed and even then maybe hang it under the eves outside. Nothing that loud could possibly be good for you.

Interestingly enough, the same people make the best tire sealant I've ever found. It really works. (Also it isn't stinky.)

Jim

Could you use “Berrymens” in an ultrasonic cleaner ?

Oh my. You had better smell it before you start thinking about that.
I have an old can of it, when I was using it I would open it just long enough to put the parts in, seal it back up, and put it outside. The stuff is really loud. Haven't opened it back up in many years.

Jim

They must've changed the formula; The one I've got (2 years ago ish) has a bit of a smell, but it doesn't "stick" to you like the solvent i used to use in my parts washer. I could literally lift the lid on my parts wash for 2 seconds, and stunk for the rest of the day.

Even in Ca., I was able to buy " caburetor dip", by the gallon. A better value, if you can get it.
Art.

Pretty effective stuff.

Here's one side of the carb with blocked jets



I stripped the carb and put all the contaminated bits in the cleaner, and poured some into
the body as I didn't want to dip the exterior.



After just 40 mins it came out almost clean



I also poured half a gallon into the fuel tank, left it an hour, then drained it and flushed
with some old petrol.

After reassembly, and replacing the fuel filters and cleaning the pressure reg, it fired up,
ran fast a few seconds and cut out and wouldn't restart.

Then next day having recovered a degree of temper, I tried again. Or rather, I wanted
to check the cranking voltage at the coil so I turned it over, no choke, no fuel as the
pump was switched off, and blow me down it started instantly and idled in a wobbly
fashion, so I switched on the fuel pump and it ran fine. Got it hot, static hot that is,
set the idle with vac gauge.

The really weird thing is that previously it wouldn't run when cold without choke, now
it idles fine with virtually none;
One change I made before startup was to advance the timing a little. It's now at
6 degrees static which is the standard setting. When first unleaded fuel arrived
years ago, the received wisdom was that one had better back off the timing so it was
somewhere around 3 static.
It sounds very crisp now, and the change in cold starting... surely that can't be
down to the change in timing....

Anyway, not complaining.

One other thing I notice, I changed the fuel filters, the primary (plastic) filter that
had been there for many years was full of flakes from the previous rusted tank,
which it had caught very well despite someone (who might have been me) fitting
it the wrong way round.

Ivor



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2023 05:33AM by 88v8.

Nice job, thanks for the photos. Maybe some fuel passages got cleaned out and are now supplying enough fuel for the cold idle.

Got to feel great about those results, Ivor!