only runs when I have the choke held closed

[Guest Anonymous]

Hi all,

tonight I had ma fire up the car while I had a look down into it. I thought I'd try holding the choke closed and it fired up and idled great. It sounded so nice and smooth, it didn't have any coolant in it so I didn't want to run it too long, but I thought maybe I'd let it idle for a couple minutes then back of the choke and see if it would idle. No luck, as soon as I take a finger off the choke for just a second it will die. So is the idle mixture way too lean or what? It will only fire up for a second then die if I don't hold the choke closed. Which way should I turn the idle mixture screw to richen it, and is that the only thing I should adjust? Or is it that even? I wonder why it wouldn't run with the choke open just a tiny creak. Anyway I want to here all your opinions. Thanks

-Joe

[Guest Anonymous]

The way to adjust the idle mixture is turn the screw in until idle starts to drop. Count the number of turn when you turn it back in the oter direction. Idle will rise and again will strat to fall. You would have ben from too lean to too rich. Proper setting is exactly inthe middle. So, divide your number of turn by two, and go back the other direction , again. THis should be your ideal idle mixture. Whe doing idle mixture, the idle speed should be as low as you can for proper tuning.

[Guest Anonymous]

That sounds like a good method. But since I can't (yet) adjust it unless while its running unless I somehow rig the choke to be shut (its water operated and is just stuck open). Now the idle mixture adjusting screw is on the bottom left of the carb, looking at it from passenger side, facing kind of a 45* angle correct? Just tell me cw, ccw, which way richens, which way leans. That way I'll just give it a full turn and try firing it up, if it doesn't work I'll give it another turn, and so on. Then once it will idle I can adjust it from there..

so.. if this doesn't work, what else should I do?

-Joe

[Guest Anonymous]

I'm pretty sure I figured out- ccw richens the mixture. Still, with the choke rigged closed my '02 idles crazily high. I'd say between 3000-5000 rpms (mine's an automatic, no tach)! I turned the both of the idle speed adjustment screws all the way closed and it still idles that high- one on the pass side of the car and the other on the throttle linkage. Plus the more I richen it, the faster it gets. I'm worried I'm going to blow something while i'm tuning it. How long is it safe to run an idling motor at that fast, and what can I do to turn down the idle? Could I loosen the accelerator pump screw or something? See there's a bit of anti freeze on my exhaust and its really burning. I have to let it burn off before I can get in there, but I'm worried about letting it idle at 4000 rpms for 10 minutes. Plus that's a lot of fuel, gas aint cheap these days. The timing is pretty darn good though, it sounds pretty smooth. I need some help with this guys

-Joe

[Guest Anonymous]

I got the car running/idling long enough and controlled the rpm by just jockeying the choke butterfly. Now why the heck wouldn't the idle adjustment screw (bottom left of the carb from passenger side turned all the way unscrewed ccw) make any difference? I unscrewed it all the way and had the same exact problem, it would only idle with the choke completely closed, and at a very very high rpm, at least in the 3500-4000 range. Well, what else can I adjust to richen the mixture? By the way, am I the only one replying to my own posts? I would really appreciate help people, anyone who's tuned a solex 32/32 carb! Thanks

-Joe

[Guest Anonymous]

Joe,

I don't know the 32/32 carb. My 36/40 (on a '67 1600 engine, stock) has two idle adjustments:

first is a screw that adjusts the position of the throttle valve butterfly (basically it determines where the pedal is when at idle) and it is located so as to adjust the rotation of the throttle shaft. That determines the amout of air/fuel that is provided to get an idle. Your's may be too far closed.

Then there is the mixture screw which is a fine adjustment, once you get it to idle at all, and that is the one located near the base of the carb.

The procedure is to open the throttle valve enough to get it to idle at say 800 rpm, then you adjust the mixtute for best idle smoothness and max. rpm. If that occurs at too high an rpm, then you back off the throttle screw a bit, and redo the mixture screw. Keep iterating. Ideally you have it when you can get the best idle and an rpm of 800-900.

Does your carb have a throttle shaft screw?

All these adjustments are done after the engine is warmed up and the choke is full open.

You might have a plugged idle jet, its opening is vary small. Have you removed the idle jet to see is its orifice might not be plugged? The idle jet is also on the side of the carb, near the mixture screw (above and to the left of the mixture screw). You can clean the jet with a very fine wire.

Roland

[Guest Anonymous]

Have you adjusted the water choke bimetallic spring yet? It has to be set with the engine dead cold and you need to have the coolant hoses hooked up to it to turn it off after the coolant reaches operating temperature. It sounds to me like the choke might be all the way open, thus causing the very high idle.

Another idea- is the throttle linkage binding and causing the butterfly to stick open? If so, bend the lock tabs back and loosen the nut that holds the linkage arm to the butterfly spindle. Verify that the butterfly is fully closed with the idle speed adjustment screw backed out. Retighten the nut and make sure that the butterfly closed fully after you open the throttle. Screw the idle speed screw in 3/4 of a turn for a rough beginning adjustment. Screw the idle speed adjustment screw all the way in and then back it out two turns for a beginning adjustment.

Make sure the the fast idle cam in the water choke housing is off when you do these checks on the butterfly.

Let us know what you find.

Mike