Minimor
Well-Known Member
A week & a half ago a neighbor put a carberator kit in our '83 truck. This guy is supposed to be a good mechanic; he's been working as such for most of his life--he doesn't work in a garage, but has been maintaining vehicles ranging from pickup trucks to gravel trucks to gravel crushers, etc. etc. Small engines too...and he does auto repair at home in his spare time.
Truck was idling much too fast--it's normally an easy-to-start truck, it idles fast until it warms up then it cuts right back to a slow idle. After he put the kit in I couldn't even get it to "kick out" of fast idle. I called and asked him to turn the mix down a little bit, I thought it was running a bit too rich. He came & set the choke back & turned the idle down, then it didn't want to start & when it did it wouldn't keep running. So, he turned the choke & idle up, set the mix back...then it was idling too fast again. I was also getting run-on & a backfire every so often--neither of which this truck has ever done before! He tried again and said that was the best he could do...it started a bit hard, but it did start & seemed to run okay. (He then said the battery was nearly dead, get a new one....) This was Monday morning.
Yesterday afternoon I tried to start the truck--it wouldn't go. I turned the mix up just a little (I did watch closely everything he did when he was here adjusting it) & it seemed a little closer to starting, so I pumped the gas pedal a lot & finally got it to start....not ideal though. I called him last night & told him, & he said the battery is likely dead.... I said no, the battery is fine, the truck shouldn't be this hard to start, if the thing would fire, the battery turns it over just fine.
He couldn't/didn't want to come over last night, so this morning I took the air breather off, checked the choke, & here he had it set waaaaay back. I set it back to the recommended position (little marks line it up!), tried it, & she started right up. Didn't want to keep running, so I turned the idle up a little bit, & presto--she starts right up & is purring like a kitten. I put everything back together...if I find she's still idling a bit too fast when warm I'll just turn the idle or mix down a smidgen, but I'd say I've got it about right--closer than he had it anyway.
[SIZE=14pt][/SIZE]
I AM SUCH A MECHANIC!!!
Truck was idling much too fast--it's normally an easy-to-start truck, it idles fast until it warms up then it cuts right back to a slow idle. After he put the kit in I couldn't even get it to "kick out" of fast idle. I called and asked him to turn the mix down a little bit, I thought it was running a bit too rich. He came & set the choke back & turned the idle down, then it didn't want to start & when it did it wouldn't keep running. So, he turned the choke & idle up, set the mix back...then it was idling too fast again. I was also getting run-on & a backfire every so often--neither of which this truck has ever done before! He tried again and said that was the best he could do...it started a bit hard, but it did start & seemed to run okay. (He then said the battery was nearly dead, get a new one....) This was Monday morning.
Yesterday afternoon I tried to start the truck--it wouldn't go. I turned the mix up just a little (I did watch closely everything he did when he was here adjusting it) & it seemed a little closer to starting, so I pumped the gas pedal a lot & finally got it to start....not ideal though. I called him last night & told him, & he said the battery is likely dead.... I said no, the battery is fine, the truck shouldn't be this hard to start, if the thing would fire, the battery turns it over just fine.
[SIZE=14pt][/SIZE]
I AM SUCH A MECHANIC!!!
