Technical Carburettor cleaning, what next.

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Technical Carburettor cleaning, what next.

Your engine sounds fine in the short video, except tickover speed is a bit low especially with the choke in operation. Maybe try raising idle speed a little?

If your engine was running too rich, it would probably start in cold weather without choke and in fact would likely sound stifled if you used the choke with a tendency to cut out and be difficult to restart, possible having wet the spark plugs with fuel.

If this happens, referred to as 'flooding the engine', don't use any choke, press and hold the accelerator pedal to the floor, and turn the engine over until it starts. Don't pump the pedal. Holding the pedal down, reduces the depression (vacuum) in the carb, limiting the amount of fuel being drawn in, so that the engine can start on the excess fuel already in the engine. Alternatively, if you leave it 15-20 mins the engine may start as excess fuel evaporates and plugs dry out or else remove and dry the plug tips and the car should start normally.

When an engine is running rich, it has a rythmical throbby/lumpy sound and doesn't sound 'happy'.

If very rich it will puff black smoke out the exhaust. It will also sound lumpy, smell bad and will tend to spit moisture onto your hand if you place it behind the exhaust pipe.

Be careful about 'reading' spark plug colour. If an engine is subjected to a number of cold starts using the choke and not given a decent run, the spark plugs may look 'sooty', then be interpreted as an engine that has a problem i.e. 'running rich', and result in the owner chasing after a non-existent problem with the accompanying risk of upsetting or damaging something.

This is why I deliberately didn't mention shaking the carb. float, the possibility of a pinhole in the float or adjusting the float level - I've seen too many floats damaged/dropped/accidentally squashed (I did say they were delicate), or their lever arm (controlling maximum and minimum travel) messed up/twisted/distorted by someone 'adjusting the float level'. Sometimes this is also followed by this question- "I tried to remove the float, the hinge pin wouldn't move, so I drove it out and then this bit of casting just fell away (i.e. broke off). Can I 'glue' it back on?

By all means check the float condition and level as others have suggested if you're sure you have a problem. If it's just a pinhole, dry out the fuel inside by leaving the float somewhere warm, then seal the hole with a tiny dab of epoxy resin or similar. I'd advise against solder, it's a bit tricky and can go wrong.

If your engine cuts out, be careful not to confuse a possible ignition problem with a carb./fuel problem - If it cuts out suddenly, think ignition - if it stumbles/runs roughly then cuts out, think carb/fuel.

If it was my car I'd take it for a several mile drive and then see how it runs and idles. Don't expect perfection with a classic car... :)

AL.
 
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but it is quite possible for the carb enrichment to not be fully returned by the lever inside the car. The carb lever should move through approx 90 degrees.

This is the position of the carb enrichment with cabin choke leaver full down. I have manually moved the enrichment device and it only moves around 50-60 degrees.
Could it be that the enrichment device is permanently in the wrong place due to incorrect settings?
Is it worth me seeing if I can get the enrichment device to be further back to try and get more of a 90 degree movement.

Thank,
Stuart
 

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This is the position of the carb enrichment with cabin choke leaver full down. I have manually moved the enrichment device and it only moves around 50-60 degrees.
Could it be that the enrichment device is permanently in the wrong place due to incorrect settings?
Is it worth me seeing if I can get the enrichment device to be further back to try and get more of a 90 degree movement.

Thank,
Stuart

Unfortunately due to too much clutter in the garage I’m unable to get to my car to compare my carb linkage at the moment. I don’t know if it’s possible for the linkage to be on the carb in an incorrect position but wouldn’t think this is likely. I read that you moved the device lever manually but did you release the cable clamp to see if the lever will move further when disconnected?

I don’t have books to cover the 126/650 engine and carb but here is a photo explaining the positions as the linkage would be on an earlier car. As you can see position A is full enrichment and the lever should return to position C when the engine has warmed.
 

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That choke cable looks bent to me and it may be fouling on the screw head. This may be preventing it from using the full 90 deg
 
With that kink in the 'choke' cable, it will never work properly; mainly because instead of pushing the 'choke' lever back to the fully off position, the cable will bend, and the 'choke may only go off about 75%. What is needed is the choke cable to be taken off the carb completely. Then, using a pair of (fairly large) pliers, crimp the bend between the jaws of the pliers to remove the kink. Before you refit the 'choke' cable, tie it up out of the way (so that it can't catch on anything), MANUALLY, AT THE CARB push the 'choke' lever forwards to fully engage, and then start the engine. As the engine warms up, slowly pull the lever fully back, to eventually disengage the 'choke'. With the 'choke' cable still disconnected, give the car a good run to (a) get it up to proper working temperature and, (b) give the plugs a chance to burn any excessive fuel off them.
When you refit the 'choke' cable (a) make sure that the cable has a good smooth 'run' into the locating casting on the side of the carb---you may find that you have to re-lead the cable in the engine bay to achieve a smooth run--- the bolt in the casting should only be securing the outer sheath of the cable and, (b) make sure that the operating lever (in the car) is fully 'off' and that the 'choke' lever at the carb is fully 'off' (i.e. tilted towards the back of the engine). When tightening up the inner-cable securing nut (on the 'choke' lever) you will need TWO small spanners----1 to tighten the nut and 1 to hold the bit that the cable actually goes through in the correct position---this job is difficult with only 1 spanner. Technically speaking it is NOT a 'choke', but a "fuel enrichment device"--it has no butterfly to cut off the intake air-supply.(y)
 
I have found time and a dry to to work on the suggestions given.

I removed the choke cable from the carb and straightened the cable. I then tied the cable out of the way, started the car until warm and choke could be released, then went for a run.

Managed around five miles or around twenty five minutes and the car started cutting out again. Happened a few times and always started straight away.

When slowing to a stop the revs would fall and the engine would stall. If I pushed the accelerator as if to pull away this would also result in a stall.
If I gently applied throttle I could usually keep the engine running.

Any more ideas anyone? It is becoming a bit embarrassing...

Stuart
 
Try this, when the car eventually stalls take the fuel cap off,if you hear a sharp intake of air into the tank you may have a blocked breather in the cap, as fuel is sucked from the tank it needs to be replaced with air, if the air cant get in it will starve the engine of fuel.
 
Try this, when the car eventually stalls take the fuel cap off,if you hear a sharp intake of air into the tank you may have a blocked breather in the cap, as fuel is sucked from the tank it needs to be replaced with air, if the air cant get in it will starve the engine of fuel.

Definitely not that. This was one of the early things I tried, even made the breather larger to doubly sure it wasn't a problem.
 
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