- Joined
- Nov 3, 2003
- Messages
- 47,501
Great pic Slowleak. Visuals are the best. Which is why we love YouTube so much!
Too bad they're not always accurate. But they sure do have the good visuals down!
Thanks.
And by "bowl" Bill, everyone is referring to the "float bowl" by it's short name. It is not visible from the outside of the carb, even with the air cleaner off. In his drawing, Slowleak has the bowl vent with the arrow. The bowl is under that main cover/top.
Only once you take the top off of the carb (this style anyway) will you see the float and it's reservoir/bowl.
In the early days, some of the first carbs had literally a glass bowl held on to the bottom of the carburetor by a wire bail. The name just stuck even as the designs changed.
Lots of that type of carryover with car stuff.
The two holes, or bores, are the actual venturi that make a carburetor work. It's very interesting stuff and shows how much the old guys in the late 1800's early 1900's were figuring out as they went along!
Also called "barrels" this is what makes your stock carburetor a 2-bbl (or two barrel) carb. Versus a 4-bbl or 1-bbl, or other.
Also sometimes indicated as 1v, 2v, or 4v for one, two or four venturi carburetors.
Sorry for going all back-to-school on you, but thought you'd enjoy hearing some of that stuff.
Sounds like you have spark from the ignition then, but not fuel to the carburetor. Back to what the others have said then about ways to check what's going on and where the fuel is stopping.
Not sure if it was mentioned yet but even a pinhole leak in one of the supply hoses can be enough to cause the pump to not be able to pull fuel. The hole is small enough to not leak liquid out (or not much) but enough to allow air into the line to keep an already weak pump from getting a purchase on the liquid.
Good call! It's always a good thing to limit what you pour in. At the normal limit you would do what's called flood the engine, which is just having too much fuel in there to ignite. But at the worst you could literally jam up the engine. Called "hydraulicing"(sp?) it's when there is too much liquid in a cylinder to compress. Air and gasses compress, liquid usually does not.
Takes a ton of extra gas to do that, but it can be done. If so, bad things happen.
That's all it takes! You're already on your way.
Oh, and so we'll all stay on the same page, some of your wording might still cause trouble understanding. You (and quite a few others these days) have learned to use "cranking" to describe starting. But that's a slight misunderstanding of the terminology and the word cranking literally means to crank the engine. The process of starting by turning the engine over with the starter. That's what the starter does, so the engine is considered to be cranking ONLY while the starter is spinning it.
It's another holdover from the first cars. When you literally had to hand-crank the engine to start it. The electric starter motors got rid of that need, but it's still called cranking to this day.
I can see where the line can be blurred between cranking and starting, because they're part of the same process. But they are distinctly different steps along the way.
Another one is "turning over" where some people consider that a description of starting. Unfortunately many of us (I believe a majority) consider turning over to be the same as cranking. The starter is cranking the engine, but the engine itself is turning over during that process.
The British use "tick over" to describe starting however, so maybe there is some precedent?
Either way though, cranking is using the starter, firing or starting is when the engine actually starts. Coughing or spitting or sputtering means it's trying to start, but won't quite fire.
Turning over is up in the air perhaps.;D
Don't know how long you've been using that terminology (maybe 40 years!) but hopefully that didn't ruffle any feathers.
Paul
Too bad they're not always accurate. But they sure do have the good visuals down!
Thanks.
And by "bowl" Bill, everyone is referring to the "float bowl" by it's short name. It is not visible from the outside of the carb, even with the air cleaner off. In his drawing, Slowleak has the bowl vent with the arrow. The bowl is under that main cover/top.
Only once you take the top off of the carb (this style anyway) will you see the float and it's reservoir/bowl.
In the early days, some of the first carbs had literally a glass bowl held on to the bottom of the carburetor by a wire bail. The name just stuck even as the designs changed.
Lots of that type of carryover with car stuff.
The two holes, or bores, are the actual venturi that make a carburetor work. It's very interesting stuff and shows how much the old guys in the late 1800's early 1900's were figuring out as they went along!
Also called "barrels" this is what makes your stock carburetor a 2-bbl (or two barrel) carb. Versus a 4-bbl or 1-bbl, or other.
Also sometimes indicated as 1v, 2v, or 4v for one, two or four venturi carburetors.
Sorry for going all back-to-school on you, but thought you'd enjoy hearing some of that stuff.
I poured a small amount of gas into the bowl and the engine sounded like it was cranking for just an instant and then went to the sound of the battery turning the starter.
Sounds like you have spark from the ignition then, but not fuel to the carburetor. Back to what the others have said then about ways to check what's going on and where the fuel is stopping.
Not sure if it was mentioned yet but even a pinhole leak in one of the supply hoses can be enough to cause the pump to not be able to pull fuel. The hole is small enough to not leak liquid out (or not much) but enough to allow air into the line to keep an already weak pump from getting a purchase on the liquid.
I did that several times with the same result. I didn't know how much gas I could safely pour in the bowl so I just poured a small amount.
Good call! It's always a good thing to limit what you pour in. At the normal limit you would do what's called flood the engine, which is just having too much fuel in there to ignite. But at the worst you could literally jam up the engine. Called "hydraulicing"(sp?) it's when there is too much liquid in a cylinder to compress. Air and gasses compress, liquid usually does not.
Takes a ton of extra gas to do that, but it can be done. If so, bad things happen.
I appreciate the help of everyone. I am no mechanic but I do have time, basic tools and walking around sense so maybe we can make some progress together. Thanks, Bill R
That's all it takes! You're already on your way.
Oh, and so we'll all stay on the same page, some of your wording might still cause trouble understanding. You (and quite a few others these days) have learned to use "cranking" to describe starting. But that's a slight misunderstanding of the terminology and the word cranking literally means to crank the engine. The process of starting by turning the engine over with the starter. That's what the starter does, so the engine is considered to be cranking ONLY while the starter is spinning it.
It's another holdover from the first cars. When you literally had to hand-crank the engine to start it. The electric starter motors got rid of that need, but it's still called cranking to this day.
I can see where the line can be blurred between cranking and starting, because they're part of the same process. But they are distinctly different steps along the way.
Another one is "turning over" where some people consider that a description of starting. Unfortunately many of us (I believe a majority) consider turning over to be the same as cranking. The starter is cranking the engine, but the engine itself is turning over during that process.
The British use "tick over" to describe starting however, so maybe there is some precedent?
Either way though, cranking is using the starter, firing or starting is when the engine actually starts. Coughing or spitting or sputtering means it's trying to start, but won't quite fire.
Turning over is up in the air perhaps.;D
Don't know how long you've been using that terminology (maybe 40 years!) but hopefully that didn't ruffle any feathers.
Paul