Holley carb problem

Having some problems w/the Ol' Dixie. She fired up first try and made it 10 min to our riding spot. When we got to the spot, as soon as I backed off the throttle she died.

She will only stay running at high rpm. I noticed the the two circled parts of the carb were just sputtering out fuel. Sometimes fast or just a trickle. Needless to say we didn't ride and I had to turn the idle up ridiculously high to make it back to the marina.

She made it back to the marina no problem, however once there she died again and wouldn't stay running so I had to walk her on the trailer.

Any suggestions? Cleaner, rebuild? I just replaced the fuel filter.

Thanks in advance.

Alright, so I just took off one side of the carb.. Look at all the crap in there! I'm assuming that is the problem.. I hope I can get it back on right again. I know absolutely nothing about carbs. Hopefully I won't have to take it to the shop

You might have blown out the power valve or a jet plugged. A good cleaning is definetely in order though.

think I fixed her. I tore both sides of the carb off and cleaned them thoroughly. She fired right up and idled great for a while. Fuel wasn't sputtering like it was before, nor was it making loud sucking sounds. We'll see what happens next time I drop her in the water.

Hey jay,

My boat has the EXACT same problem. The dealer said I had to rebuild the carb but the boat is only 2 years old. I would like to clean it like you. Any tips on taking apart the carb. And did it fix the problem?

Did you replace the gaskets? Be sure to check for fuel leaks if you did not. I can tell you all the crud is not right. Should be nice and clean in there.

Eric

There should not be fuel dripping from the venturies at idle, that is because the needle and seat is adjusted too high or it has crud in it (I would guess the latter based on your pictures). The needle and seat is removable without even removing the bowls as you already have. Clean them and try to adjust. On each bowl, there nut and probably a screwdriver slot to adjust float level. You take the sight plugs out of the side of the carb and adjust the needle and seat up and down untill fuel is just below the sight plug. If the needle and seat will not hold back fuel pressure, either it is bad or the float is bad.
From the looks of your carb, I would rebuild it but to fix what you are describing, the needle and seat/float is the culprit. No fuel should come out of the venturies at idle, there is a idle circuit down below.

I think the gasket kits are like $5.

I just had to tear apart my carb and clean it out too.

After you do this you may have to do some minor adjustments to the carb. Most likely the float bowls will have to be re-adjusted - it's not to hard to do this.

You may also want to replace the two brass colored fuel filters going into the carb from the gas lines if they were nasty like the inside of your carb.

Other adjustments may be the idle/mixture screws.

Also don't forget to clean out the accelerator pump; mine was clogged and not working properly, causing the fuel sputter that you mentioned.

Here is a small guide I found online that may help,
http://www.barrygrant.com/fromBarryGrant/BG%20Instructions/carb%20rebuild%20kit4150.pdf

or

http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/1999/12/holley/index.shtml

Several companies make rebuild kits for carbs that include new gaskets, power valve, floats, shaft bushings, o-rings and various other little parts. Most come with instructions detailed enough to allow you to do the overhaul yourself. To eliminate any doubt, get that digital camera out and take pictures of the disassembly process. Be careful, a boat is no place for a leaky carb.

If you have debris like that in the carb, most likely it has got past the valve and into the various orifices and jets. Soak the parts in carb cleaner, use air pressure to blow out the passageways.

Before putting it back on, determine the root cause of the garbage getting into the carb. It could be damaged fuel filter or the result of a liquid in the gas. You may want to look into getting a fuel / water separator along with a better fuel filter. Do not rely on the filter that is built into the gas input of the carb, always run an external filter.

That's for the responses. It's pretty cool so many knowledgable people are here. I ran her on the garden hose today for about 20 min w/no problems or hesitation and I was varying the rpm ranges too. We'll see what happens when I drop her in the water. I adjusted the air/fuel mixture on both sides too. I also cannot see any fuel coming out of venturies either. I guess that's good. In fact I can't seen any fuel at all.



Supposedly the carb was new when I got the boat three seasons ago.. From the looks of it I doubt. I also ran it for two seaons w/o replacing the fuel filer..I know I slacked on that. The fuel filter is an external one.

I thouroughly checked for leaks, there are none. I plan on ordering a rebuild kit from skidim soon.

Question, in the third picture are the two brass peices that are side by side the jets? I pulled those things out and sprayed a bunch of carb cleaner in there too. I pretty much got the cleaner in every possible hole that I could access.

One more question. Where's the accelerator pump located?

Thanks again.

One other thing about the the holley carbs for our boats that may be a worthwhile upgrade.

There is a 50cc pump kit that replaces the stock 30cc kit and it will help prevent any hesitation you may get when you throw the throttle to full speed. The kit number is 510-20-11 and the kit costs $39.99 at www.jegs.com

Also another cool thing I saw at jegs are the clear fuel sight plugs part number 720-6057 for $3.99, they should help make it a little easier setting those float bowls.

They even have replacement chrome carb parts if you really want to pimp your carb out.

(Message edited by cws_kahuna on May 19, 2004)

floats set to high. the float is what controls the needle and seat assembly, or bad needle and seats. or floats saturated with fuel. you can look in a book for the part number and it should tell you how much they weigh. use a postal scale to weigh them. average weight is about 12-16grams

that looks like dried stabilizer. next fall run stabilizer in your last tank then drain the carb out the bottom screw hole.

the gasket in the lower photo must be installed so the hole for the accel pump lines up. the accel pump is located on the bowl that you removed. there is a ball held in place by a metal tab over the orfice that FILLS the pump chamber. most of your crud will settle into the pump chamber. also you should adjust the pump arm to allow a slight clearane at WOT or you will tear the diaphram.

ALWAYS CHECK FOR LEAKS.