Dirt in carburettor

[Trish B]

I let my tank run almost dry and now think I must have dirt in the carburettor.
The engine starts, accelerates but it will not idle. Would be grateful for advice before I take it to my mechanic who lives on the other side of town. My manual says idling jet blocked but I am not sure how to clear it (with petrol) or even exactly where it is. The illustration is not very precise.
Thanks

Trish B.

 

[Steve Hennessey]

Hello Trish,

It's possible the idling jet is blocked but if there is dirt in the carburettor then it's best to strip it and clean it out with compressed air. If the petrol level got very low then it's also possible that there may be a little water in the carb as well. I can't remember what carburettor is fitted on your car, but there is bound to be an exploded diagram in the Haynes manual. Most of the early carburettors had an idle jet that was easily reachable from the nearside. Remove the air filter completely and the idle jet is facing you - it is made of brass and hexagonal and located near to the top of the float bowl.

If you do manage to find it then unscrew it and you may see the tiny hole is blocked. Make a cup of coffee. Try to suck the offending material from the jet and spit it out. Drink the coffee to get rid of the taste of petrol. Then use some fine fuse wire to see if the hole is clear. If so, then replace it and see if the problem is cured. If it is then it would still be a good idea to have the carburettor cleaned out.

Hope this makes some sense

Steve

 

[Trish B]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for this. Will give it a try and let you know.

Regards,

Trish

 

[Trish B]

Dear Steve,

Yesterday, we failed to puzzle it out so today I went to my old mechanic, a friend who lives close by. First he put in new points and then started to blow out the jets. Things did not improve so he ended up removing the carburettor and blowing out all the jets. No improvement although there was one very blocked jet. Then he noticed, (as I did yesterday but had forgotten), what he called a blanking plug which was open, ie unsealed. This is where the incredibly lucky part of the story is and you have to imagine our potholed roads in Zimbabwe, my mechanic glanced down under the carburettor and caught on a 'ledge' was the brass disk which seals the blanking plug!! It could, so easily have fallen on the road. It is now safely back in place and I am on the road again. Presumably vibrations shook it out!!

I will be needing a gasket for the carburettor at some stage, any suggestions as to how I can find one? I guess I would have to send a photo?

Thanks, as ever, for your help and advice and greetings from Zimbabwe!!

Regards,

Trish B.

 

[Steve Hennessey]

Hello Trish,

That was a stroke of luck - I have never known one of those discs to fall out. Please go easy on your points supply - hope that you're keeping the 'old' ones as they should last 6000 miles per set!

Re: the gasket - which one? You will need to know what model of carburettor is fitted before trying to obtain one. If it's the base gasket then this can be made from the card on a cereal packet! If it's the float bowl gasket then you will need to get an overhaul kit.

The carburettor type will will stamped on the side of the carburettor.

Best wishes

Steve