Carburetor Basics - What I Wish I Knew Starting Out! 

I work at a shop . The guy I work for is like the rain man on carbs . He listens to it and can tell you what is wrong with it or where the problem is on which part of the carb. He worked on muscle cars when they were new .

Heck yeah this is great content I don't work on carbureted engines much so the visual aids were top notch. A+ learning material

Excellent video Kevin! Very informative even for people that know nothing about a carb, aka Mom. When I watched this all I could think about was how you spent the summer after kindergarten tearing apart that engine on your workbench under the shade trees by the swingset, and that photo of you with your greesy black hands, wearing of all things a Chevy shirt. You started young! I am so proud of what you have done with your skills!

Been with this channel since the VERY early days. Amazing to see it grow into what it is. Keep it up man!

You did pretty good at explaining carbs and how they work. I went thru this training around 30 yrs. ago at a Ford Service Tech school. Most of todays younger mechanics can fix fuel injection with their eyes closed but have no clue how to repair or tune a carburetor. Glad your teaching others some of what you've learned

i have watched so many carb videos and have not been able to find a good video that goes into enough detail but this one is excellent I now have such a better understanding thank you

Can you do a “timing” basics video just like this? This helped me so much!

The fact your basically working on the exact car I’m wanting to learn about is unreal . My dad left me a 1968 Pontiac Parisienne but I don’t know anything about how to run it. Here in Australia there’s not many around

I orginally knew nothing useful about carbs until now. I had no idea how much went into them and how many ins and outs there are. Great basics coverage. Looking forward to the LeMans videos.

The way you suggest thunderheads videos in a roundabout way is hilarious, and a wonderful thing

Thanks for this! This was a really great explanation. I am wanting to learn more about engines and just about everything you said made sense to me.

Thanks for that Kevin, it has made things a lot clearer. I have followed you , Mook and Luke for awhile now and have learned a lot of great tips. I have rebuilt a couple of 6 cylinder engines in the past and have with my Brother inlaw, built up CF Bedford vans with either 6cylinder nisson 2.8 liter diesel engines or Petrol engines with 5speed gearboxes. Plus set them up with disc brakes and other mods. Any ways keep up the great content. Cheers from Trevor, I hail from New Zealand.

Thanks so much about explaining about the transfer slots. I have been trying to adjust my carburetor that had about an eighth of an inch of slot showing. And couldn't get it to stop stumbling from idle to acceleration. I took the carburetor off squared to the slots put in a new float and adjusted it and was able to turn in the idle mixture screws about a turn on the half and it works great. And thanks to thunderhead289 also

Thank you very much for doin a carb for beginners video this has helped me and many many others as well im sure.

Love the vid, please help fix the audio in Luke's videos! 😂 Man is a carb genius, just can't always hear him lol

Hey does Thunderhead289 have any videos on carbs I can watch?

Before this video I had never heard of transfer slots. Thank you very much for the info!

Great video, answered so many questions I’ve had for years

Id love to see a video on some of the common motorcycle/atv carburetors like the Keihin flat slide ones....my first time cleaning, rebuilding and tuning one was on a Suzuki DRZ400SM, the engine had been rebuilt with a big bore kit and unknown camshafts and hrad porting etc....oh and the carb was either one or two sizes larger than stock, from a Honda street bike, finally got it rebuilt after struggling with eBay parts, then struggled not having experience, jetting and needle settings from scratch, not knowing the bike needed the accelerator pump to spray immediately actually having the stream of fuel catching the bottom of the slide aa it snaps open lol....then not even realizing there were air bleed orifices that have a huge effect on not just accelerator pump volume but main and pilot jet sizes and can even cause the fuel level in the bowl to get air locked or be too high and much more 😂 i got it done in three whole days im not ashamed to say, including rebuild and such...i went and topped up his Mercedes A/C recently (you need a specific scan tool by the way to reset the HVAC system codes or it won't even attempt to do anything, lovely right?) and the bike still starts perfect, and he swears that it's faster than the 2018 KTM 690 Enduro r after I put a better clutch in and broke it in properly 😂....I Appreciate Your Time And Effort My Brother!

Thanks for this video. I love carb because it simple device and also very reliable)

UGH, as SOON as I decide to make a few carb videos and upload them. You guys already got them up. SMH good stuff keep it up!

No joke, some young RU-vidr bought a 60's Mustang that had a small engine fire. He's doing a fixer upper video, and he was like what is that... pointing to the carb. A little jealous, but wtf?

Carburetors all the way! Fuel injection? FUGHEDDABOUDDITT!!!

Nice video. I think you misspoke though when you talked about how to adjust the float height. The flat head screw at the top is the set screw to lock the adjustment in place. The height of the float is adjusted by turning the nut.

Love your videos keep up the good work you and all your friends channels encouraged me to buy my first project I’m 14 and hopping to get the 69 charger going when I can drive

WOW 🤯 there is a lot more going on in a carb than I thought!!

Carbs are sooo scary! 😆 pretty simple if you know what your working on. Now everyone should have a little more knowledge! Great video by the way.

nice video! grab a small container put it under one of the lower screws then remove it and loosen a top screw on the bowl you are removing and it will drain without making a mess, or at least a lot less!

Hey been watching your videos there great man. Love also the shout outs you alway give your boy. Hope y’all still great friends!

Which do you like better? Carburetors or fuel injection systems?

Great vid! Thank you! I learned so much from this that I never knew I didn't know!

Great explanation of carburetors 😄😃

Glad you are back.

A guy sure likes that VGG hat this young fella's wearing.

Thanks for this detail ed video, really helps out!

Uncle Tonys garage is also launching a video series on carb tuning in the very near future...

the summit holleys are nice. cant beat the ol carter avs carbs. Every holley I dealt with, was problematic.

My idea was jut to use a pipe T joint with a pipe going into a fuel tank. In the pipe to the T Joint is a piece of carbon felt wick. This wicks fuel up to the pipe T joint where air flows around or though the wick to make a fuel air mix. You can even use a small canister with a gas line and a return with a slow flow fuel pump of 30ml a minute. As long as most of the fuel returns to the tank and the wick is soaked in fuel. and you can have a fixed fuel level for the canister for the wick system. A spark arrestor and air filter are used on the top of the pipe T for the intake a small air filter and the output runs through a spark arrestor. Or you can replace the fuel jet with a carbon felt wick in the carburetor.

Carburetor: something you will never see Cleetus McFarland touch

VAZ 2106 21063 1.3 MT can I put this carburetor on a 4 cylinder engine? :D 1976 - 1993 Engine capacity 1300 cm3 Power 64 HP At 5600 rpm Torque 92/3400 n*m Gas distribution mechanism OHC Number of cylinders 4 Number of valves per cylinder 2 Cylinder diameter 79 mm Stroke 66 mm Compression ratio 8.5 Maximum speed 140 km / h Acceleration time (0-100 km / h) 18 seconds Fuel consumption in the city per 100 km 9.5 l Fuel consumption on the highway per 100 km 7.8 l Fuel consumption in a mixed cycle per 100 km 9.3 l Fuel tank capacity 39 l Curb weight of the car 1035 kg Permissible gross weight 1435 kg Tire size 175/70 SR13

hey mr digs great video lots to learn about for carbs for sure thumbs up and shared

Where did y'all get your start? Auto class in high school, your parents, some old hot ridden from down the street???

I’ll certainly look at the accelerator pump if I do restore the Capri.

I don't ever expect to work on a carburetor but I hope one day to drive an automobile with a carb.

Just a question because i life in europe and have not really much to do with carbs. Did you need to readjust your car if you drive in high elevated areas like mountainroads. because the air gets thiner. Just asking because the newer fuel system adapt the fuel to the thiner air. And i just wandering if there is any mechanical thing that adjusts this. I am actually working to and learning about carbs because i need to repair my motorcycel carb. Thnak you for makeing this video.

correct me if I am wrong, but you called that little extension the venturi but those are secondary to the constriction of the throat or barrel of the carb which is the primary venturi?

To drain the float bowl on a Holley just remove one bottom float bowl screw with a rag or a cup underneath it.

Such a helpfull and informal video thanks

I had to use the side hung float carb. The center hung float carbs flood out when I four wheel.

I don't know why I keep watching your RU-vid channel when all you do is push thunderhead 289 in ALL YOUR VIDEOS.

Quadtrajet carbs used metering rods too.LOL also called Quadrajunk But I run an Elederbrock also called elederjunk.. But I have been running it 20 yrs no probs...

One thing you should of included is that before even attempting to rebuild a carburetor you should check to make sure the throttle shafts are tight and not worn out because you won't be able to get it to run properly no matter what you do with it due to a major vacuum leak.

Im a holley fam but not really a fan of either of these. I will take the old 4150 double pumper any day of the week

This helps so much, thank you

My one complain is i did not see your vid cover edelbrock, and only holley. I was going to choose holley but put edelbrock avs2 650cfm 4bbl on my 360 with a 7757 air gap rpm performer intake

Hey got a question about my carb. It’s a holly four barrel and the choke plate won’t move. There is not choke manual wire or electric choke. Also the oil is smelling like it’s got fuel and I’m wondering if the carb is allowing to much fuel into the barrels then leaking into the piston and down to the crank. I’m a total newbie and I’m learning from all you and your groups you tube videos. This is kinda new to me, I’m rebuilding a 76 Mustang Cobra 2. Any help you can provide is great. The engine is a ford small block 289/302 btw I’m in Canada 🇨🇦😀

I have never touched a carburettor and propably never will. I have an EFI car, but i still find this video kind of interesting, lol

What video was that with the blue ford and thunderhead289?

Nice, waiting for that next video!

Carburetor Basics: 1. Air ( 20% oxygen ) will "emulsify" with the gasoline "in" the carburetor. This "lighter" mixture is easier to dispense from the carburetor. 2. Throttle blades will regulate the speed of the motor. The more open, the higher the RPM. 3. A "sudden jab" at the throttle blades requires a "none emulsified" shot of gasoline to keep the motor from stumbling. 4. The Carburetor you just bought is the wrong one for your application. Do to the fact that most manufactures don't have "accurate" application diagram.

Thanks that was interesting and brought back things I forgot!

Great job on the video

Great videos unfortunately over here in the uk there’s not many large carbs like those I would love an old American or Australian muscle car but the fuel cost kills large engines.what is happening with the satellite you and thunderhead dig out and got running love the shape of them and the chargers

What ever happened to the olds? I had one just like it.

Do you have a site or some way of knowing what carbpatater goes on a vehicle. I just got a 77 f250 without a carbpatater and I am a California resident and require smog. I would like to figure out what carbpatater my truck would have came with

this is very helpful thank u!

a carb is basicly a controlled leak thru vacuum, with that idea in your head it's allot easier xD

I thought thunderhead289 was the carb king... Welp, guess I'll have to watch your videa 😁

Great video

Good stuff thanks for sharing

Very helpful content. Thanks!

Good stuff,,,looks like you have new work area

Thank you very much... I Iearned a lot!

Got an email from Holley stating that they will have a Carburetor 101 class soon. Thunderhead 289 can probably teach them a thing or two, lol.

Nicely done! U should teach auto shop..

my 600 Brawler doesnt have a adjustable primary throttle screw to adjust the transition slots? Only the secondary side does? Any tips for this setup?

I'm not to proud to say you to young men have showed me alot

Great tutorial. Thanks!!

Work on a 1950 Ford f1 and put a small block in it and keep everything but the engine original

This is very helpful, thank you. I'm attempting to work on a Rochester 2SE (also apparently known as a Varajet 2) on a 1984 chevy s10. Documentation on this thing is...lacking, sadly.

Maybe you can help me out. I have got an FE 360 with Edelbrock performer rpm intake and a holley 4160 600cfm carb. I set the timing to about 8-10° before tdc without vac advance, but when i hook up vac advance it goes to about 35-40° before tdc. It runs smooth, but idk if it should be that much. Admittedly i havent properly tuned the carb yet, just got a vacuum gauge recently. Should i tune the carb first before worrying about timing? Btw distributer is stock ford. The second thing im concerned about is when i rev up the engine it seems like its not firing properly, like some cylinders arent getting spark all the time. Any ideas? Bad cables? Or should i tune it first as well?

Hey buddy what carb would you recommend for a sbc 400?

I really like your show, I hope soon that you can buy a cordless mic so your sound is much better.

Oh yeah, love the charger! 👍

I want to work on carb but only thing I have is a screwdriver

Is the color code plate still on the Lemans ?

This an episode of up to speed on The Carburetor!

I nothing but trouble from the Holley card I put on my 76 firebird on a 400 Pontiac the floats would not stay adjusted

Shouldn't have them sitting like that on the linkages. You can causing bending which is not good. A simple piece of wood or one of the fancy carb stands is a better idea. LOL the auto correct in windows doesn't recognized "carb".

An awesome video. an awesome shirt

The Holly on my '64 El Camino is a lot older than these two. I'm still not sure exactly what it's stats are, it was installed by my late father like 30 or 40 years ago. how do I figure out what I have so I can have it rebuilt or determine if it is even worth it?

Well done 👍🏻

Sizing a carb for a build is the tough part.

What did you mean by "square" on the slots? I got lost there. Thank you.

Where have you boys been?

Your showing me stuff I didn't know 👍

would an older mechanical secondary holley 600 be too much for a stock 318?

Good video

Close too 400k

The best carburetor mechanic in history was Bill " Grumpy" Jenkins. RIP