Getting A Good Clean Idle From Your Carbureted Engine - Here's How Idle Systems And Circuits Work 

@8:30 Torch tip cleaners! How you been around this long and not utilized torch tip cleaners on carb jets and circuits, uncle Tony! 😆🤷‍♀️

Metal guitar strings also work great for cleaning out those small passages/holes. They come in many different gauge sizes. They are very stiff/hard to bend. Find a friend who is re-stringing their guitar and they'll probably give you the old strings free.

Don't overlook a good blast of compressed air. When you are sure all the passages are clear, hit them again with carb spray followed by air nozzle. I highly recommend a full face shield or at least safety goggles! Even a tiny amount of carb spray on your eyeball will give you a really bad day!

A demo would be great for us kids. This is good stuff.

The wire brush wire is a trick I use too. I find whenever you're working inside an unfamiliar carburetor it pays off to inspect the thing for a minute to figure out the circuits, if you know how everything is supposed to work you can test every function before assembly, more or less guaranteeing success.

I feel like the ultimate beginners' guide to getting your carby to run right would be a strip, rebuild, adjustment, install, and calibration of a Carter/Ball & Ball single barrel. Any intention of putting something like that on the channel?

Our AP5 Valiants in Australia had the single barrel Holley on the 145 Hp slant Good clip Tony . MOPAR boy from down under 👍🏻

Hey Uncle Tony, love watching your videos! I want to say it helps ease the pain of being in my hospital bed in South Carolina. I faithfully check daily for your new videos…. From a fellow lifelong classic car lover, keep it up! I know you help and uplift many classic car loving people from their life challenges.! Brad in SC (though grew up 27 years in northeastern NJ) Keep on! 😊👍🙏🏼

Bread ties are my best friend when it comes to idle circuits perfect wire

GREAT TIPs Tony. Getting new mechanics to find and learn from the schematic for their carbs is a key tip!

At 80 I’m not likely to have to rebuild another carby, but your videos are often solving mysteries I’ve been wondering about for years. Like carbies or freak ignition problems I couldn’t fix. In 70s I found it was so cheap to get a new carby from J C Whitney that if I got stuck rebuilding I would just buy a new one. I remember a 190 Mercedes that was never quite right. J C sold me a new one for $30 and it did the trick. Keep ‘em coming, mate.

Best uncle ever. Dude rocks for sharing all this og hot rodder knowledge. Thank you 💪

Great video with lots of good tips. I have an Ultrasonic cleaner at the shop. They doughnut cost the world, and if you do a lot of Carburettor work, are worth the investment. Way back when I lived in the USA, there was a gallon bucket that you could soak a carburettor for a few hours, and it really came out clean. For the Ultrasound, I have found that 20 litres is the minimum, anything less, and doing the throttle bodies is a compromise. I hope that your next video explains the idle-transfer slot, and enlarging the hole in the butterfly-valve. All the best from Germany.

Thanks UTG

Thanks for posting these kind of videos, I need all the help I can get. I've had and will most likely always have at least one carburetored car, stuff like this is helpful big time.

Stripped bread bag tie is my go to.

Nothing beats a Guitar string for cleaning those passages.

our school shop teacher showed us a trick worth mentioning. back out the idle screws 3-4 turns. swap 2 plugwires 180 degrees apart on the distributor(remember which ones!)start it and floor it 3-4 times. it will backfire. shut it off and reverse those plug wires back to their original positions. start it and floor it while manually closing the choke untill it dies once maybe twice. then readjust the mixture screws. as he explained the backfire creates a pressure wave back through the carb loosening up a blockage then running it with the choke will suck that dirt through the high side which is larger and it can easily pass. if it works fine if not you only spent a couple minutes and you know without a doubt you gotta pull it.

I take the spring from a motorcycle fork seal snip it and stretch it out and then it can be used to clean small orifices. I used to overhaul and clean a lot of motorcycle carburetors.

I have bought a ultrasonic cleaner just because I get tired of buying carbs for my small engines I can get 3 cleanings give or take till they are completely junk. I know non ethanol,tru fuel, it’s all crap nowadays av fuel is good but expensive. I use guitar strings they work great. I have also done a few Holleys and a ultrasonic cleaner will pay for it’s self in no time if you have a lot of carbs around.

You are the man..a strand of wire or copper wire,if thr real bad I'll just nip the wire with cutters to make slashes in the wire to help remove heavy buildup or oxidation.

What also works for these tiny passages is the acetylene torch cleaners these are ridged an and readily available plus they are durable!

I had the exact problem with my Holley carburetor that sat on my 383 in my 1969 Dodge Charger. The meeting screws did not have any affect on the carb no matter what I did with them. Another great educational video. 👍

Ok in the old days we would deal with really disgusting carb clogged. We would disassemble and soak in carb dip then boil the carb, not using the good pots. Blow out with air. Usually probe the passages 1st. Also i have used a small household steam cleaner looks like a electric tea pot, (my wifes suggestion) fair amount pressure. Looks like new when done. The E10 gas will leave deposits of dissolved rubber from hoses. Really hard to get out, these procedures will clean it. Had this happen to my performer recently, steam cleaned, runs like it did 20 yrs ago! Good luck, God Bless!

Removing the metering block and prying out the little lead plug out of the top, in the Slant 6, Holley Model 1920 Carbs, to clean the idle circuit, JB Weld a cover back over it! Now I know!

Loved that ciggy smoke wafting in front of the camera at 0:55

Thanks for pointing out manually cleaning the idle circuit. I was chasing the mixture screw position with bigger jets because the book says to go bigger if you need to back them out too far. But in the end it never really changed needing to be 3 turns out. Whenever it acted up by not responding to the screws, I'd blow it out with air and it would be adjustable again. But with how often i seem to have to do that, it would make sense to get back in there and clean the rest of the passages. The car in general runs great, but it's at idle little issues pop up.

I always get something outa it. Thanks. Even when one reckons he knows it!

I used guitar strings to poke through holes. Nice video.

There is fuzz on gaskets in a carb rebuild kit. I have had 4 or 5 that would not idle to react to screw changes. Rev the engine up to 2K, wad a good cloth shop rag and cover the top of the carb as it dies. Stopping just before it dies, check for proper idle screw settings from seated, backed out 2.5 - 3 turns both, cleans them right out by suction. I use safety wire to check circuit, but rubber tip air blower to feel the air pass thru. Chemicals, Sea foam has never worked for me ever. Berrymans Chemtool B-12 will. The solvents are strong enough to open a varnished jet or circuit. True with anything, like a radiator. If a number of tubes are plugged, chemicals will hit the debris and stop. It can't clean it. The radiator shop will boil it! An older guy who owned this shop for 42 years, say watch this. So a week mixture of sodium hydroxide & h2o, is heated to boil. He puts on a sealed cap no pressure release, inlet hose adaptor is picked and he turns on a pump that has magnets coupled to a centrifugal impeller and feels the core tubes. Cold! Yes, these are plugged but since solder doesn't melt until 450-510 depending on tin ratio plus the hot tubes expand, the radiator grows, watch. Little by little the core tube became real hot all the way to the other tank. He just felt with two fingers, fast, checked them all and shut it off. He put on welding glove, removed the hose and cap a ran the solution thru the inlet and would shine a light (When end Tank type) holding it up at an angle and you could see the liquid come out one by one until it reached the top. Hose off, sprays some chassis black and hook with a radiator handle and let it dry. He was done in 8 minutes easy. DK, ASE master since 78.

Thank you for this, I think it's exactly what is happening to my father-in-laws corvette that has been sitting for a while, it runs but doesn't idle and just stalls out.

Rick Pewe and company would get it running high rpm then stuff a rag in the top of the carb, the vacuum spike often moved enough gunk to get them off the trail.

My 84 Toyota has a fuel cut off solenoid at the top of the idle circuit. It wasn't getting power and was staying closed. It turns out a fusible link wire was down to a couple of copper strands. I fixed that and now you can hear the solenoid open up when you turn the key to IG.

the good ole boys taught us if it wouldnt idle or balance to warm it up a bit then you went W O T hold it and close the choke at same time right up until it was about to die, release and repeat and it 99 percent worked to get it to idle again, so im not sure what it did but it worked

Thank you for all the content Uncle Tony!!!

I use guitar strings to clean carbs. Works great

Back in the day our first plan of attack was spraying carb cleaner. Then rev the motor at the same time trying to smother and almost stalling then remove the rag and raise the R's. If that didn't help carb tear down. Spray every thing with carb cleaner and try using air pressure. Last case scenario is the wire trick you talked about.

Laughed my butt off at your clip on D&D Speedshop's 100,000 subscriber video. Y'all should add a little 1 or 2 inch youtube plaque to the right sleeve of the next 1000 shirts sold.

Could you please address having a really big cam and needing to open the throttle blades for more air and what to do instead so you don’t get into the intermediate circuit? I think I have that issue and don’t know what to do.. kinda afraid to start drilling butterfly’s. Thanks

Good info. I’ve been thru most of these models so know enough to be dangerous lol. I wondering if you go over the dreaded flat spot fix on carbs during part throttle/ from idle circuit to part throttle? I’ve encountered this on most models from new out of the box to ones that have been sitting and haven’t really got that transition perfected 🤦‍♂️ One carb I’ve been using FST 650 has been only one that hasn’t caused me issues

Excellent advice UTG

Best channel on RU-vid good video

Just watched DDs 100,000 sub vid, nice job Tony! It will never go to their heads. Lmao! Nice video on carbs. I have used what I call micro drill bits, I found them at a hobby store to unplug those small passageways. Anyone who has worked on any N scale model railroad trains, knows what I'm talking about. Again, nice video!

I still can’t get a consistent clean strong idle with my dual Holley 600s on my 72 “GTX”….. after resolving multiple issues with my 50 year old carbs, the only thing I can see that may still be a problem is my throttle shafts are slightly loose in the baseplates. Can this cause a high irregular idle? (My problem). How do I fix the play in the shafts? You have given me solutions to MANY other issues in your awesome videos- thank you!!! Also, how should my idle mix screws and throttle be set for a good idle with dual quads? (How is slaghammer set up??). With my throttle blades shut (idle screws backed off completely) it still idles at 1100 rpm. Mix screws are all 1 turn out. 1.5 raises the idle to 1500…

Carburetor Mystery Corner... Think it thru.. Small adjustments.. Keep on wrenching folk's @∅🇺🇲

Wow rebuilt hundreds of carbs. Tear them down. Dunk them in Berrymans. For a while. Blow them out with shop air. Pipe cleaner and small gauge bailing wire like he said. Run that through the holes. Put it back together. Throw the 5 gas in the tailpipe and tune it. Nuf said!

Torch tip cleaners work good

Guitar string works good too.

Always good and useful information.

Tony a while back you rejuvenated a battery with your welder how is that battery holding up? Thanks

Great video UTG

What happened to Stuby & better still the slant turbo project?

Another priceless knowledge drop from the best car channell on RU-vid

Hey Tony, can you show us how to tune some 660 center squirters? I’ll be putting some on a tunnel ram.

Tony I'm watching this right now. If liquid can't clean a passage. Use guitar strings. They tell the gage on the strings.

Very good video Tony

Thanks for the info!

Put updraft carbs on a slant 6

I have a davinci carb on a 383 stroker. Car starts and runs for a little then dies. Pump the throttle and it will fire back up. Sometimes I have to wait a few mins. Then pump and fire it up. You think it’s the carb?

Thanks Tony

Every Carter bb2 never seems to run right I have rebuilt them Myself, bought them new, just never seems right. My terminal quad was great. My two barrel holly 318 started and idled after sitting for 5 years little fresh gas ran great. Am I the only person that has no luck with the bb2?

Thanks for the tips and tricks Tony. Take care 👍

Found mine every time I got off the highway would idle low. I found timing dropped. Thought I didn't have the distributor bolt tight. Drove around more was fine. Jumped on freeway again timing dropped. Pulled distributor gear is worn away.

Porcupines quilts. Won't damage brass. A old voodoo carb God showed me this and I have a collection now.

Got a holly brawler 650 brand new won’t idle turn idle screw to get it to run as soon as you turn to bring idle down it dies don’t know what to do

Another very informative carburetor video from good ol' Uncle Tony. If I could offer some minor constructive criticism, I would look into getting some kind of dedicated microphone for these kinds of videos where you're just sitting at a table and talking about a subject for extended periods of time. It may just be me, but the volume seems to be a bit low and the audio sounds a little soft and/or muffled.

I got a truck engine that will run fine when warmed up, blip the throttle and it idles like trash. Turn engine off and restart immediately and idles great. Blip throttle again and goes crap. When it is idling like crap, some liquid is coming out the tail pipes and although it is hard to tell, I think the timing increases as well. Am I having a carb issue within the idle circuit or is this an ignition issue maybe within the mechanical advance?

hey tony, i have a weber 32/36 carb. i tuned it and achieved a smooth idle but when i put it into gear the idle gets really rough and sputters like its dying. any suggestions?

i use a safety wire it is really strong and wont deflect like a thinner wire

Used guitar strings can fit the bill nice.

Well, what works for me is to have someone stall the heck out of the engine and adjust the secondary metering system until it does not stumble or stall when you give it the gas

What about idle passages on a quadrajet? I got one of those with a bad idle circuit.

UT I love you bro, God Bless you bro 🙏💕

Did we miss the link to last week's?

tony can we see a slant 6 build with 3 weber side drafts?

Can we get a full rundown on the carter BBD?

I can screw my idle screws all the way in and the idle keeps going up. Summit carb. Plugged?

the starter turns the pistons making a vacuum liping off the top of fuel drawing it in.

Thanks

Gotta' love a carbureted guy in a fuel injected world!

tell us about the lean burn system from the 70s all so the electronic spark control system

Any chance you could do moto carbs vids?

Key words clean em out. Related My bike "carbureted" and .guv gas o hol. Plastic screen in tank gave up and a piece ofit lodged in my cab. I couldn't find it or about 3 others. I'm a firm believer in sonic cleaners. Ubetcha.

So funny that I’ve used the brush bristle and the bread tie in the past for the same issues! 🤣 Mainly on small generators. 👍🏻

Does mig wire work ?

Uncle Tony what happened to DB Cooper?

Guitar strings.!!!!!!

welding tip cleaner works to clean too

Tip cleaner from oxygen acetylene torch

👍

This is all easy to do once you have located the circuit passage going up and the one going down and the transfer horizontal one. Carb cleaner is strong and will normally clean these little tunnels. Multi barrel carbs have two idle feed circuits.

The tech videos are my favourite right after the burnout ones =)

I was running a tripower on my big block Chevy (because hey, it's a tripower) and had idle problems. You could adjust the idle to 800 but it would tend to stall on the road. It idled better at 1000 but after driving it would always creep up to 1300. So now I have a 4 bbl Holley (from a rebuilder) but it seems to have the same problem. The motor is basically stock with a bit of an aggressive hydraulic cam.

I’ve never had to do that before but I would use a torch tip cleaner and take the one that fits down in there and you know how you got the smooth portion of the tip cleaner taken file too far take a sharpening stone and file two flats on each side of the tip cleaner and then you twist it around and will actually help dig through there I do that all the time with a roller I run for asphalt are water sprayers clog up and it’s the same thing basically and anyway yeah you just take your fingers and twist it back-and-forth like you know anyway this is six in a row Jim I go by six in a row Jim I have a 91 dodge pick up with six in a row under the hood yeah it runs diesel fuel

Tony✌🏼Kathy, you 💨 again!? 😮 need to quit again myself🤘🏼🔧

0:23 WHERE is the link ? You've forget it ?

Out ehtanol laced gas in ca sucks. Dries out eveerything inside to a crisp if you let them sit a long time. Growing up a car could sit for yrs and fire right up

Poke out the jets with a strand from a wire brush. 😉

I would never put a carb. on a motor without personally rebuilding it first. The wire fix you recommended is not a good idea. The best fix is to use the correct sized drill bit by hand. Do not use a power tool,do it by hand very carefully. If you do not have the specs. for the bit,or the correct sized bit,I suggest taking it to a professional.

My bread comes with plastic clips instead of twist ties so I guess I'm going EFI...