Every 3 Days--too much FUEL from Carb-- HELP !!

[ColAdo82K5]

Help me please !!
Every 3 days or so, my truck will run encredibly rich. Like the "engine will die or barley idle" rich and "shakes when you give it trottle" rich and "will barely start when it dies" from richness. Get the picture ? so, what in the carb will cause this ? i will tell you what is good on my engine. timing, vaccum, vac lines, completely rebulit distributor, plugs, wires, choke, clean fluids. The carb is a 79 that is on my 82. no computers or sensors here. i havn't checked my fuel filter, but that is recent, like less then a year and that would give me less fuel if it was clogged, so i almost wish it was !! Would the mechanical fuel pump be acting funny on me ? i think it is the carb because it's never been rebuilt, the fuel even runs out of the the big discharge port on front of the carb right before it dies. I thought the secondaries might be sticking but i've tried to clean the inside of the barrels with gumout as much as i can and it doesn't seem to do anything.
Please help me !! I might be able to rebuild it if there is one problem i'm looking for or i might just have to get a new one.
thanks guys and gals,
Blake

 

[dyeager535]

Might have a sticky or soaked float. I had an intermittent stalling problem, but mine was from lack of fuel. Think it was float too, cause the pump was working, but the carb was empty. Floats DO stick sometimes, and some recommend slight taps from a hammer on the side of the carb to see if it will free it up. Guess it can't hurt to try when its acting up, as long as you don't hit it very hard at all.

 

[ColAdo82K5]

like you said, wouldn't a stuck float cause the fuel bowls not to fill up causing starvation....so could mine be stuck down dispite the ton of fuel that is in the bowl, causing the carb to stick all of the access out of the discharge port ? which makes it run super rich ?????
Blake
By the way, the truck runs awesome between every 3 days.

 

[dyeager535]

Float can stick in any position...if it gets stuck in the down position, then fuel will enter the carb non stop as long as the motor keeps running, or the float "unsticks". Could be other things like a small piece of dirt, etc. though, so my recommendation would be a full teardown, inspection, cleaning and reassembly. Its not difficult, just need one of the $20 rebuild kits.

When I put mine together I noticed the float arm *could* rub the casting wall, and I have a feeling thats where my problem stemmed from, although not sure why it just quit.

I don't believe there is any way to "test" the float while the carb is still assembled, to see if its stuck, or a way to reach the float to "unstick" it if need be unfortunately.

 

[Can Can]

I agree with the stuck float theory. Your problem could also be caused by varnish buildup in the needle and seat, which can cause the needle to stick in the shaft instead of resting in the seat. The needle/seat and float work together as a pivoting unit, so if one part isn't working properly, the other can't do it's job.

I can almost guarantee that your problem is with either the float or the needle/seat.......

 

[ColAdo82K5]

where are the needle and the float located at ? i might try to clean these as a temporary fix until i get more cash or another carb to rebuild while i drive on another.
thanks for all the help
blake

 

[Blazer_Boy]

$20 will buy you a rebuild kit. Take the carb off and pop off the top of it. Look down the choke, there are two screws down there also. There's also a little arm that pushes down a plunger on the front driver's side, thats your accelator pump. There's a little pin your have to push out to free that arm from the top. Pop it off and have a look inside, simple huh? In the front middle should be a black plastic over with this little doo-dad with pins going into it. That doo-dad is your power piston and metering rods. Carefully remove this. Now take off that black cover and look. Now you can see your float, the back of the little arm on that controls that needle and seat. Put that kit in and it should run like a dream. A new float would be recommended also.