[belair_54]

Hi all been having this ongoing tuning problem with my 66 nova completely stock 283 with 2b rochester and AIR reactor system.
Basically car stalls when in drive and comes to a stop and idling. Today i set the dwell, adjusted the carb with a vacuum gauge and set idle speed, still stalling when in drive and idling. Will idle ok for about 10 seconds then starts to run rough and stalls.
What i noticed it is running extremely rich the idle adjusting screws are wound out alot if i try to wind them in at all it stalls no chance of it running by winding them out 1-1 1/2 turns after seating at a guess they are probaly wound out 4-5 turns.
Any ideas what to check for? could this be a vacuum leak as carb needs to be set rich for it to run?
I have recently rebuilt the carb, gone through ignition system, checked vacuum lines. Will check PCV valve today
Thanks in advance

 

[Glenn]

1. What do you have the initial ignition timing set at?
2. Are you certain that the vacuum advance is hooked and working?
3. Is the carb mounting gasket in good condition and sealed?
4. Is the float level set correctly?
5. Is the needle & seat sealing correctly?
6. Is the fuel filter new?

The more acurate information you can provide, the chance is better for us to figure out the issues.

 

[belair_54]

Hi thanks for the reply
1 timing is currently set at about 4 degrees btdc but have experimented with other settings doesnt effect the idle condition.
2 vacuum advance working
3 to 6 I rebuilt the carb a couple of months ago double checked float level no dirt in filter, needle and seat good.

Car runs great when driving around although i can smell it is running rich. Just dies when idling after about 10 seconds in drive.
I am checking/ cleaning the PVC valve my car has the closed system over the weekend.
I will be also checking the A.I.R reactor system it is a california car with the smog system, it has a large vacuum hose going to the reactor valve apparently if this is faulty it can effect idle
below is a photo of my engine

.

 

[belair_54]

Finding it very difficult finding any overhaul information or anyone that has parts for the A.I.R system .
Even the PVC valve is hard to come by NOS(Ac cv-726c) and pricey i took mine out it rattles when you shake it does have a little bit of sludge in it will try cleaning it out. Will see what happens.
Any other thoughts appeciated?

 

[batman09]

id set the timing at 8*...with vacuum disconnected and plugged.....you should also consider getting a 4 barrel carb(keep the original on a shelf)
ps where in austrailia are you?I just sold my 65ss to a guy in brisbane

 

[Glenn]

id set the timing at 8*...with vacuum disconnected and plugged

I agree, if your gas is as poor poor as what we have, you will see a big improvement on the idle quality and overall drivability and performance.
I've had to set them at 10-14 for best overall performance on several engines.

See, you have to remember, the gas that was available in the '60s is not even close to what we have today. Many times I have had to increase the main jet size to allow more fuel in,along with the increased timing, to get them to run right.