HELP! Carb Rebuild problem....

[curlowe]

1971 Bus with a 34 pict 3 carb.

So I've owned my bus for about a month now and am trying to get the thing going without to many problems.

I've adjusted the valves, new points, condensor, plugs and engine seal. After I did all those the bus started and ran fine with the exception it wouldn't idle correctly.
I adjusted the two set screws to spec but no luck. As soon as the fast idle was clicked down to the lowest setting it would stall out.....

So..... I bought a rebuild kit. I carb dipped it and cleaned it out good, blah blah blah.

Put the carb back on (Oh yeah I also replaced the vacuum tube on the carb to leads to the brake booster too.) Hooked it all up. Turned the key, heard the engine turned over twice and it started right up! Idle was a little fast and turned in the two screws about a quarter turn and idled great. Then I went to test drive it...............

As soon as I pressed down on the gas pedal it started to stall out. I let my foot off the gas and it went back to idling fine. Then I slowly gave it gas and it gradually reved. Its cold here in Cleveland so at this point I was freezing I turned off the bus and went inside to warm up a bit. When I came back it took forever to start. 15 - 20 Revolutions and a constint easing of the gas pedal and it finally started. Then it again idled fine but sputtered when i gave it gas.

I know I;ve got to pull that carb back off but where do I start looking for the trouble spot?

Thanks!

Side Note: I got my South Wind gas heater working. Heat! Yes. All it needed was a new spark plug.

[RocketRod]

Does your accelerator pump push a steady stream when you open the throttle? You just added the SW heater or it was there and you got it running? Could be a fuel volume issue there. While you have it off again, remove the jets/mixture/idle screw and blow out with compressed air. Look in the float area for debris. Start your carb adjustments out with the directions in your rebuild kit documentations or the Bentley.
_________________
Why Yes it is a Magic bus!
Common Sense isn't so common.

[Randy in Maine]

[glutamodo]

I guess while I was writing the following, it was already discussed, but I'll keep my post anyway...

You said "I carb dipped it and cleaned it out good, blah blah blah." Did the blah blah part include a good blast of 100PSI compressed air into all the passenges?

I'd pull the top half of the carb off - you can do that on the engine but on a Bus kind of a pain since there is not much headroom. Then check the fuel level in the bowl and check the accelerator pump spray - you want a strong stream aimed somewhere around the leading edgle of the throttle butterfly. And you want it to start spraying just as you open the throttle.

Did you change the adjustment of the accelerator pump linkage? A lot of people mess it up by putting it over to the "+" side which only adds a frustrating delay before it stats to spray - it adds to any play in the linkage, I adjust it so all the play is taken up and that often puts the adjuster on the "-" side.

Word of warning, the float needle valves that come with new carb gasket sets these days are often inferior to the ones you take out of your old carb. I usually reuse the original one if it appears to be in good shape.

-Andy

[curlowe]

thanks for the advice. The SWHeater was in the bus when I got it but didn't work. Well it wasn't hooked up to the gas line, after that I figured that it was the plug... thats it.... heat.

[rustbus]

keep in mind the owners manual says to slowly depress the pedal all the way to the floor and keep it there while cranking after restarting the engine after it has warmed. not sure how warms yours was, but FyI anyhow
_________________
May of '72 Deluxe. 2.0L L-Jet CS & 091 trans conversion
my Bus thread

[wampe]

Did you do the carb adjustment with the engine cold or hot? Adjust the carb hot and the choke cold. It sounds like the automatic choke may not be set correctly. Press the gas pedal to the floor one time when it's cold to activate the choke before you start it. Like someone said, blow the carb out with compressed air. Make sure there are no vacuum leaks. When it's very cold (freezing) my bus takes a few minutes to warm up before I can drive it. If I don't let it warm up it will stall.

[curlowe]

Thanks again Samba!

Got home took off the carb, tried the accelerator pump.... and nothing. The rubber membrane I replaced in the accelerator was folded over on one edge (i.e. no seal) I don't know how I f'd this up. Re-fit it cleaned out all the jets again, installed it. Bam! Starts right up, idles great and no longer stalls out, no sputter.

Sorry that I posted this over something so simple. But there is a great deal of reassurance in posting problems and hearing great minds respond with ideas.