Stan almost burned his car down and melted a venturi because of an ignition problem that he was 100% positive was a carb problem.
Not my finest moment, but all true.
Don't do like Stupid Stan did in 2018. Take the advice I've always given (and gave here for years before "the incident"):
95% of all carburation problems are ignition.
Troubleshooting in order:
- Draw a deep breath. Take a minute and try to relax. Get a cup of coffee. Don't start on the problem until you have a clear head. Don't go into it with your mind made up.
- Verify the mechanical - compression, valve-timing, etc. Broken valve-springs can and do happen.
- Verify spark - strong spark? Steady advance? Is there a "miss"? You can't know anything at all without a timing light.
- Check the carbs. Farting and sneezing and spitting almost always indicate a misfire, rather than a carburation issue.
I forgot myself on that fated day. I got tunnel-vision and jumped ahead of myself because we had trailered through a biblical rain-storm on the way down to NC. I was sure (SURE, I TELL YOU) that it was water in the carbs. I didn't have a timing light, and didn't have the 7 mm socket I needed to get to my (loose) ignition pick-up. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
My wife posted a meme on our family "Signal" account today. It said
"Every dead body on Mt. Everest was once a very determined individual".
Being determined is not what it takes to be successful. Being aware of all possibilities is.