Just got new idle jets in the mail... Size 55. Am I supposed to flare out the ends a little before sticking them in the idle jet holder so they grab on to something?
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Be VERY careful doing that. It's all too easy to snap off one side and ruin it.
Got em all in and took a drive and man it was really bad. Came back and found that I didn't tighten one like I thought so snugged it up and it is much smoother with the bigger proper jets but now I need to adjust the air screws again.
Dude, if you just changed the idle jets, the only thing that should be adjusted is the idle mixture screws, and possibly the idle speed screws a tiny bit but for that you need a synchrometer and you need to remove your air cleaners.
Yes that is the proper term. I need to start talking in proper vw carb English! I did not touch idle speed...but did adjust the others. I am close and it see,s much smoother when starting out in first and second. I am not good with carbs yet but am learning. Marksbug got them synced for me so I don't want to mess with idle speed if I don't have to!
Idle mix...is what I am adjusting not air mix...
No problem, you'll get there. You have come far in little time, grasshopper!
My car has .60s, I just bought a set of .55s and .57s to try, running just a bit rich at cruise according to the AEM wideband, got it for a great deal on Amazon.
Wait until te car is hot before you adjust idle and always adjust your idle with the headlights ON,this will simulate load and you don't want to have your engine set and then turn on the headlights and have it stall out on you,
Originally Posted by DannyP:
No problem, you'll get there. You have come far in little time, grasshopper!
My car has .60s, I just bought a set of .55s and .57s to try, running just a bit rich at cruise according to the AEM wideband, got it for a great deal on Amazon.
which aem wideband do you have? where is it mounted on your car?
Kinda floating under the dash to the left.
Danny where do you suggest that is mounted? Does it go in the engine bay?
Todd: You kinda want to be able to see it as you're driving so you'll know what your engine is doing in a variety of driving circumstances (accelerating, decelerating, cruising at different speeds, that sort of stuff). As you're driving, the needle (numbers) change as the engine's fuel demands change and tell you a lot about what's goin on.
I have an analog (needle) version, rather than the fancy-schmancy digital readout that Danny's has, but they both do the same thing. I mounted the gauge head just below the dash and to the left of the steering column with the intent of using it to set up my carbs and then remove it. That was ten years ago and it's still in there, glued in with silicon caulk (so I could easily remove it - I have to re-caulk it every so often when it starts to fall out). I don't watch it all the time anymore, but once you get used to what your engine normally does it's handy for spotting things beginning to go amiss, like partially clogged jets (sometimes) or minifold leaks (spotted in an instant).
As a funny aside, when I set my valves I noticed that my exhaust system badly needed painting (and I only took it out after the snow hit once, to go about two miles for a sticker!). As I was wire-brushing the header collector, I touched the O2 sensor and.....it jiggled! Damn thing's probably been loose for years and I didn't know it. At least it's tight NOW! And you know.......I spent four hours riding in Pearl yesterday in NE Connecticut and never looked at that gauge ONCE!