Help! Hard Turns & Engine Dies!

[SuperCheyenne72]

Ok B4 anyone asks, yes, I tried the search and turned up nothing... so either I'm blind, the search sux, or I'm the first person ever to have this problem with their truck.

I drive a 72 Cheyenne and no matter if the engine is cold or has been running all day, if I try to take a 90 deg. turn at any speed above 10 mph, my engine wants to choke and cut-off. I have to really gas it in the turns just to keep it alive.

Does this happen to NE1 else? Any ideas?

[jdwhitlo]

Could be your the float on the carb is set too high or maybe there is a hole in the float so it's not shutting off the gas flow.

[Billla]

Originally Posted by jdwhitlo

Could be your the float on the carb is set too high or maybe there is a hole in the float so it's not shutting off the gas flow.

I agree it's likely the float level - I suspect it's too low so there's not enough fuel in the bowl.

[Luvlegs]

Any wiring "hanging" - possibly shorting when it gets "swung"?

[SuperCheyenne72]

I don't think it's wiring related... just for the simple fact that it doesn't seem to cause any problems when I'm accelerating or braking hard... just turns.

Now as for the float in the bowl of the carb... that sounds like we're on the right track.

Do I have to remove the carb to adjust the float? Any good links for a how to? Or can this be explained in like 3 sentences or less? Thanks guys for the help! I LOVE THIS WEBSITE!!!

[Billla]

It's easy to make the float adjustment on the Edelbrock Performer carb and it can easily be done on the car. Here's a link to the owner and service manuals:

http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_.../1000/1411.pdf

http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_...411_manual.pdf

[SuperCheyenne72]

Thanks Billla, it'll be a couple of days B4 I get down there and tinker with it... it appears I have a bunch of reading to do now! I'll let everyone know how the operation goes in a few days!

[SuperCheyenne72]

Ok, I popped off the lid to the carb, and now I'm confused.
(Btw, I'm working with the #1407 Series Edelbrock)

Ok Billa, you say my floats are too low, resulting in not enough fuel in the bowl... meaning I'm choking the engine right? So does "too low" mean my "Float Drop" is exceeding the recommended 15/16" to 1" distance between the float and airhorn cover? Because when I measured, my float drop was around 1-1/2"! So I went ahead and bent the back tab of each float a bit until the distance measured 1" exactly. Then I test drove and noticed a bit of improvement... but not gone completely.

Then I called tech support, and the guy says not to worry about the float drop, but it's the 7/16" "Float Level" that I should adjust... and he recommended I bump it to 1/2". Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't making this adjustment cause my floats to push in the plunger a bit more than before?

I guess my main question is... what happens to the fuel when the plunger is pushed in? What happens when the floats drop and the plungers are allowed to slide out? I need a little carb 101 in this area.

[Billla]

Originally Posted by SuperCheyenne72

Ok, I popped off the lid to the carb, and now I'm confused.
(Btw, I'm working with the #1407 Series Edelbrock)

Ok Billa, you say my floats are too low, resulting in not enough fuel in the bowl... meaning I'm choking the engine right? So does "too low" mean my "Float Drop" is exceeding the recommended 15/16" to 1" distance between the float and airhorn cover? Because when I measured, my float drop was around 1-1/2"! So I went ahead and bent the back tab of each float a bit until the distance measured 1" exactly. Then I test drove and noticed a bit of improvement... but not gone completely.

Then I called tech support, and the guy says not to worry about the float drop, but it's the 7/16" "Float Level" that I should adjust... and he recommended I bump it to 1/2". Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't making this adjustment cause my floats to push in the plunger a bit more than before?

I guess my main question is... what happens to the fuel when the plunger is pushed in? What happens when the floats drop and the plungers are allowed to slide out? I need a little carb 101 in this area.

"Too low" refers to the fuel level - there's not enough fuel such that when you turn it uncovers the jets. Sorry, I should have been more specific.

I'd grab the manual from www.edelbrock.com and adjust it per spec. The fact that moving it to 1" and you saw some improvement shows we're heading in the right direction

[SuperCheyenne72]

Thanks Billla, so what would you say be the "rule of thumb" here?

The higher the floats float, the less fuel is allowed into the bowl?

[Billla]

Originally Posted by SuperCheyenne72

Thanks Billla, so what would you say be the "rule of thumb" here?

The higher the floats float, the less fuel is allowed into the bowl?

No rule of thumb for the float, since every carb is a bit different. Set to spec and don't worry about it

http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_...407_manual.pdf

[oldspowered67C10]

The higher the float level the higher the level of fuel in the bowl. More importantly though is that the higher the float level the higher the fuel level in the entire carb(accelertor pump well, emulsion tube well etc.) and that effects everything from accelerator pump discharge to air/fuel ratio.