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Hi Guys,

HELP, before I pull out the few strands of hair I have left,PLEASE!

My motor is running way too rich, plugs sooting up, black smoke from the exhause, petrol smell etc.

Have adjusted/checked everything I can think of mixture, plugs, points, coil and looked for leaks, all seems ok.

All 8 plugs are fouling equally.

A few other questions to confirm what little I know...a leak on the intake side will cause lean running as against rich, ditto a leak on the vacuum side?

Sl?n!

Did you check the choke? I have known them to get stuck partially closed.

How about fuel level in the bowl?

I forget, are you running the original mechanical fuel pump, or an electric?

Yes, vacuum leaks will lead to leaner running.

I'm sure Dave C. will have more things to check...

Tom's gives the classics but just to repeat a bit:

1. Leaking (sunk) carburetor float
2. Leaking needle and seat in the carburetor
3. Broken pivot pin on the float
4. Stuck automatic choke (quite likely if you haven't cleaned the gasket/screen and vacuum piston recently - just disconnect the link, tie open the butterfly, and road test).
5. If an electric pump, disconnect and run on the mechanical pump.
6. High float level adjustment, esp. if that coincides with the beginning of the problem.

Should be an easy diagnosis - keep us posted please.

All good suggestions above.

But some questions:
Was the car running just fine for many miles and this rich problem just suddenly occur????

Does the rich condition diminish as the engine warms to normal operating temperature???

What is the NUMBER on the spark plugs??? They mite be too cold of a plug.

Ignition Timing check mite be needed.

Is the car running cold because of a bad thermostat? Is the heat riser valve stuck open?

If you are running an electric pump, measure pressure of pump at carburetor. Not sure what is correct for your model/year.

Hi all,

Firstly, thank you all for you replies. I hope I have dealt with your suggestions below;

1.The motor is running at normal temperature, the thermostat seems to be working ok..
2.The coke is not closing of its own accord any stage except when used (manual choke)
3.I have used hotter plugs, to no avail.
4.The problem started very suddenly, really strong smell of fuel from exhaust at first. I had many problem-free miles on the car beforehand.
5.The plugs condition was perfect, prior to this problem. They are recommended number plug.
6.There is an electric pump and pressure regulator fitted (awaiting rebuild of original carb), but this setup ran perfectly pre-problem.
7.The rich running seems irrespective of how cold or hot the car is.
8.The motor was serviced not long before the problem started (c.50 miles or so), tappets were adjusted and probably the timing looked at. The motor in the car at present is a 12 Series, the original motor is currently out of the car waiting rebuilding, the guy who serviced the in-car motor serviced it as an 11 Series, not a 12 Series, not sure if this is an issue?
9.The carb is a replacement for the original one (an EE22?), like some other motor parts, it was beyond repair, but it ran the motor perfectly on the new one. It is about 2 years old, supplied by Max Merritt. Twin barrel and the float is a twin float (attached to each other on top where it also operates the needle valve.
10.To reiterate, the motor ran fine for many thousand miles, prior to this sudden problem.

A few thoughts,

1.Can the carb float's 'go out of adjustment', or the needle valve start sticking for no apparent reason?
2.There are two mixture screws on the carb, I am told they rich/lean the mixture and screwing them in leans the mixture. In this case, they seem to achieve nothing (in regards leaning the mixture) except to cause rough running.
3.What carb conditions would cause sudden riching?
4.What timing/ignition/coil/tappet conditions ditto?
5.The fuel pressure regulator (which has performed flawlessly so far), is adjustable in ? pound increments, any ideas of the normal PSI feed for this motor (considering it's not the original carb, I will attempt to find out the name of it out of interest).

From reading your comments, my feeling it is that it rests with overfilling of the carb bowl, for whatever reason. This would account for the very rapid onset of the problem and the lack of success in trying to lean the mixture with the adjustment screws?

Thanks!

1. Sure. For example if a float suffers a leak and begins to fill with gasoline. It will sink and gas will continue to flow into the carb.
2. The mixture screws are only for mixture at IDLE, that is, when the throttle plate is closed.
3. Defective float, broken needle & seat, etc. See some of the intial responses.
4. Not strong candidates for the current situation.
5. If you must use an electric pump, set the pressure to the same as the mechanical pump would have produced, typically 3 to 4-1/2 psi., as high as 5 psi should not present a problem.

Have you removed the air filter and looked down the carburetor throat with the engine idling? Should be very obvious if the float/needle & seat etc have problems as there will be a steady stream of gasoline coming from the main jets into the venturi area. Normally at idle the only gasoline delivered is below the closed throttle plate and you wouldn't see it.

When you changed to a 12th series motor, did you use it's manifolds or put on the ones from the 34? The 34 intake manifold won't mount an EE-23 and a 35 won't mount an EE-22. While not inexpensive or common, EE-23 carbs (several variations, including non-Packard use) can be found and if needed can be expertly rebuilt, even apparent basket cases. If you still have your old EE-22, please PM me and allow me first dibs on it's purchase.

Try running it while truning on the electric pump only when engine tries to die. This mite eleminate e-pump question however i doubt it is the e-pump.

Bad coil and or condenser CAN cause a very rich or lean condition.

Try ez things FIRST:

Try Owens recommendation to look down carb as it is running.
Replace condenser. Then replace coil. Try intermittent use of e-pump. If carb float is leaking then remove float and shake it to hear if there is any gas in it.

Inspect float needle. If ethanol or other chemicals in UK gasoline reacts with 'rubber' tipped needles then it mite cause a rich condition altho my experience is that it only causes LEAN condition. But who knows. A distorted needle is a distorted needle.

***** If the carb has a diaphragm type accelerator pump then check the diaphragm for rupture. *****

Let me guess. Is the car running so damned rich it won;t pull itself in low gear????? If so then condenser followed by coil replacement mite fix it. If it doesn;t then it's e-pump or carb.

IrishPackard, O_D is correct when he says the idle mixture screws only affect the engine idle. However, if you can screw the mixture screws in all the way, and the engine continues to run (albeit roughly), then the carburetor is flooding. The engine is running from the fuel being spilled by the flooding condition and not by fuel supplied through the idle circuit of the carburetor. I hope this helps to isolate your problem. Good luck.

(o[]o)