Got my car running again. It has been about 2-3 weeks sitting. I started it and when I rev the engine, a little bit of black smoke blows out both tail pipes. I know certain color smoke means different things, but I am not sure what color means what..........and if this faint black smoke is just from the car sitting, or something else.

Any help appreciated.
thanks

 

Black is Fuel. I know I have a lot of it.

 

OK, so my problem is fuel... Does the smoke mean I am getting too much, or too little??

And which screw on my carb will adjust the fuel? And which way does what?

Clockwise tightens, so that would give less fuel right? Please correct me if I am wrong.

Thanks

 

black = gas
blue = oil (sometimes whitish looking)
white = coolant/water

 

Black smoke is a sign that you are running too rich. Adjusting the idle mixture screws will only help if the exhaust is black at idle.

It can be as simple as a misfiring cylider. Or a clogged air cleaner/filter. Check for a bird's nest. That's a common problem on a car that's sat a while. If it's none of those problems then....

If you are reving the engine quite a bit (3500 RPM or more) and it only does it under acceleration (while the throttle is being opened) then the accelerator pump is too large.

If you are holding it at a steady RPM for say 3 seconds or more, then either the primary jets, or secondary jets, or both, are too large (and since it's an Edelbrock carb, the rods could just be too small).

The way to fix any of these problems is by changing the above mentioned parts according to the problem which you are having.

Unfortunetley, finding the right size rods/jets is a matter of experimenting with different sizes until you find the right combo. This will all be dictated by the atmospheric pressure (due to altittude above see level), barometric pressure, as well as humidity.

The best way for performance applications is to buy a variety of sizes and head to the local drag strip on Test & Tune night. You'll have to keep changing them until you get the best trap speed (MPH not ET). Then keep the ones that give you the fastest trap speed. It's a 'trial and error' method, but unless you have years of experience, it's the best way.

An easy way to get you started is to call the tech line at Edelbrock. They will ask you a series of questions about your engine (cam, heads, intended use, etc.) and can give you an estimate on which way to start.

AJ