Tips for owning a carb'd truck?

[BlueChariot]

Tommorow (as far as what's planned) I'm going upstate to get my Mazda B2000, which has a 2bbl carb on it. I've never owned a carb'd vehicle, so I don't know what differences in warning signs for maintenance there might be or things to avoid.

I've heard people talk about how ethanol mixed gas can affect them (if I remember what I read correctly). So mainly day to day tips like that is what I'm after.

 

[strvger]

ethanol mixture of less than 15% (E-85) shouldn't be a problem. more than that is when you have to start changing out all your rubber fuel line hoses for steel. you don't get as many btu's per gallon of the ethanol mix so you will loose some power and fuel economy. you can try to run the carb a little more rich to compensate for the power, but then you loose even more in mpg's. so you will have to decide that one for yourself.
otherwise, there isn't much to worry about. changing air and fuel filters is the same no matter what you drive... you have to keep clean ones on there.
just my $.02.
good luck with your new (to you) ride!

 

[exbass94]

ethanol mixture of less than 15% (E-85) shouldn't be a problem.

You got that backwards. E85 is 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline.

 

[BlueChariot]

I know that ethanol heavy fuels degrade any normal fuel line, but Ihad read that ethanol residues can gum things up quicker than normal. (I don't remmember whether this was a general statement or not).

Another thing I have heard is that sometimes you have to adjust carbs for the seasonal change, is that true?

 

[adsm08]

I drove a 78 Omega for a while and started having all sorts of problems when they switched to E-10 in my area. It would miss badly, and just generally didn't run well. It was bad enough that I went out of my way to find non-ethanol fuel.


I will say, that carb was in desperate need of rebuild and adjustment. It was bad enough that when you went to turn the air/fuel mix screws, they didn't adjust anything, they just made the seals around them leak.

 

[BlueChariot]

The carb I know is either a fresh rebuild or a new OEM 2bbl, one of the two. But either way I'm getting a Weber 2bbl anyways.

 

[strvger]

E-85... my bad.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

E10 shouldn't be too bad in it.

Every one is different, they all have little idiosyncrasies. Usually you have to pump the pedal at least once when you cold start to set the choke and high idle. Conditions will vary and every one is different as to whether or not you have to set the choke or if you will flood it... there is a learning curve.

 

[adsm08]

Oh, the choke is not for hanging your purse on. Make sure the wife/gf knows that.

 

[Heavyfire14]

what car do you know of that has a pull choke? i had a 74 f250 that you had to pump the gas pedal twice to start cause the choke and what not

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

what car do you know of that has a pull choke? i had a 74 f250 that you had to pump the gas pedal twice to start cause the choke and what not

Dad's '70 Dodge and '67 IH pickup have manual chokes. They add a whole 'nother cuveball of just where it needs to be set and when.

 

[Heavyfire14]

Dad's '70 Dodge and '67 IH pickup have manual chokes. They add a whole 'nother cuveball of just where it needs to be set and when.

oh. interesting, (the b2000 shouldnt have one of those) ive never seen that. i bet a manual choke would just make life just so much better. haha

 

[mn_smokeater]

protip: if the choke stops working so the PO wires it open all the time, you have to pump it alot to get it started on a cold day

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

oh. interesting, (the b2000 shouldnt have one of those) ive never seen that. i bet a manual choke would just make life just so much better. haha

I highly doubt it but somebody could have added it.

 

[BlueChariot]

I'm 99% sure it doesn't have a manual choke. I figure that was phased out by the 80's lol

My uncle (who is giving me the truck) is gonna give me some hands on pointers before I drive it 230 miles back home. First carb'd AND first manual trans vehicle lol. So my first non-learning drive is gonna be reeeal fun.

But that's after we put on tint, paint the frame, snag some new rubber, fix the vacuum advance, and I think we might put some bedliner on it.