tuning my holley and duraspark

[jester77]

Got it done!!! started up pretty well, wouldn't idle but assumed it was just a bit of tweaking- well after 4 hours of tweaking.... guess who's tweaking now

SO, Starts, revs pretty high the settles for a few seconds then dies. Set my timing at 8 btdc but since all the other crap was going on- it fluctuates a quite a bit ( Are there weights in the distributor??) every time it almost dies I just give a bit of throttle and the accelerator pump kicks the engine back up to 1500 rpm and the cycle continues. The only way I could get the thing to idle was with the timing at 20 - 25 btdc and the choke set down a bit on the rich side

the holley 350 I purchased as rebuilt off of ebay- doesn't have the standard lean\rich idle screws on it, it has a (reverse idle adjustment} that you set the amount of idle air goes in while idling

 

[jester77]

gotter dun!!

Put on new carb gaskets, still not working right... pulling my hair out, then I decided to try a few new things. I removed my aftermarket glass fuel filter, direct line, then put a new PCV valve on it without the second vacuum port on top, drove around and now it was idling through the roof, turned the timing to 12 degrees btdc, running better, idling down a bit, but everytime I touched the throttle it ran up through the roof..hmmmm..... turned the accelerator pump down about seven turns, put and aftermarket throttle return spring, and yippee

she seems to be running pretty damn good!!! , little too much hesitation off of idle when pulling from idle in first gear, might need to give it back a few turns on the accelerator pump. , Don't like the fact that I'm idling without the idle screw even touching the stop (kind of why I need the return spring

but seems to have lots lots more power on the gas!!! Kind of lopey sounding at idle too?? Doesn't make much sense there other than it's breathing!!!

 

[small ranger]

my engine sounds lopey to the point where people ask me if I have a miss or a cam, obviously I have neither. My engine has the duraspark, offy intake and 4 barrel carb, and pulls great!

 

[Psychopete]

Just out of curiousity; have you checked for vacuum leaks?

Pete

 

[jester77]

oh, yeah I've plugged everything I can think of, I drove it to work today and it seems to be doing ok, little adjustments here and there are all that is probably left. I think I'll let the new distributor break in, reset the timing again in a few weeks, let the thing run for a little while. I really wish I didn't have to have a second throttle return spring but....

Do they make smaller idle jets for the holley??

 

[trents]

From my recent experience, still sounds like a vacuum leak to me. You said you plugged all the lines. Did you spray carb cleaner a long the intake manifuld seams (you need to loosen and pry up the valve covers to do it. It's a little messy.) and the carb base? If there is a vacuum leak, the carb cleaner vapors will be picked up in the leak and the engine idle will change.

By the way, I find that I need to use a helper return spring too. The throttle cable doesn't exactly line up well with my carb throttle and so it doesn't have a very positive return action without the helper. Makes for a pretty stiff push on the pedal, though.

 

[jester77]

wasted nearly a can of starting fluid- no vacuum leaks. Starting fluid works great cause just the smallest amount will greatly increase your rpm. I think I just need to play around with it. I am going to find some info about tuning my holley. I really like the power increase- It's just the starting thing, and the high rpm at idle, I'll screw with the timing, and see about bringing the idle down somehow, might look into a smaller accelerator pump???

my carb is here You can do a search on Ebay.com

item number 110224088805

# #58 Main Jets
# #65 Power Valve
# #31 Pump Shooter
# 30 cc Primary Pump
# New Viton Needle & Seat
# Electric Choke Standard

 

[gotmudd]

wasted nearly a can of starting fluid- no vacuum leaks. Starting fluid works great cause just the smallest amount will greatly increase your rpm. I think I just need to play around with it. I am going to find some info about tuning my holley. I really like the power increase- It's just the starting thing, and the high rpm at idle, I'll screw with the timing, and see about bringing the idle down somehow, might look into a smaller accelerator pump???

my carb is here You can do a search on Ebay.com

item number 110224088805

# #58 Main Jets
# #65 Power Valve
# #31 Pump Shooter
# 30 cc Primary Pump
# New Viton Needle & Seat
# Electric Choke Standard

if yours is a 2barrel carb like the one i researched thru google then you should have one screw on each side of float bowl{just behind} for adjusting air mixture and one screw for adjusting idle. that being said first back off main idle and then turn in one and a half turns, then start vehicle and starting on one side turn mixture screw in until there is a noticable drop in rpm's then back screw out until idle becomes smooth, then go to otherside and repeat process, once that is done then adjust main idle screw to desired idle then set your timing. if you try to adjust timing without getting your carb adjusted you will be doing alot of

 

[ammocj]

Check this for tuning the Holley.

http://www.bob2000.com/carb.htm

This is for tuning 4 barrel holley carbs but I learned a lot about tuning my 2 barrel and had my truck running pretty well although a bit lean with #64 main jets.

Al

 

[jester77]

that is the best holley page I have ever read. Thank you!!

 

[jester77]

ok, everyone- as so many have helped me through my ordeal of getting my truck running better- but that post by ammocj that gave me the holley tuning website was perfect. The simplest answer is usually the best. One of the first things on the holley tuning page states, if you are having problems with rough idle unhook the the throttle cable, if it idles well after that the problem is in the truck, if still idles bad its the carb. That was the best peace of advice I could have ever had. I walked out to my truck, pulled the throttle cable off, and it idles down to the quietest, smoothest sound you ever heard, 850 rpm, 10 degrees btdc, still staying revved a bit high for a few seconds, but idles right back down. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

Now I just have to figure out why my oil pressure and temp guages quit working, and how to make my throttle cable work better

THANK YOU A THOUSAND TIMES

 

[JoshT]

Now I just have to figure out why my oil pressure and temp guages quit working, and how to make my throttle cable work better

Let us know what you find about that throttle cable. Speaking of gauges I got 4 I need to install. Got a tach, oil pressure, water tamp, and vac gauge. Gotta find a good place to mount the temp sender got the water temp gauge, and waiting for the break-in oil change to install the pressure sensor. But I do need to go ahead and get that tach and vac gauge installed so I can see what the engine and carb are doing.

 

[ammocj]

I'm glad that helped.
The guy that wrote it saved me a lot of headaches too.

Al

 

[jester77]

I've been driving around a bit, runs pretty good once warm, but the choke is still giving me fits- I purchased a holley 350 with both electric and heat tube choke- I just plugged the vacuum port for the heat tube and thought that would be fine but I think I need it? Can I just get a tube- put a 90 degree bend in it and run it down to about a tenth of an inch from the exhuast manifold, or does it somehow supposed to go inside the manifold?? How does the thing work?? Or would I be better off just going out and buying and electric choke only for my holley and changing mine out with new holley parts?

btw- my staying revved was cured by putting my distributor vacuum line on- I think it helps in retarding the timing faster?