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running rich....not sure why.

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Old Jan 16, 2023 | 09:50 PM
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Default running rich....not sure why.

Ive been running rich with carbon fouled plugs, smoky exhaust and stinging eyes.
Ive got a 850 carb, and dialed all 4 idle mixture screws to 1/2 turn out from closed, 800 rpm at idle and fairly smooth for the cam. If I close the idle screws any more the idle gets chuggy and wants to die.
Mild cam. MSD ignition. 17 mech advance and close to 30 with vac advance connected at idle.

Could a weak spark cause this? When I reinstalled the plugs I reduced the gap from .045 to .038 and did put anti seize on the threads. I was still having the rich issue before tho.

Thanks
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Old Jan 16, 2023 | 10:21 PM
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so you put an 850 carb on and this is the result?
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Old Jan 16, 2023 | 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by calwldlife
so you put an 850 carb on and this is the result?
It's had the 850 on it for a while. Just recently it seems It's been richer than usual. I readjusted the idle screw mixture but that didn't seem to help much.
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Old Jan 16, 2023 | 10:51 PM
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hmm, floats too high?
change of gas type or brand?
you have weak spark you think?
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Old Jan 16, 2023 | 10:58 PM
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floats are good. I did put some new gas in but do that regularly. 93 oct. Im just trying to think of causes with the low spark. Ive read that anti seize can cause a grounding issue with the plugs but wasn't sure if that translates to weak spark / running rich.
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Old Jan 16, 2023 | 11:01 PM
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a little anti seize and none on the taper that tightens to the head.

check your coil, I doubt anti seize is causing
low spark
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Old Jan 16, 2023 | 11:05 PM
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yeah...just on the threads with the anti seize. What should I check on the coil? Its definitely putting out spark.
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Old Jan 16, 2023 | 11:39 PM
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ohm it for resistance.
high and low side

could be weak.

But, it is more likely a carb issue.
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Old Jan 17, 2023 | 07:58 AM
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Pics and description of your setup?

Jebby
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Old Jan 17, 2023 | 08:05 AM
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How old is the carb? Has the car Been sitting for a while? Gaskets shrink over time and all the screws get loose. What carb was on this build previously? I'm running a 750 on a 462 BBC and it's plenty.
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Old Jan 17, 2023 | 08:29 AM
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The cam card is a little hard to read. 074 heads also... not sure what the valve sizes are. Carb rebuilt about 8 yrs ago.

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Old Jan 17, 2023 | 09:11 AM
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Crack open the secondaries and make sure your transfer slot isn't open too far. Cracking the secondaries open a little may make adjusting you mixture screws work better
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Old Jan 17, 2023 | 09:22 AM
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Try to crack front and back throttle blades evenly...then re-adjust the idle screws.
Having a large carb has zero to do with running fat at idle......you could have a 1000hp or Dominator on there and you can still tune the idle circuit......
If the rear blades are closed...the idle will not adjust....it needs a little air going past the transfer slot.....
I see you have a Demon so the rear throttle adjustment should be up top......crack it open....decrease the primary blade to get your idle rpm down and re-adjust.

Jebby
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Old Jan 17, 2023 | 10:27 AM
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That throttle bracket looks a little wonky to me. Does not pull straight, may give you issues later if not now. Not necessarily related to your issue.

What you got there is a cam with 70* of overlap. And lots of lift.

A cam with that much overlap is going to want lots of timing and some bypass air to get it to idle. What Jebby and 79l82 are suggesting is what I believe you need to do on a Holley to get bypass air.. or drill the secondaries. On the timing jack that up to 36* or there abouts, maybe even more, with vacuum at idle. Adding bypass air and enough initial timing will clean up your idle issues.
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Old Jan 17, 2023 | 10:46 AM
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Originally Posted by REELAV8R
That throttle bracket looks a little wonky to me. Does not pull straight, may give you issues later if not now. Not necessarily related to your issue.

What you got there is a cam with 70* of overlap. And lots of lift.

A cam with that much overlap is going to want lots of timing and some bypass air to get it to idle. What Jebby and 79l82 are suggesting is what I believe you need to do on a Holley to get bypass air.. or drill the secondaries. On the timing jack that up to 36* or there abouts, maybe even more, with vacuum at idle. Adding bypass air and enough initial timing will clean up your idle issues.
Also….later Demon had an idle bleed way down under the air cleaner stud which would achieve the equivalent of drilling holes in a throttle plate which some do to get the throttle blades to shut further on larger overlap/low vacuum situations….it was called “idle eze”…...but the blades need to be attended to first…..if the front one is cracked too far and the rear not at all….it will run pig fat as it will try to pull from both idle and primary circuits….

Jebby
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Old Jan 17, 2023 | 11:07 AM
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Also, that 110 LSA cam is never going to run "clean" at idle... There's a really good reason that the factory performance cams are all in the 114-range. A 110 LSA cam needs lots of compression and a lot of timing.

Lars
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Old Jan 17, 2023 | 12:22 PM
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Thanks for the info!

Ill adjust the blades and see how much I can dial it in. If need be after Ill look at the "idleeze".

With that cam whats the ideal initial and overall timing I should run?
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Old Jan 17, 2023 | 12:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Sidneyhop454
Thanks for the info!

Ill adjust the blades and see how much I can dial it in. If need be after Ill look at the "idleeze".

With that cam whats the ideal initial and overall timing I should run?
Looking for about 18 initial and 36 total....vacuum unplugged. Ideally....the vacuum should pull about 10-12 itself.

Jebby
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Old Jan 17, 2023 | 01:41 PM
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I have a 110 lsa with a 750 double pumper and outside of the cam being a bit rowdy the idle isn't that bad.
You should be able to get it to idle pretty good. I agree more timing will help overall performance . I've been texting with 40 total and it's been an animal but still not sure I'll leave it that high.
Good luck keep us posted.
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Old Jan 17, 2023 | 02:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Sidneyhop454
Thanks for the info!

Ill adjust the blades and see how much I can dial it in. If need be after Ill look at the "idleeze".

With that cam whats the ideal initial and overall timing I should run?
I idle with 36* of initial timing including vacuum. Running 108 LSA. Engine likes that much advance for my overlap and altitude. CR is a big player here. How much you got?
Total timing is different. That's timing with mechanical fully advanced + initial, vacuum does not come into play for total timing.
For total timing it's gonna depend on the heads more than anything.
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