| Rambler American Restoration
Back to American Restoration Index
Holley Model 1931 Rebuild
Carburetor Cleaning & Inspection
You will need the following items to clean the carburetor:
- Carburetor cleaner (I prefer Gunk brand in the gallon size)
- Chemical resistant brushes (besides large brushes, I find that a
paint gun cleaning set has a variety of small brushes that are very
useful)
- Chemical resistant gloves (I prefer Nitril gloves)
- Shop towels
- Razor blades or a gasket scraper
- A large container of rinse water
Soak all metal parts according to the directions that came with the
carburetor cleaner. You will probably need to scrub the carburetor throat
and choke housing to remove all of the carbon from them. Plastic and foam
parts should not be soaked but can be gently cleaned with carburetor
cleaner. Make sure to rinse these parts immediately after you are finished
cleaning them or the cleaner will ruin them.
Make sure that the hole in the jet in completely clear. If it is not, you
can use something fairly soft like a tooth pick to clear it out. Do not use
any type of metal pick or drill bit to do this as you may enlarge the hole
and cause the carburetor to run rich.
After cleaning, check the following items:
- Make sure that the rod that connects to the choke plates moves
freely. If it does not, you will need to remove the staked in cover from
the carburetor for further investigation. Be aware that a replacement
cover does not come in the rebuild kit. The full procedure for doing
this is described in the TSM so you will need to refer to it if you need
to do this.
- Make sure that the choke and throttle plates are not damaged (bent,
chipped, etc...). Replace them if they are damaged.
- Check the throttle and choke shafts for wear where they pass through
the carburetor body. The shafts should also be checked to ensure they
are not bent. Worn or damaged shafts will need to be replaced.
- Make sure that the throttle and choke shafts move freely and
smoothly in their bores. If the bores in the carburetor body are oval
shaped or there is a lot of slop in them and the shafts
are not damaged, you will either need to find a better carburetor body
or have bushings machined for yours.
- Inspect the fuel mixture screw for a bent tip, nicks, or groves. If
any of these exist, the screw will need to be replaced. The bore in the
carburetor body should also be inspected to make sure the hole the screw
seats into is undamaged. If it is damaged, the carburetor body will need
to be replaced.
- Check the carburetor body for cracks, a warped mounting flange, and
other damage. A slightly warped flange can be machined but any other
problems will require replacing the body.
You should also clean up the threads using a tap and die set to make sure
that they are all in good shape. Damaged threads can cause stripped holes or
make the carburetor very difficult to disassemble in the future.
Carburetor Assembly,
Last Updated
03/07/10 03:24:54 PM |