DallasFC1

iTrader: (2)

I followed the "How to strip a stock Nikki" tutorial and now I flat out can't get the car to start... I can pour gas into it and get it to fire up for about 2 seconds at a time.

Choke butterfly and choke rod removed as per tutorial, I also removed the butterfly IN the intake manifold itself.

Prior to stripping the carb would not idle unless choked...

Any thoughts?

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

Which tutorial did you follow? Post a link to it. Did you mess with your floats at all? Are you positive that you capped or epoxied all of the extra holes and nipples closed? There is also a chance that the needle seats are stuck maybe? Just some ideas to get started.

Jamie

DallasFC1

iTrader: (2)

I did not take the carb apart. Only removed items from the exterior of the carb.
TPS, Altitude compensator, choke butterfly, choke rod, etc.

I did not mess with any internal items on the carb. I did clean it up very well while it was out with a soft bristle tooth brush and carb cleaner (B-12)


Capped all extra bungs/nipples with rubber vac caps of the proper size. Rats nest removed already, including A/C solenoid.

There is indeed good fuel flow, the bowls stay full and don't leak, etc. Just simply won't start. Prior to this it fired up every time with the choke, just would not idle without the choke.

Any ideas>?

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

The bowls are only supposed to get half full...

"Would not idle without the choke" indicates you were lean before, for some reason. Now that you've modded without resolving that issue, and removed the choke in the process, it's hard to know where you stand.

1) Can you smell fuel in from the exhaust after cranking a bit?

2) If you depower your fuel pump and crank for a bit, do the bowl levels drop?

If no, to one or both, odds are you have a fairly severe vac leak making you too lean - - not sucking fuel out of the carb fast enough, or admixing too much air.

Try choking the carb externally, by placing a stiff piece of material (make sure it's too big and strong to go down the throat!) most of the way blocking the primary throats. If it helps, you've got a lean mix condition needs straightening out.

Are you sure your secondaries are completely closed?

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

When you say you stripped down the carburetor, what exactly did you remove? The rat's nest? Or are you talking about actually stripping down the carb itself?

My guess is that you probably had crud built up in the carb, and when you started cleaning it, moving it around, you dislodged some of it. From there it probably clogged up the insides of your carb. The float bowls usually have a nice layer of gunk in them if you haven't freshened the carb up in a while. That crap could easily find its way into the carb if you happened to wake it from its slumber at the bottom of the float bowls.

I would say that at a minimum you need to open the carb up and at least clean out the jets, emulsion tubes, and other orifices. If you haven't rebuilt the carb, it's really hard to trouble shoot it and determine what your problem is. More than likely the problem is that the carb just needs a good internal cleaning and rebuild. You can go nuts looking for some small detail you missed, when what it might really need is a good freshening up.

Are you SURE you didn't leave a port or hole on the carb unplugged? There are lots of small holes that get exposed when you start yanking emissions crap off. There are several on the intake manifold also. There is at least one of the bottom, back side of the intake manifold I can remember that gets missed a lot. Check for vacuum leaks EVERYWHERE first. It really sounds like a vac leak or a dirty carb to me.

Jamie

82FanTC

iTrader: (9)

When you remove all the emissions equipment and don't use a choke any more people fail to realize that you need to pump the gas prior to starting the car. I would turn the key to "on", pump the gas a good 8-10 times, and crank her over with you foot on the gas just a bit. Your car should at least start if the carb is getting fuel and if you stay on the gas should stay running. After the car warms up you will have to fine tune the idle richness and throttle. If you can't get it to run you have a claug somewhere or a vacuum leak.

DallasFC1

iTrader: (2)

ok ill start with DD

Bowls get half full like normal

1) yes can smell fuel but not as rich as before
2) yes tried that i can unplug fuel pump and milk the bowls almost completely dry by pumping the throttle, when i run the pump it fills the bowls back up to normal levels

3) tried that too.. i reinstalled the choke rod with butterfly on it and choked it that way to see if that was the problem... with that back on the carb no start...

i am positive the secondaries are indeed closed

all unused vac nipples are properly plugged. all unused vac ports on the intake are properly plugged or plate installed (sealed) over them. 0.75" aluminum plating with black rtv sealant and a new rubber gasket.

I suspect no vac leaks there... I am leading myself to believe that im leaking at carb spacer or by cleaning the OUTSIDE (body) of the carb i uncovered a pinhole in a gasket somewhere that was previously sealed by road grime...


NOW for 82FanTC:

Yes. I indeed "pumped" the pedal to "Prime" the chamber before attempting to start. I also straight up poured gas down the carb after the pumping failed me... I got it to start, rev to 3k and immediately die...


OK ALL... NEXT SET OF IDEAS OR PLACES TO CHECK...

REMINDER
YES THE RATS NEST IS REMOVED

Thanks everybody.

coldy13

A vacuum leak large enough to make the engine not run at all is more than a pinhole, even with a couple lines disconnected it will still run, unless one of them is the brake booster line. It sounds like the problem is in the carb, something inside is clogged and the fuel isn't getting to the engine.

RustyRacer

Sounds a lot like my car did and still kinda does. I'm leaking at the carb spacer as well, but mine runs great once its started.


You need to check that the secondaries are closed, not assume.

You need to check every hose, I replaced the question mark and the brake booster line and got a new check valve for that as well.

Which nipples are plugged that shouldn't be? i.e. the distibutor, how is your crank case vent set up?

Check your pin hole on the spacer, it shouldn't have a gasket just the sealed plastic.

Check that your idle bolt is actually in, the reason the previous owner abandoned mine turned out the bolt was too far out and caused the door to basically shut. In fact just crank down on it try a quarter turn at a time until your car stays lit, then let it drop down, once its warmed up.

Check the tension on your gas cable.

Check that the accelerator pump is actually pumping evenly into the primaries.

Try removing your fuel pump and ignition fuses, and check your compression. You should hear 3 solid puffs.

If any of this helps, then your engine is like mine with very low compression. Best to let it live out its days and enjoy it while you can.

DallasFC1

iTrader: (2)

Secondaries are indeed closed.
All the caps are in place as they should be.

Idle bolt is ALLL the way in (clockwise, completely turned in)

Gas cable is fine.

Carb is pumping gas just fine.
I have good compression, ENGINE RAN FINE before the carb was touched.


This is so frustrating. I just need to know the recommended way to RESET A CARB to NORMAL then I can tune from there. I just need to figure out my weak points as of now.

Am I correct in saying this:
My leaks could come from: Spacer, gaskets on the carb, or intake manifold..:Wco nfused

Keeble

iTrader: (3)

you said you removed the butterfly in the manifold, did you plug all of those holes with some sort of epoxy?

MountainScreamer

At this point I would just rebuild the carb. It cant hurt anything and more than likely would help.
Its not rocket science and would take just a day at most, including a 2 hour nap

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

You need to actually check for vacuum leaks instead of visually inspecting stuff. Just because you have something capped or clamped, doesn't mean that it's not leaking. Get a can of carb cleaner, the kind that comes with the little red straw. While the engine is running, spray carb cleaner on the hoses and gaskets to check for vacuum leaks. If you have a leak, you'll hear the idle speed increase when you spray it. This is due to the engine sucking carb cleaner in thru your leak. This is one of the best ways to check for vac leaks.

Did you remove the gaskets from the black carb spacer and replace them? Just a thought. You aren't supposed to, they are permanent gaskets.

Jamie

orion84gsl

iTrader: (5)

^ The problem is he can't get the car running long enough to do that. Sounds to me like it's not getting any fuel from the bowls except through the accelerator pump. Check out www.sterlingmetlaworks.com. You may be able to find some other ideas in the troubleshooting section there, although it seems like all the bases have been covered by these guys.