Carburetor Theory

Paul Crovella
AGEN 220
 Variable Venturi or “slide”
carburetors
 The goal of providing
the stochiometric ratio,
(14.7:1) is tempered with
the goal of providing
extra fuel to cool (by
evaporation) the engine.
 Carburetor tuning must
be done to provide max
power without
overheating the 2 stroke
engine.
 VM Carburetor
 Slide carburetor provides
smoother variation and
better adjustment than a
throttle plate carburetor.
 VM is a Mikuni round
slide carburetor.
 Various circuits control
fuel and air flow for
different conditions
 Starting, (idle) pilot, and
main
 Integrated carburetor systems
 The carburetor has
multiple adjustments for
different throttle
positions;
 0-1/4 Pilot jet
 1/8--1/2 Throttle cutaway
1/8
 ¼-3/4 Jet needle (clip)
 ¼-3/4 Needle jet
 ½-Full Main jet
 ½-Full Air adjustment
screw
 ½-full Power jet (optional)
 Starter Circuit
 Mini- slide carburetor
Mini-
used for starting
 “Choking” the
carburetor actually opens
plunger to allow gas flow
 Gas is drawn from the
bottom of the bowl
through a starter jet
 Air is drawn from in
front of the slide
Starter circuit
 Starter Circuit
 Starter can only function when slide is closed
and vacuum is high
 Starter jet may need to be changed if using a
snowmobile carb on a motorcycle, or vice-
vice-versa
 Plunger positions – Open (choked), half-
half-open,
closed
 Starter circuit can be used to enrichen mixture at
other times to check carburetor problems.
 Pilot circuit
 Used at idle to ¼ throttle
 Gas flow is controlled by
pilot jet size, this jet is the
first to plug if gas thickens
 Air flow is controlled by air
adjustment needle
 At idle, air flows in at 5 to
further mix with fuel
 At just off idle, mixed fuel-
fuel-
air flows out at both 6 and
5
 Pilot Circuit
 Stumble coming off idle
indicates plugged pilot jet
or air screw too tight
 Idle speed controlled by
a separate screw that
determines how tightly
the slide closes.
 Slides with different
shape cutouts are also
sold for tuning
applications.
 Mid range operation
 ¼ to ¾ operation is
controlled by needle jet
and jet needle. As slide
pulls up the long tapered
needle is drawn out of
needle jet.
 The air jet controls the
air bled in to atomize the
fuel.
 The main jet is so large
that it does not limit flow
 Mid range operation
 Both needle jet and jet
needles can be changed,
as can the position of the
clip on the end of the
needle.
 Needles can have up to
four different tapers on
them for different
performance throughout
the slide travel.
 Tuning
 Simple tuning can begin
with moving the needle
up or down one clip
position. This can be
done before changing
needles or needle jets.
 Any tuning adjustments
should be made by
stepping jets up or down
one size at a time.
 Full throttle operation
 At ¾ to full throttle, the
needle is so far removed
from the needle jet, that
it no longer limits flow.
 At this throttle range, the
main jet limits gas flow.
 Air jet limits air flow.
 Always jet main rich and
work down.
 Air jet is typically not
changed
 Power jets
 Not found on all carbs – Provides richer mix at top end
 Jetting adjustments
 To make proper
carburetor adjustments
the mixture ratio at each
range will have to be
determined. There are
various methods:
 Plug reading – plug chop
 Piston wash
 Pyrometer readings
 Condition corrections
 Exhaust sound
 Plug Reading – Plug Chop
 To get an accurate read of
the condition, perform a
“plug chop”
 Install a new plug
 Warm engine up
 Run engine at selected throttle
setting for 30 seconds – 1
minute.
 Cut ignition and
simultaneously close-
close-off carb
 Study insulator down toward
the base of the insulator,
insulator, not
on the tip!
 Appearance of tip better for
determining detonation
Plug appearance
 Center electrodes
 Another valuable indicator on the
spark plug is the center firing
electrode; as the plug color starts to
lighten up when properly jetted,
the center firing electrode will start
to have a “silver” tip, or crown. As
the mixture becomes leaner, this
silver crown will start to creep
down the side of the electrode; this
is your target. This metallic
appearance on the end of the
electrode should not extend any
further than 1/4 - 1/3 of the way
down the tip. Many tuners are
happy with the margin afforded by
simply seeing the silver tip; then
they’re close enough for trail riding
with a bit of margin to spare.
 Side electrode
 The ground electrode is also
an indicator; on many
engines you will see a
“shadow” (darker area) just
up to the radius (bend) that
will usually coincide with the
color and firing electrode
appearance. If this shadow is
further down the ground
strap towards the plug
threads, you’re likely too lean.
If this dark shadow is all the
way across the strap to the
center of the plug, you’re too
rich.
 NGK plug numbering system
 The plug heat range can be
adjusted to keep a plug tip clean, or
avoid detonating on an engine that
otherwise has the right mixture.
 For NGK and most foreign
manufacturer’s spark plugs there is
a simple rule of thumb:Low heat
rating number (for inst. BP4ES)
"Hot spark plug".high heat intake
due to long insulator tip.
 .High heat rating number (for inst.
BP8ES) "Cold spark plug".Low
heat intake, due to short insulator
tip.
 For Champion and most domestic
manufacturer’s spark plugs (e.g. in
ATVs, the numbering is opposite.
 Piston reading

 Normally done for an engine that has been run for ¼

mile at constant speed. By looking down the spark plug
hole with piston at BDC, a clear look at the top of the
piston can determine how much carbon is left. A ½”
ring of wash (clean) is “normal”, typically a little
variation at transfer and exhaust ports will be noted.
 Exhaust gas pyrometers
 Uses the Exhaust
temperature as a check on
mixture, and relative changes,
not for baseline tuning.
Thermocouples are typically
installed permanently 5-
5-10”
from exhaust port and they
must be centered in pipe.
Manufacturers will often give
you an exact location.
 Interpreting EGT values
 Each gauge is used for
relative readings
 Guidelines
 Below 1100 – Rich
 1200--Ideal
1200
 Above 1250 Lean
Changing a Mikuni
carburetor jet one size will
cause about a 50 degree
temperature change
 Relative Air Density correction
 Once an ideal jetting has
been developed for one
condition, it will need to be
corrected for changing
environmental conditions:
 Temperature (Loss of 2% per
10 degree F increase)
 Altitude (loss of 3.5% per
1000’ increase)
 Barometric pressure
 Relative Humidity – Moist air
is less dense
 Relative Air density calculations
 Calculating Air Density
 Air density is expressed in units of mass per unit volume, in this case kg/m3. The
formula for this calculation is derived from basic physics.
 Air Density (kg/m3) = 1.2929 * (273.13/(T+273.13)) * ((P- ((P-MN*RH)/760)
 Simplified = 0.46464*(P-
0.46464*(P-MN*RH)/(T+273.13)
 where
 T = temperature in Celsius
 P = barometric pressure in mm of mercury
 MN = moisture number from the following chart - include chart
 RH = relative humidity, expressed as a decimal (0.55, not 55%)
 For example:
 T = 13C
 P = 770 mmHg
 MN per the chart for 13C is 11.24
 RH = .21 (21%)
 Air Density = 1.25 kg/m3
 Relative air density use
 In simple form, the change in relative air density
corresponds to the change in jet size.
 e.g. – If relative air density goes from 100 to 103 (a 3 %
change) the jet size should increase by 3%. If you are using a
300 jet, the new jet size will be (300 x 1.03) = 309. Since jets
only come in multiples of 5, you could use a 310.
 Jetting changes in direct proportion to changes in absolute temp on
the Rankine scale (460 + Farenheit temp)
 Jetting changes only 70% as much as absolute barometric pressure
changes. This is due to the fact that the bowl is vented, and less
pressure is exerted on the gas in the bowl as well
 Hex head jets are marked in area, round head jets in diameter.
 Every change of 3 on a RAD gauge, changes the main jet one size
 Correcting jet size for RAD
 For instance, if you get the jetting perfect at AD = 1.05 and the
air density changes to 1.08, you know that you will need to go up
at least one size. If it goes from 1.05 to 1.06, is it time to change
a jet or not? This is why you need to check all the way through
the range. I know that for my bike, AD = 1.03-1.03-1.05 is one jet
size and 1.06-
1.06-1.08 is the next size up. In the above example, I
would have known to go up one size. If it had gone up to 1.08
and looked like it was going to continue rising, I would go up
two sizes.
 Engine sound
 An engine running way
too rich will “four cycle”
or miss ignition on every
other stroke.
 An engine running way
too lean will be running
very fast and not return
to idle
 TM Carburetor
 TM is a flat slide carb
 Less disruption of air
flow in venturi gives
carbs better response and
power.
 Rack mounted for twins
and triples reduce
throttle effort, and are
held in synchronization
 Circuits similar to VM
 Mikuni CV Carb
 Used on four strokes,
this is a “Constant
Velocity” or “Constant
Vacuum” carb.
 Butterfly throttle is
combined with a slide to
give the carb good
response to quick
throttle opening.
 Butterfly controlled by
operator, Slide is
controlled by vacuum
 CV Carb Operation
 Operator controls butterfly
from idle to ¼ throttle,
during this slide is held ¼
open
 Past ¼ throttle, the engine
vacuum is applied to the
slide, and the slide movement
is controlled by vacuum
 Slide will not open until
sufficient engine vacuum has
been developed.
 Opening throttle quickly will
not produce “flat spot”
 Setting Idle speed too high
will cause carburetor to
“hang”, or not return to idle
 Carburetor size
 Carburetor size must be  Carburetor Throttle
matched to flow for Bore Diameter
displacement and rpms  D = K x SQRT( C x N )
that engine is used.  D is throttle bore
Changing either will diameter, in millimeters
require an adjustment to
the carburetor to match.  K is a constant ( approx.
0.65 to 0.9, derive from
existing carburetor bore)
 C is cylinder
displacement, in liters
 N is RPM at peak power
 Tuned intake
 Intake (airbox) can also  Resonance Effects
be “tuned” to match  F = Vs / 2¼ * the square
resonance of intake with root of A / Vc (L + 1/2 the
peak power band. square root of ¼ A
 Vs is the sonic speed
Usually about 1100 ft/sec)
 A is the cross-
cross-sectional area
of the inlet
 L is the inlet pipe length
 Vc is the flask (crankcase)
volume
 Ignition safety
 To avoid having the slides
freeze open and customer
stuck on a runaway sled, the
safety switch on the side of
carb measures a magnet on
the slide to be sure the slide
closes when throttle is
released.
 When replacing throttle
cable, BE SURE TO SET
FREE PLAY or engine may
not start