[Healeys] Carb Adjusting

[Patrick Yoas]

Carb Adjusting
This method was done by a British Car repair specialst in N. Kingston, RI back in the early seventies when I was stationed there while I was in the Navy. The place was ANR Sunoco and guy's name was "AL"(I wonder if he is still there??).

Warm up the engine & remove air-cleaners, etc.

Be sure oil is correct level & type in carbs.

Adjust air-flow(sync the carbs).
    Note: On BJ8 carbs, HD8's and probably the HD6's, they must "hiss" and this is due to the "slow run valve adjustment". Al used to like to crack the butterflies open a "sckosh" as he reffered to it!!
Separate the connecting linkages between the carbs.

Adjust the idle up on the carb you're doing first while taking a screw driver in lifting the piston up on the other carb. This effectively "shuts off" that carb. This is important!

Connect a very good quality external tach and psoition it so you can see rpm's while adjusting the carbs. Don't use the cheap jumping all over the place types.

With the engine running at a fast idle about 1000 or 1200 rpms(gauge error factored), lift up the piston on the carb you are adjusting about a 1/16" with a screw driver. Observe the idle...if correct mixture, you will observe a small rise and then a small fall off. If too lean of a mixture, the engine speed will drop off instead of increasing. The opposite for too rich. There's a book on adjusting carbs that shows the engine speeds while doing this(I can't find it right now), and I have actually seen the engine speed per book diagrams.

When finished with this carb, shut it off and adjust the other carb the same way.

After mixtures are correct, hook-up the connecting linkages between the carbs.

You should have engine valves, dwell, etc. correct befor doing carbs. Be sure you dwell isn't jumping all over the place too(worn dizzy shaft).
Patrick
Bj8