3.0L engine swap

[Ron]

Car still shakes like a leaf in the wind.

If you pulled the plugs one at a time and it acted normal, put a vacuum gauge on it...

[Farrar]

Per y'all's suggestions, I had a look in the fuel bowl. It's pretty nasty in there.

sediment1.jpg

sediment2.jpg

I'll check back in when I've cleaned it.

[opethmike]

I'd strongly consider taking the carb completely off the car and cleaning out all of the passages. Several times.

[Farrar]

I'd strongly consider taking the carb completely off the car and cleaning out all of the passages. Several times.

Gonna do that on Monday.

Also, considering that the spark plugs keep getting darker and darker, I wonder if some of the sediment I have seen may have prevented the power valve from closing all the way. So I'm going to flip the carb over and pull that out in the process of cleaning. (Or maybe just replace it - the whole kit is only $20.)

[opethmike]

Would you be comfortable with rebuilding the carb entirely?

[Farrar]

Would you be comfortable with rebuilding the carb entirely?

I don't see why not. I found a few how-to videos on YouTube and it looks like it would be pretty simple.

[opethmike]

I'd go ahead and do it then. Shouldn't take more than an a few hours after a good overnight soak in some kind of cleaner.

[DMC-81]

Agreed. A few tips:

- keep an organized work area on a light colored surface (so that you can see any small parts).
- take your time
- lay out the parts and take notes on where they go and their orientation if you don't have a rebuild manual or a detailed video.
- use compressed air to ensure the passages are clean
- be surgically clean overall
-you can get couple spray cans of carberator cleaner for around $2 at Walmart or an Auto Parts store.

I rebuilt a couple carberators years ago ( not your model mind you...mine were a 750 cfm Rochester Quadrajet and a 650 cfm Holley "Double Pumper" ) and I found when they are rebuilt and adjusted correctly, they perform just like new.

Good luck with the job.

[dn010]

You might also consider a new fuel filter before your next run. If this is the Motorcraft 5200 carb, I have a clean main body (bare) and possibly other parts for it if you want them-I'd be glad to ship them off to you, I have a variety of carbs that have been sitting on my shelf for years that I have no use for.

[Farrar]

I already have a spare fuel filter. It's going to replace the one I pulled off of the carburetor today. When I tipped the fuel filter over, it became apparent to me that the filter is catching quite a lot of gunk (but obviously not all of it).

When I removed the power valve cover, fuel poured out. Looks like the vacuum diaphragm failed.

A leaky power valve sure could explain why I had such difficulty setting the idle mixture, why the engine smoothed out at high RPMs, and why I was getting awful fuel economy. It also explains why the spark plugs were getting darker and darker every time I looked at them.

A new power valve has arrived in the mail, but the gasket for the cover is part of the carburetor rebuild kit, which hasn't.

By the way: the power valve that I removed from the carburetor was stamped "7.5" for 7.5 inches of mercury. The replacement is supposed to be the same spec, but there's no number stamped on it. I guess I will just have to trust that it opens at the right vacuum...