Carb Spacer / Carb Questions

85_Ranger4x4 · Jul 31, 2008

I tried to put a 2100 carb on my Ranger, and had to machine out the holes on the stock carb spacer to fit the bigger carburator, actually now they match the size of the ports on the intake manifold and gaskets (they were smaller). With that carburator it wouldn't idle that well, so I figure no big deal, I will just stick the old feedback 2150 back on since it did run halfway decent with it before.

I put it back on and it is more of the same, but not quite as bad as with the 2100. Cold it acts like it runs out of gas, if you catch it with the pedal it pauses before it revs up. When you save it, it kind of reminds me of a bad accelerator pump where it kind of boggs before it snaps out of it, but the accelerator pump shouldn't cause it to fall on its face just idling to start with.

Once it gets warmed up it will idle as long as you want to, but not cold. And the choke does work.

My theory is that somehow, with the bigger bores (about 1/8" bigger) it can't keep the fuel suspended as well at low RPM, and when the choke pulls off it is getting more air and less fuel so isn't as big of an issue. Sound plausible to anyone else? Parts joints want $20 for another spacer, just want to check before I get one. I have been tolerating it for a couple months, and I am thinking about taking it to a car show and if I do I want it to run decent.

It is really irritating because it took my about 3 hours to machine the spacer out, whatever material it was made out of was taking teeth off of my rotory file...

Big Jim M · Jul 31, 2008

Nope!

85_Ranger4x4 said:
I tried to put a 2100 carb on my Ranger, and had to machine out the holes on the stock carb spacer to fit the bigger carburator, actually now they match the size of the ports on the intake manifold and gaskets (they were smaller). With that carburator it wouldn't idle that well, so I figure no big deal, I will just stick the old feedback 2150 back on since it did run halfway decent with it before.

I put it back on and it is more of the same, but not quite as bad as with the 2100. Cold it acts like it runs out of gas, if you catch it with the pedal it pauses before it revs up. When you save it, it kind of reminds me of a bad accelerator pump where it kind of boggs before it snaps out of it, but the accelerator pump shouldn't cause it to fall on its face just idling to start with.

Once it gets warmed up it will idle as long as you want to, but not cold. And the choke does work.

My theory is that somehow, with the bigger bores (about 1/8" bigger) it can't keep the fuel suspended as well at low RPM, and when the choke pulls off it is getting more air and less fuel so isn't as big of an issue. Sound plausible to anyone else? Parts joints want $20 for another spacer, just want to check before I get one. I have been tolerating it for a couple months, and I am thinking about taking it to a car show and if I do I want it to run decent.

It is really irritating because it took my about 3 hours to machine the spacer out, whatever material it was made out of was taking teeth off of my rotory file...

Agreed you have a problem...But it ain't the size of the plate holes. One hole the size of the bottom of the carb will suffice.
I don't know what you have done wrong but enlarging the size of the holes didn't do whatever it is that is making the thing run badly.
From your description My first thought is the choke is too tight. And you are getting too much fuel for the amount of air the choke is allowing to pass.
One would have to adjust the choke to a LESS choke position to check out this theory.
The fact that it runs good when hot prolly means look to the choke.
Big Jim :wub:

85_Ranger4x4 · Jul 31, 2008

That makes sense too, I will have to give that a look, but I didn't change any settings from before... aside from removing the stuck open EGR valve that had a really bad leak around the base. I bet they had the choke set tight to compensate for the egr leak. Whoever the numnut was that had it off before didn't use the less than $1 gasket (from Ford) when they put it back on or even the blue silicone they were so fond of, the entire base of it was black when I took it off.

I had pulled the choke assembly off of my 2150 and put on the 2100, so I bet that was a carryover problem from before.

The thing that had me nervous was that both carbs (the 2100 had bigger plates that hit the spacer though) all the gaskets and the intake manifold had bigger holes than the spacer, and once the spacer was enlarged it didn't work right so I was wondering if there was a reason Ford made the spacer smaller, but I didn't even think about the egr hitting the trash can in the mean time.

Big Jim M · Jul 31, 2008

Ya know some of those 2100's have screw hwads hanging down on the bottom of the base that were meant to overhang the intake manifold.. If you have a plate on there I would assume the plate is wider than the manifold and those screws (if your carb has them) would cause the carb to be LIFTED a small amount and the result is air comes under the carb..causing bad idle problems.. In the past I have filed off a bit of the plate when installing certain 2100 carbs with a plate under them...this gets the carb to work as built.
Big JIm

85_Ranger4x4 · Jul 31, 2008

No plate under the carb, but the throttle plates were hitting the stock spacer which is why I hogged it out.

85_Ranger4x4 · Aug 3, 2008

Well it had warmed up enough for the choke to open all the way up by the time I got it out of its shed to the front of the garage to work on it. I could hold the choke plate as far shut as it would go and it wouldn't effect how it ran, it would still do its 200 RPM hunt and would want to stall going to gear the same as normal with the choke either way.

Kind of suspecting the intake manifold gaskets but that is a can of worms I don't feel worth opening... I just need to get going on the 289 so I can rid myself of the possesed piece of junk.

James Denton · Aug 14, 2008

you can put a 2bbl to 4bbl adapter on it and run a 390 HOLLEY 4 BBL it will run great

85_Ranger4x4 · Aug 14, 2008

James Denton said:
you can put a 2bbl to 4bbl adapter on it and run a 390 HOLLEY 4 BBL it will run great

I think my problem is the intake manifold seal, a bigger carb won't help that. This engine is a basketcase, once you start on something like that I don't think you could stop... I am just going to tolerate it until I get my 289 done.

James Denton · Aug 15, 2008

I understand the v8 will be the way to go.I have built the 2.8 just to see what it would do.You can spend half the money on a v8 and be better off.

85_Ranger4x4 · Aug 15, 2008

James Denton said:
I understand the v8 will be the way to go.I have built the 2.8 just to see what it would do.You can spend half the money on a v8 and be better off.

If I had a manual transmission I wouldn't mind going thru it, but if I am swapping a tranny AND rebuilding an engine, I am going down a different road.

I love the 2.8's simple design, personally it is my favorite RBV engine.

CRAZ28 · Sep 9, 2008

I had the same problem with my stock carb on my 2.8, I took it to the mechanic and he simply answered rebuild it or replace it. So thats when I started the whole duraspark conversion with the Holley 350 carb

85_Ranger4x4 · Sep 9, 2008

CRAZ28 said:
I had the same problem with my stock carb on my 2.8, I took it to the mechanic and he simply answered rebuild it or replace it. So thats when I started the whole duraspark conversion with the Holley 350 carb

I went through the carb a couple years ago, it worked ok (as good as a unplugged stock carb can) until I tried to put a different non feedback carb on it. That didn't work (it was kind of doing the same thing as it is now) so I tried to go back to what worked before and it no longer works either.

CRAZ28 · Sep 9, 2008

hows the timing, and has it been tuned up lately?

85_Ranger4x4 · Sep 10, 2008

It got a new Duraspark ignition system a year ago, the first thing I did was throw a set of plugs in it when it started this and it didn't help. The plug wires are a couple years old.

It ran as good as it ever has (not all that great but tolerable) until I started playing with the carburator.

Carb Spacer / Carb Questions

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