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Carburetor troubles

To: spridgets <spridgets@Autox.Team.Net>, mgs <mgs@Autox.Team.Net>
Subject: Carburetor troubles
From: "William M. Gilroy" <wmgilroy@lucent.com>
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 09:57:31 -0400
Organization: Lucent Technologies
Reply-to: "William M. Gilroy" <wmgilroy@lucent.com>
Sender: owner-spridgets@Autox.Team.Net
I have a 1977 Midget with a Zenith Stromberg (ZS) carburetor and an automatic
water choke.  The carburetor was rebuilt but I still have the following
problems:

        1.  Car will not start without start fluid
        2.  The one time it did start it idled rough and wanted to stall.  Once
            it was warm it idled at about 2100 RPM.

Last night I was going to look at the idling problem and I could not get the 
car started.  If I used starting fluid, it would run for several seconds then
stall.  This leads me to believe that the engine is not getting enough gas.
If this is the case could I have assembled the choke unit incorrectly, where
it is not choking the engine when it is cold, but doing it when it is hot?
In any case I am at a complete loss of where to start in trouble shooting this
problem. How do I tell if it dying due to a lack of fuel, or not running 
due to too much fuel.  

>From what I can tell the needle and the kick vacuum in the choke unit are
not user serviceable.  If they fail you have to replace the choke housing.
The cost of that unit is about $130.00 US.  If it turns out that that has 
to be replaced I will probably bit the bullet and replace the carburetor
with a Weber DVM, which is about $490.00 US.  If I have to 
replace the unit I was leaning toward a Weber with a manual choke and then
I would add the choke to my Midget.  Is there any reason why I would want
to keep the water choke, or not move to a manual choke?

Any help, tips, pointers would be appreciated.

-- 
William M. Gilroy
77 Midget, which I thought would be on the road this week :-(
E-mail:    wmgilroy@lucent.com
Telephone: 732-957-4775
Fax:       732-957-4775

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