Can you guys help me figure out what's going on with my crazy truck?

[HAULIN IT]

Team, It sounds to me that you have several problems. When the carb/carbs flood the engine...do they all pour the gas out the vents? Is this DP pouring gas out both the front & back vent? If so, I would question the accuracy of the pressure gauge or the "pepper" stuff in the carb you mentioned about the other day. I question what it is & where it's comming from. This might explain why your friend's carb worked at first, then when it got some of this "pepper" in it & then started sticking the needle? Are you still finding this stuff in the bowls? I agree with the others about the misting/coughing fuel out the carb as it stalls, sounds like a timing problem. Lorne

[team39763]

Sometimes the gas comes out through the boosters, and sometimes it shoots out through the vents or both.  The pressure gauge is one of those summit liquid filled ones(the small one)placed 8" from the regulator, but I was told to drain the liquid, so I did.  I'm going to check out the regulator in the morning.  How big of dirt does it take to affect the needle?  I'm going to figure out the pepper source in the morning...I'm taking the entire fuel system apart for cleaning.
  Maybe the misting was due to all the raw fuel left in the intake?  Is it possible that the trails of raw fuel were slightly ignited?

[team39763]

Why would my pressure gauge not read right?  It's setup like this - regulator, then to a inline filter, then pressure gauge, then to fuel log/carb.  I'll try like vile said and put the gauge as close as possible to the regulator.  Should I refill the gauge with liquid?

[VileZambonie]

why did you drain the gauge? I have a summit liquid filled gauge on my regulator too. What do you have for a fuel pump? You can also install a vacuum pressure gauge to verify it's accuracy.

[team39763]

A few guys on a different message board said to drain it so it would be more accurate...it didn't make sense to me, but I was really "new" at that time so I believed them.  I have a mallory 110 electric pump and mallory 4309 regulator.  I'll try the vacuum gauge on there and see what it says.

[team39763]

I still haven't had much time to mess with the truck.  But I tried removing the carb from the motor but leaving it hooked up to the fuel lines so I can test it without losing a whole'nother gallon of gas in the motor.  I removed the set screw from the regulator like the directions mentioned for testing.  It said pressure should be no more than 3psi like that, and mine came out to 2.  I adjusted the floats dry and set them to be as low as possible, but the float level was still a little high...especially considering that there was such little pressure.  I'm thinking once I set the pressure to 6, it'll fill the bowls again., but the only gas leaks I had this time were from the set screws above the needles.  I already ordered new needles/seats, gaskets, and screws.  I have a hard time believing that the gauge is wrong, but I'll check it.  The source of the pepper seems to be from the threads of all my fittings after the filter.  I'm going out there right now to try the vacuum gauge on there.

[team39763]

I tried the vacuum gauge and it read 1psi higher than the gauge, but theres a filter before my FP gauge so maybe that dropped the pressre a little.  Anyway, I set the floats at both extremes and both times it did almost the same thing.  With them all the way in, the float level was too high and fuel sprayed out the adjustment nut.  Then with them adjusted out a good bit, the fuel level went past the sight holes and started coming out throught the vents and the adjustment nut.  The fuel pressure was at 3 or less the whole time.  I tried adjusting the needle all the way in(lowest float seting), and I removed the sight glass...so I could do it like the holley book says.    All it did was make a nice steady stream of fuel pour out the hole.
  I'm stumped and not really sure what to do with the truck at this point.  I was going to just part it out, but wife says to just crush the whole thing.  We already found another truck for me that already runs.  But I'd like to figure this out before we give up for good.  Anymore suggestions?

[VileZambonie]

Just slap on a new carb! Don't give up!

[team39763]

Well, I went out there again...determined to get it right and it worked.  I don't know what exactly fixed it, but it should run fine when my new gaskets get here.  I'll see if I can sell my carbs and buy one new one.

[team39763]

Just an update.  I got it running again.  It's running a bit rough, probably from all the excess gas still in there along with the fouled plugs.  I'm planning to pick up some new plugs and more oil this week. Thanks for all the help and suggestions.  I hope this time it'll run good enough that we can take some video of it.

[eventhorizon66]

New carb?

[team39763]

Na, LOL...not yet.  I just can't get myself to spend the money on a new carb just yet.  I'm convinced that I'd still be in the same boat even with a new carb.  I think I'm gonna continue to make my rookie mistakes on this carb and this motor, that way I don't mess up some really nice/expensive parts later.

[eventhorizon66]

So you're still not sure what fixed it huh?  Maybe it was that swift kick you gave the tire.  I know my truck really shapes up after a good beating.

[team39763]

I followed up on most of the suggestions posted.  I just need to get the compression test done aswell as order the right timing chain.  I was just about to go out there and install the new needles/seats, but I don't think I should be running it with the plugs fouled like this and the oil contaminated with so much gas....or does it not make a difference?  I'm tired of changing plugs and oil.  That's 21 times that it's fouled the plugs and this will be the 8th oil change which is rediculous for a truck that's been driven less than 50 miles.  Hopefully this next set will be the last one.
LOL...I've been holding back from inflicting damage on my truck out of frustration.  Maybe it was my 2yo daughter...she said a little healing chant in spanish for my truck....something about "heal heal little tail of the frog"...I don't know the rest because she speaks more spanish than me.