INDEX

1 CARBURETOR: BASIC PRINCIPLES

THE VENTURI AND THE AIRFLOW CONTROL

7

13 THE IDLE CIRCUIT AND THE PROGRESSION

19 THE MAIN CIRCUIT

25 THE CARBURETOR:THE ADDITIONAL SYSTEMS

31 THE VACUUM CARBURETOR

THIS MANUAL HAS BEEN WRITTEN IN CO-OPERATION WITH THE MAGAZINE

 CARBURETOR:
BASIC PRINCIPLES
This article will discuss a very interesting subject: the operation and adjustment of
different types of carburetors used on motorcycles.

O
tto cycle engines used to
power both two and four
stroke motorcycles are
fed with fuel (normal gasoline,
special gasolines for some com-
petition needs or, in some un-
common cases, methyl and/or
ethyl alcohol), which is suffi-
ciently volatile and has ignition
properties which allow it to be
premixed with the combustion
air before the combustion is ini-
tiated by the spark plug. On the
other hand, in Diesel cycle engi-
nes, the fuel is less volatile and
has ignition properties which
require that it be mixed with air
only inside the combustion
chamber, where the pressure
and temperature conditions are
such to induce natural ignition.
For this reason, the power
delivery of diesel engines may
be adjusted by fuel delivery alo-
ne, without the need to control
the airflow.
In Otto cycle engines, when the
fuel is pre-mixed with the air, it
is necessary to control the air-
flow and therefore, indirectly,
the fuel flow. In automobile en-
gines, fuel injection systems are
used in most models, controlled
by a central unit that adjusts
the duration of time during
which the injectors remain open
to deliver fuel into the air
stream. As everyone knows, ana-
logous systems have been adop-
ted on some high range mo-
torcycle engines. In most cases,
however, carburetors are widely
used, where the fuel is introdu-
ced according to the vacuum ge-
nerated on various systems of
fuel jets. The carburetor is the-
refore designed to perform three

1
On the right, the main components of a
Dell'Orto motorcycle carburetor are shown:
1. starting lever; 2. air intake; 3. venturi; 4.
starter jet; 5. float chamber; 6. atomizer; 7. fuel
valve; 8. needle; 9. throttle valve; 10. float
chamber air intake; II. fuel connection; 12. Idle
mixture adjusting screw; 13. throttle valve adju-
sting screw; 14. float; 15. idle emulsion tube,
16.idle jet; 17. main jet.

This is a diagram of the gasoline delivery in the

inducted airflow: the fuel inside the float cham-
ber rises in the atomizer (31), going through the
jet (32) which adjusts the delivery together with
the needle (28); the liquid is emulsified first
with the air arriving from the channel (13) insi- basic functions:
1. to control the power delive-
de the nozzle (30) then going into the venturi
red by the engine, adjusting the
(29) it mixes with the air coming from the in- airflow inducted according to
driver demand.
take (1). 2. to meter the fuel flow into
the inducted air stream, while
keeping the air/fuel ratio in the
optimum range over the engi-
ne's entire working range.
3. to homogenize the air and
fuel mixture in order to make
the ignition and combustion
proceed properly.

THE MIXTURE RATIO

The air/fuel ratio (A/F) is the ratio
between the air and fuel mass in-
ducted by the engine. It is defined
as:

A/F = Mair/Mfuel

If we consider this ratio from a che-

mical point of view, the value of the
stoichiometric A/F ratio is the one
that allows complete combustion,
without
leaving either excess air (lean mixtu-
res) or unburned fuel (rich mixtures)

Stoichiometric A/F
The stoichiometric A/F ratio de-
pends on the fuel type. For commer-
cial gasoline this varies from about
14.5 to 14.8, meaning that 14.5-
14.8 pounds of air are needed for
the complete combustion of 1

2
The fuel mixes with the air inducted by the engine by means of different circuits according to the throttle opening. Here above on
the left hand side, we can see the operation at idle, with the liquid that is metered by the jet (18) and arrives in the fuel trap (22)
before it emulsifies with the air arriving from the channel (16) and adjusted by the screw (17). This emulsion goes under the th-
rottle valve (12) and into the aspiration channel (13) from the ports (19 and 20). On the right hand side, the same carburetor at
wide open throttle with the fuel flow adjusted by the main jet (28) that it emulsifies with the air (24) in the atomizer (27) before
exiting from the nozzle (26).

A modern needle type carburetor (Dell'Orto VHSB) is equipped Section of the fuel feed circuit in a Dell'Orto VHSB carburetor: 1.
with different circuits with relevant calibration jets to assure pro- Fuel line from the tank; 2. Screen filter; 3 fuel valve seat; 4 valve
per fuel delivery under all conditions. As we can see from the sec- needle; 5 float arm pin; 6. float holder on the arm; 7. float; 8.
tion diagram, each fuel circuit leads to the constant level float float driver; 9. float chamber air intake.
chamber.

3
On the left hand side above, the section of an annular float can be
seen here above, used on some types of carburetors: 1. Float cham-
ber air intake; 2. Float; 3. Fuel connection; 4. Fuel inlet channel; 5.
Valve needle. In the center, a detail of a removable Dell'Orto val-
ve; we can see that the synthetic rubber needle tip is a sprung type.
Below a detail of a fuel valve, machined directly in the carburetor's
body; in this case the needle is sprung.

pound of fuel. For engines powered

with methyl alcohol, this ratio de-
creases to 6.5 while for ethyl al-
cohol it is 9.

A/F ratio produced by the carburetor

The mixture delivered by the carbu-
retor during the engine's operation
doesn't necessarily correspond to a
stoichiometric A/F value. According
to the engine design and its opera-
ting conditions (r.p.m. and load) a
portion of the delivered fuel may
not be burned because it doesn't rea-
ch the combustion chamber or be-
cause the combustion itself is not
perfect. Some charge dilution can al-
so occur from residual exhaust gas
remaining in the cylinder, as well as
some loss of fresh charge at the
exhaust. These effects are particu-
larly sensitive in two stroke engines.
If we consider that the appropriate
A/F ratio must be that of the charge
taking part in the combustion, we
can assert that the mixture delivered
by the carburetor must be richer (A/F
< stoichiometric) to compensate the
above phenomena.

4
 Checking the position of the float inside the

float chamber is prescribed. According to diffe-

rent carburetor models, the distance of the float

from the contact surface of the float chamber

needs to be measured

A/F ratio requirement under different

conditions

The A/F ratio must vary within cer-

tain limits, depending on the engi-
ne operating conditions. Generally
we can expect that the air/fuel mix-
ture must be richer (A/F lower) at
idle, in the acceleration mode, and
at full power. On the contrary, at
constant load the mixture may be
lean, meaning that the A/F ratio
can increase compared to the pre-
vious conditions. In two stroke en-
gines, the words "rich" and "lean"
referring to the mixture, have relati-
ve value under different specific
operating conditions of the engine,
and the stoichiometric mixture is
not often referred to, since in these
engines the mixtures are always ri-
cher that stoichiometric. This may
also be partially true in many four- float chamber fuel level and the le- float chamber level is affected by
stroke engines, but in general, these vel that the fuel must be raised to two elements: the weight of the
engines use leaner mixtures than by the inducing vacuum remains float (or of the floats) and the confi-
two stroke engines constant. The float chamber level is guration of the lever arm that con-
kept constant by means of a fuel in- nects the float with the valve. By
OPERATING PRINCIPLES OF THE let valve, actuated by a float that installing a heavier float, the free
BASIC CARBURETOR: THE FUEL follows free surface of the liquid in surface of the float chamber liquid
DELIVERY CIRCUITS the float chamber. When the float must rise before the float buoyancy
Liquid fuel is fed to the nozzle of chamber level drops, due the fuel force balances the increased weight
the carburetor venturi, and flows used by the engine, the float drops making the float rise. The result will
due to the vacuum generated by the and opens the valve, so that addi- be a higher float chamber level and
air flowing past the venturi itself, tional fuel can flow from the tank. a richer delivered mixture under the
and from airflow pulsations genera- The level of the fuel and float then same conditions. On the contrary if
ted by the piston movement. The increases, and at a certain point, we install a lighter float, a lower li-
calibrated jets placed upstream of closes the valve until the sequence quid level will cause sufficient
the spray nozzle itself control the is repeated. The level in the float buoyant force to actuate the valve
fuel flow reaching the spray nozzle. chamber is therefore a calibration and therefore the carburetor calibra-
Motorcycle carburetors are nearly element of the carburetor, since the tion will become leaner. That is
always of the needle type and have metered fuel delivery changes with why floats are classified according
a structural architecture as shown float level, and therefore affects the to their weight (printed on them)
in the accompanying illustrations. mixture ratio. By having a high and calibration standards for their
The fuel arriving from the tank is float level, a greater fuel quantity is position inside the float chamber
held inside a constant level float delivered compared to the case with are prescribed in order to assure
chamber. The liquid pressure head a low float level, under all operating correct operation. To modify the
on the various jets is relatively con- conditions and for all of the carbu- float chamber level, if necessary and
stant. The difference between the retor's circuits. Adjustment of the when it's not possible to change the

5
float weight, in some cases it's possi- the carburetor's body, forms the Carburetors can have different types of
ble to change the angle of the lever fuel valve. The needle is equipped flange connections to the engine,
that operates the valve. with a synthetic rubber element on according to their use. On the left we can
In this way, the float closes the val- the tip. see a flat flange with a seal O-ring; on
ve in advance (for a lower level) or This material is perfectly compati-
the right we see a male sleeve required for
later (for a higher level) at equal ble with normal commercial gasoli-
weight. ne but in the case of special fuels mounting inside a flexible coupling.
We must note, however, that too such as those containing alcohol, it
low a level in the float chamber can is necessary to verify the compatibi-
result in an insufficient liquid head lity of the fuel and the seals in or-
on the jets and therefore lead to the der not to compromise the carbure- engine suffers from reduced fuel de-
risk of dangerous enleanment of the tor's functionality. livery due to the fact that the level
delivered mixture. Different versions of the needles are in the float chamber is decreased
This can occur when the fuel moves equipped with a sprung tip in the and therefore the carburation has
inside the float chamber due to the connection with the float, in order become too lean.
accelerations the vehicle undergoes. to reduce the needle's vibration in-
In these cases (which mainly hap- duced by the motion of the liquid
pen on off-road motorcycles or on in the float chamber and from the
the track, in the bends or under vio- motorcycle's movements.
lent braking), if the level is too low, The diameter of the needle valve is
one of the jets leading to the carbu- a calibration element since it deter-
retor's circuits may be temporarily mines the maximum fuel delivery
exposed to air instead of liquid. rate.
In some versions, special screen baf- If the diameter is too small to ac-
fles are applied near the jets. commodate the fuel quantity that
These are called bottom traps and the engine requires under certain
their purpose is to maintain the conditions (generally at full load)
maximum liquid quantity around the float chamber empties faster
the jets under all possible condi- than it can be replenished through
tions. A needle that closes on a seat, the needle valve! If this condition
which is inserted or screwed into should continue for some time, the

6
THE VENTURI
AND THE AIRFLOW
CONTROL
Let's explain in detail the operation of a motorcycle's carburetor,
examining the relationships between the elements which regulate fuel delivery.

M
otorcycle carburetors are by the driver. We will talk about requirements, which must be
mainly needle type with these carburetors later on due to satisfied.
the air flow adjusted by their peculiar working features. For motorcycle engines, a separa-
means of a sliding valve that, de- te carburetor feeds each cylinder;
pending on the different versions, THE VENTURI therefore the problem of flow di-
can have a cylindrical or flat pro- The venturi is one of the elements stribution from a single carbure-
file. that define the carburetor, since a tor to different cylinders is
Even in vacuum carburetors, also basic dimension is the diameter of avoided.
called at constant speed, we find the venturi itself, generally ex- From a numerical point of view
such a valve that works together pressed in mm.The diameter choi- the critical dimensions are selec-
with the throttle valve actuated ce is strictly related to the engine ted

7
The venturi of the modern motorcycle carburetor is carefully developed to redu-

ce disturbances in the flow around the throttle valve and its seat.

On the left-hand side, we see the venturi fitted on a Dell'Orto VHSD carbure-

tor with two thin slits where the guillotine runs to adjust the airflow.

Below, left hand side the section of a VHSB carburetor where the reduced

thickness of the flat throttle is emphasized. On the right is the cylindrical valve

of a carburetor series PH, showing a dimension in the flow direction, higher

than in the first case. In both drawings we can see, under the venturis, the pas-

sages which lead to the idle and progression circuits, which we will discuss la-

ter in this article.

according to constructive practice

and from the experience accumu-
lated on a wide range of motorcy-
cles and engine types.
The diameter determination is
then made through tests on the
engine.
For instance, small two-stroke en-

8
gines used in cycles and scooters
are equipped with carburetors ha-
ving a venturi with a diameter
from 12 to 14mm.On 125cm 3 di-
splacement two stroke engines
used in competition, we use ven-
turis with diameters which can
vary from 36 up to 40 mm and
over, as is common on powerful
rotary valve units used in racing.
When performance is the main
consideration, the venturi diame-
ter determines the resistance that
the aspiration system (the carbu-
retor's venturi is part of this sy-
stem) offers to the aspirated flow.
Large diameter venturis obviously
introduce a lower resistance than
we usually have with smaller dia-
meter venturis, therefore in order
to improve the efficiency of this
component, inserts inside the
venturi itself are used, which eli-
minate steps and shape varia-
tions, while keeping the diameter
value.
The inserted venturis of Dell'Orto
VHSB series carburetors are shown
in the illustrations.
On the contrary, a venturi with
reduced diameter results in higher
air speed at an equal flow induc-

Shown above are two different shapes of the venturi's opening. On the

left we have the classic oval section while on the right the one called

"badge (shield)" which shows a smaller area portion on the lower side,

close to the small fuel ports that results in better modulation as requi-

red by some engine types.

Below, a comparison between a round piston throttle valve and a plane

valve, also called guillotine. In the center we have the guiding hole for

the conical needle.

9
Above, on the left: valves often have a hardened surface

with chrome plating in order to assure high resistance

to wear. The shape of both edges is very important to

assure there is no leakage when the valve is closed. On

the right is a valve introduced in the insert-venturi that

is assembled in the carburetor's body (Dell'Orto VHSB)

Below, the valve and spring assembly of a competition

Dell'Orto VHSD carburetor. The spring is of small di-

mensions, but sufficient to shut off the airflow, thanks

to the low friction of the sliding guillotine.

ted by the engine and, therefore,

results in a higher vacuum signal
on the nozzles which deliver the
fuel.
In some conditions and for engi-
nes that have to work over a wide
range of r.p.m., such a feature can
become very important, with less
consideration to the need for
lower resistance.
On this matter we can assert that
the power loss introduced by the
carburetor depends, in addition
to the diameter of its venturi, on
its profile in the direction of the
airflow.
Beyond the configuration of the
throttle valve area, the connec-
tions with the air intake and the
area downstream of the venturi,
where the carburetor connects
with the aspiration channel, are
very important.

THE SHAPE OF THE VENTURI

SECTION
Once the area is determined, ac-
cording to the supply require-
ments of the engine, there are de-
sign choices to be made on the
shape of the venturi section.
For competition engines or engi-
nes which have to offer high
performance without any particu-
lar concern regarding other opera-
ting modes, the most favorable
section with regard to power loss

10
 The throttle valve of "needle" carburetors has a chamfered ed-

ge (measured in tenths of mm: for example, .30) which in-

fluences the carburation at small throttle openings. A valve

with low chamfer (as above) enriches the mixture up to 1/4

throttle, while if the carburation is too rich, we can use a val-

ve with a higher chamfer (as below).

The influence of this calibration element is mainly in tran-

sient operation at small throttle openings and even limited

changes (i.e. from .30 to .40) may strongly influence the deli-

vered mixture.

is the round section, since it has

the minimum perimeter (at equal
areas) to resist inducted flow.
For engines which have to provi-
de a smooth modulation of
power, we use generally carbure-
tors with a venturi having an ex-
tended shape section, called
"oval" or even a more complex
shape such as the one Dell'Orto
engineers called "badge (shield)"
and which represents an evolu-
tion of the concept of the oval
section venturi. As we have seen,
a small diameter venturi improves
the engine's responsiveness, since
it keeps the flow velocity high.
An oval venturi presents a smaller
section, because it has a reduced
diameter when the throttle valve
is lifted slightly.
At small openings, then, the car- response which are necessary on very little clearance in a seat, ma-
buretor behaves as it had a redu- some kinds of engines with auto- chined into the carburetor's body.
ced diameter. matic transmissions. In other versions (Dell'Orto series
This provides a good solution to VH, where V means "valve") the
transient operation and wide THROTTLE VALVE element is plane, with driving
power range, and gives a good re- In traditional non-vacuum carbu- flyers or rounded edges developed
lationship of proportionality retors, this is the adjustment to reduce air leakage, as for exam-
between the driver's action and component connected to the ac- ple in Dell'Orto VHSD.
response in terms of delivery celerator by means of a flexible For carburetors used in 4 stroke
from the carburetor. When the cable. engines, the vacuum in aspira-
throttle opening increases, the This valve slides transversely to tion, at closed position, can reach
shape of the venturi section reco- the venturi determining the effec- extremely high values and keep
vers the area necessary to aspirate tive area of the flow passage. the valve pressed against its seat.
the flow without introducing any In different carburetor models In order to eliminate wear (and
high fluidynamic resistance. The (such as Dell'Orto series PH, whe- therefore leakage) and sticking,
badge (shield) venturi has a trian- re P means "Piston" referring to these components undergo surfa-
gular shape at small throttle ope- the valve, and H means "Horizon- ce treatments which improve the
nings, and therefore in this re- tal" referring to the channel hardness of the material and ope-
gion, the opening area is very re- orientation), the valve is a cylin- rating smoothness, similar to ch-
duced, to enhance the features of drical element which slides with romed brass valves.

11
Together with these designs, some vice-versa. Some of the carburetors Dell'Orto has de-
slightly stiff return springs are These holes are machined down-
veloped for modern, small displacement
used, in order to assure a positive stream the main atomizer, but in
return to the closed valve posi- order to work, as we will see later motorcycles.
tion. on, they have to be below the th-
rottle valve edge. In this case, some tricks have been in this
However, since the stiffness of the
spring determines the opening If the valve is very tight, these case adopted: elaborate shape venturis
effort from the driver, it's a good holes will obviously be very close
rule to choose valves which slide to the main atomizer (also loca- and automatic starting circuit, which
more smoothly before increasing ted under the valve) making the provide for the best operation of the engi-
the return spring force. design approach more complex.
The valves called "plane" reduce Once it has been solved, howe- ne under all conditions.
the turbulence affecting the air ver, this design will assure the be-
flow that goes under the valve it- st functionality.
self since this design provides a
shorter impediment in the direc-
tion of the flow itself.
Even for this kind of valve we mu-
st carefully understand all the is-
sues related to sealing at the clo-
sed condition, providing surfaces
with chrome plating to reduce
wear.
The advantages we gain in terms
of deflection of the flow path
with a reduced width valve are
however counterbalanced by the
need to solve the problem of loca-
tion of the progression holes.
These holes are needed to deliver
fuel when the throttle opening
changes, during the progressive-
transition from operation of the
idle circuit to the main one and

12
 THE IDLE CIRCUIT
AND THE
PROGRESSION
Manufacture and operation of two very important systems, which allow the practical use
of a carburetor for motorcycles

W
e have seen how in a "ba-
sic" (simplified) carbure-
tor, the fuel is drawn into
the venturi from the float chamber.
This occurs as a result of the vacuum
created by the airflow, which passes
through the venturi, drawn by the
engine itself.
In reality, a modern carburetor com-
prises more than a fuel supply sy-
stem, since using only the main cir-
cuit the correct delivery of fuel could
not be obtained (and therefore a cor-
rect mixture ratio) at all possible
operating conditions that occur du-
ring the practical use of an engine.
The working principles of each of
the auxiliary systems stems from the
same physical principle. The princi-
ple is that the fuel responds to a va-
cuum signal generated by the induc-
tion action of the engine.
The auxiliary systems are, however,
separated from one another, because
the supplying nozzles are located in
places appropriately designed into
the carburetor's venturi.

THE IDLE CIRCUIT

When the throttle valve is closed,
or nearly completely closed, the in-
ducted air flow which draws on the
main spray nozzle is very low, and
therefore is not sufficient to draw
fuel from the float chamber. For
this reason the carburetor is equip-
ped with a second supply circuit
which comes into play in these cir-
cumstances (at idle, precisely) al-
lowing the engine to operate nor-
mally. If it were not for the idle cir-
cuit, the engine would stop run-
ning, even in the transition stages

13
 Above are two details of the supply ports of the idle and pro-

gression circuits, which can be seen slightly downstream of

the main spray nozzle.

We can notice how the progression port is always placed be-

low the throttle valve and that its distance from the main

nozzle depends on the shape of the valve itself (cylindrical,

on the left, or flat on the right).

Below, with the throttle valve partially lifted, we can notice

the arrangement of the progression port.

when the driver starts to open the

throttle.
The idle circuit is equipped with a
supply port placed immediately
downstream of the throttle valve, at
a point such that once the valve is
closed, it experiences strong va-
cuum conditions and therefore is in
the best condition to supply fuel
from the float chamber.
The duct, which leads to this port,
connects with a proper jet (idle),
that permits calibration of the idle
fuel flow.
During calibration, the choice of id-
le jet is very important not only for
the operation in this condition, but
also for the engine response during
transitions, since even the progres-
sion stage is affected by the idle jet,
in addition to the other calibration
elements such as the chamfer of the
throttle valve or the needle nozzle
fit, and when present, the small
milling performed on the edge
downstream of the valve, or even
the projection (the engineers call it
"stake"), that projects in this same
area, whose functions are explained
in the relevant pictures.

14
 On the left, a throttle valve with a notch on the rear edge. In the center,

two valves with a "stake" needed to interact at different modes the

progression circuit.

Below, two possible locations for the idle jets are shown. The calibration

element can be single and machined into the emulsion tube, or it can be

formed by two separated elements, where the second is the emulsion tu-

be, or an emulsion jet that works in series with the first one to keep a hi-

gher quantity of liquid on the calibrated passage.

PROPER SELECTION OF THE ID-

LE JET
Generally, if the selected idle jet is
too big, the engine may tend to stall
and responds to the accelerator
slowly with a deaf and feeble sound,
usually overcome by closing the th-
rottle temporarily.
If, on the contrary, the jet is too
small, the engine responds better to
the accelerator (except when it stalls
when the jet is much too small), but
when the throttle is closed, the
speed (rpm) doesn't decrease imme-
diately, and the speed remains high
for few seconds before settling down
to idle.
Installation of an idle jet that is too
small on a two stroke engine can be
dangerous since there is the risk of
engine seizure during throttle clo-
sing, especially when the engine has
run at wide open throttle for a long
time. Under these conditions, when
the throttle closes, the engine keeps
on running at high speed and the-
refore if the idle circuit creates too
lean a mixture, the thermal load due
to the overly lean combustion pre-
sents the risk of damage the engine
from overheating and subsequent
seizure.

THE EMULSION AIR CIRCUIT

The fuel supplied by the idle circuit
is mixed with a small quantity of air
(thanks to a diffuser expressly pla-
ced for that purpose) that flows into
the fuel passage (liquid) from the
idle air channel. From there, the
passage leads to the progression

15
On the left, the idle jet, whether or not connected to a diffuser, is often

screwed inside the emulsion tube and not outside as is common in other

versions of carburetors.

On the right, the illustration of the idle circuit of a Dell'Orto VHSB

carburetor, with the air adjustment by means of a screw. In the section we

note the progression passage immediately below the throttle valve.

port. This progression port is placed

upstream of the rear edge of the val-
ve, just before the idle port (with re-
spect to the direction of the airflow
in the diffuser).
When the idle circuit is working, a
small quantity of air is inducted by
this port, and bypasses the valve
(which is quite completely closed)
and mixes with the fuel supplied by
the jet. As the valve lifts, the con-
tribution of this element decreases
as far as the idle circuit is concer-
ned, while it becomes important for
the progression circuit.
The other air flow comes directly
from the carburetor's mouth where
it's previously controlled by a cali-
brated passage that, in some mo-
dels, can be removable and takes
the shape of an actual jet, someti-
mes called "idle air break".

THE IDLE AIR AND MIXTURE

ADJUSTMENT SCREWS
The fine adjustment, while setting
up, is done by means of the idle air
screw with a conical tip that modu-
lates the passage in the idle air
channel.
Some carburetor models are, on the
contrary, equipped with a mixture
adjusting screw which intervenes
on the fuel and airflow already
emulsified and directed to the deli-
very port.
As the idle air screw adjusts only
the air, while the mixture adjust-
ment acts on the fuel flow, we have
to operate them in the opposite
manner according how the carbure-

16
 Here above we see two of the same model of carburetors, but with

two different idle circuit adjustment systems. The one on the right

is equipped with an air adjustment screw, while the one on the left

has a mixture adjustment screw, recognizable because it is placed

on the engine side and on other carburetors with the mixture adju-

stment screw placed soon before the engine sleeve connection.

tor is equipped. To enrich we have

to close the air screw (by closing the
airflow) or open the mixture screw.
To lean the mixture, one has to
open the air screw or close the mix-
ture screw.
The elements are easily recogniza-
ble on the carburetor since the air
adjustment screw is placed by the
front plug, which connects to the
filter, while the mixture screw is
placed on the side towards the engi-
ne.

TRANSITION CIRCUIT
When the driver starts to open the
accelerator, the throttle valve lifts
and therefore decreases the vacuum
that in the closed condition, activa-

17
On the left side we see a VHSC with the air adjustment screw near the

aspiration mouth.

On the right, the air adjustment screws (the two on the left) have a smal-

lerpoint than the mixture screws (on the right) since they are required to

control a different fluid and therefore allow a finer adjustment. By

controlling the air, this system has its own influence on the progression

circuit, while the mixture screw acts only on the idle delivery.

ted the idle circuit.

The delivery of fuel from the idle
circuit is reduced, and therefore it is
necessary to introduce another sy-
stem, which is able to handle the
transition of functions from the idle
circuit to the main circuit.
We described above the progression
system as far as the idle air contri-
bution is concerned.
When the valve is lifted slightly (up
to about 1/4 throttle) the vacuum
generated by the inducted airflow
begins to be consistent, and stops
drawing fuel from the idle nozzle.
Under these conditions, the va-
cuum is sufficient; however, to
draw fuel from the progression
port, which is always fed by the idle
jet placed in the float chamber.
It's clear then, how the progression
port is traversed first by air that
goes towards the idle circuit, and la-
ter, while the throttle is opened
partially, is traversed in the opposi-
te direction by a fuel flow (or better,
of air/fuel emulsion coming from
the idle circuit). This explains the
importance of the idle jet, even in
the first stages of throttle opening.
The position of the progression
port, between the main and idle
nozzles, is very important for the
correct operation of the carburetor
and is the subject of careful deve-
lopment.

18
 THE MAIN
CIRCUIT
Operation layout and guideline for setting the main delivery system of the
carburetor

M
odern carburetors used on THE TAPERED METERING ROD livery from the nozzle of the main
motorcycle engines are de- As usual, the fuel is drawn into the circuit changes proportionally.
fined as "needle type"due venturi from the vacuum generated By responding only to the vacuum
to the mechanical configuration of by the induced airflow, but from signal, a main circuit comprised of
the main delivery system. The tape- the moment that the throttle valve only the nozzle would deliver a lot
red needle assures the correct mix- closes, the same vacuum changes of fuel at small and intermediate th-
ture ratio for all operating condi- within very wide limits. For small rottle openings, maintaining a rich
tions of the engine corresponding throttle openings the engine va- mixture strength. At large openings,
to openings of the accelerator from cuum level is generally higher than the delivery would decrease at the
1/4 up to wide open throttle. when the valve is partially or fully worst time, risking engine damage
lifted and subsequently, the fuel de- from a lean mixture.

The basic calibration elements of a carburetor. A: Throttle valve;

B: Float; C: Atomizer; D: Main Jet; E: Idle Jet; F: Tapered Needle;

G: Starter Jet.

D E
F

19
That is why the system with a coni- As a result, in spite of the high va- increase in the available area of the
cal needle has been adopted, with a cuum, the delivery is low and the- fuel metering passage keeps the
configuration well known to refore the mixture ratio is generally mixture ratio at optimum value
everyone and clearly visible in the correct. and, therefore, the engine is able to
illustrations. At wide throttle openings, the smal- run properly all throttle openings.
The needle runs inside the metering ler diameter conical part of the Once the operating principle is
section of the atomizer, and when needle reaches the atomizer and clear, it becomes simple to under-
the valve is lifted only slightly, the therefore increases the passage area. stand the adjustment of the conical
passage available for the fuel is It is true that the vacuum, within needle system, which involves two
small. certain limits, is decreased but the adjustment elements; the needle it-
self and the calibrated section of the
atomizer.
In Dell'Orto carburetors the needle

Above, the group of main and starting

jets inside the float chamber. We can

note the baffle that keeps fuel in the

chamber of the main jet even when

the motorcycle is subjected to accelera-

tion that would tend to move the li-

quid mass in the float chamber.

Below, the conical needle and atomi-

zer placed in their relative working

positions.

20
 Two photos of the 4-stroke atomizer: Above, the ato-

mizer mounted inside the nozzle that keeps it in the

carburetor's body; below some atomizers (all

having the same shape and diameter of the calibra-

ted hole, but with different drilling of the tube.

is fixed in the valve by means of a

spring clip which engages in one of
the notches on the rod. Conventio-
nally, the notches are numbered
starting from the top.
Attaching the clip in the higher
notches, the needle (relative to the
atomizer) is lower; meaning that to
reach the conical area, the valve has
to be lifted more. Conversely, if we
wish to introduce the arrival of the
conical zone earlier in the throttle's
travel, we have to lift the needle,
attaching the clip to the lower not-
ches (second, third and so on).
Practically, if at equal opening of
the accelerator there is the need to
lean the mixture, we have to lower
the needle moving the clip towards
the top, while if the engine has car-
buration which is too rich (slowness
in reaching the correct r.p.m. and
dull and deep sound) we have to
lower the needle, placing the clip in
the higher notches.
The variables introduced from the
shape of the needle, (meaning its
taper ratio and the length of its co-
nical section) are absolutely essen-
tial for the carburation calibration
since they have a strong influence
on the general response of the engi-
ne.
Very often, however, it is not possi-
ble to correctly adjust the carbure-
tor by modifying only the needle
position and, therefore, it becomes
necessary to replace it with another
part with different features.
For each family of carburetors,
Dell'Orto has a wide range of coni-
cal needles with different dimen-

21
sions as we can see in the attached but with the conical part starting meter.
table. According to the needs whi- higher on the rod. This component is available in va-
ch may arise during adjustment, we Different needles are installed ha- rious dimensions.
select the necessary needles and ving a conical area with different By increasing the atomizer's diame-
proceed with testing. tapers to better match the needs of ter, the mixture is enriched, while it
If, for example, we can not manage various engines. will be the contrary when the dia-
to get sufficient enrichment in a meter is decreased. Obviously we
certain area by lifting the needle to can get the same effect by changing
its highest position, it's clear that THE METERING ROD AND the calibrated diameter the conical
we will have to install one with the ATOMIZER needle, at the expense of some
same taper (it's always better to in- The atomizer end closest to the other of its features. Sometimes a
troduce just one variable at a time) venturi contains the calibrated dia- needle with the appropriate diame-

On this page we see two stroke type atomi-

zers: above on the left a view from the top of
the nozzle that surrounds the actual atomizer
on the right.
Below are four different configurations of the
step that projects inside the venturi.
Below on the right, the atomizers may be re-
cognized by the height of the edges and by the
dimension of the hole where the conical need-
le operates.

22
 ter in the conical area is not readily annular chamber. The atomizer tube is equipped with
available. In this area air and fuel are mixed a series of holes and the annular
In this case it's much easier, once together forming a finely atomized chamber that surrounds it is always
the need has been established, to spray inducted by the engine. in communication with the main
replace the atomizer, even though In addition to the atomizer's hole area, but not in direct communica-
Dell'Orto carburetors are supplied diameter, the variables are therefore tion with the venturi.
with calibrations already optimized the diameter of the air channel (by The air is then mixed together with
according to the category of the en- increasing it, the mixture leans), the the liquid fuel and the emulsion is
gine where they will be used. The height of the atomizer's side that done inside the tube, before the
calibration will probably an adjust- projects in the chamber and the mixture reaches the nozzle in the
ment of the jets, the position, and "step" of the delivery nozzle that venturi, which for this reason has
eventually of the conical needle ty- projects into the venturi. no steps.
pe while, generally, the atomizer Let's start with the atomizer. The arrangement of the holes and
and the valve chamfer don't require Under the same conditions, if the their diameter influences the deli-
any change even though spare parts edge is short, the fuel has to travel a very.
are available for most models. shorter distance from the float Holes machined in the lower part of
chamber and therefore the delivery the atomizer are bathed in the fuel
will be more immediate. The "low" of the float chamber, while the ho-
THE ATOMIZER AND ITS EMUL- atomizer is as a matter of fact a typi- les in the upper part are exposed to
SION HOLES cal feature of competition motorcy- the air.
The atomizer, in its simplest shape, cle carburetors. Subsequently, by working with the
is a tube that connects the main jet If, vice versa, the atomizer is high, variables of the drilling one can ma-
to the venturi. the mixture will be leaner in accele- nage to optimize the mixture ratio
For this element there are two pos- ration. under all conditions.
sible configurations that, traditio- The same is true for the step in the When the upper drilling is prefer-
nally, the engineers call "two stroke venturi. This creates an impediment red, the mixture is made leaner,
type" or "four stroke type". to the airflow inducted by the engi- while if we increase the number
Some have with a series of holes ne and therefore downstream of it and/or the diameter of the lower
placed along the whole area and in there is a strong vacuum area, whi- holes, the flow of fuel increases and
communication with the main cir- ch activates the delivery of the cir- goes to emulsify itself with the air.
cuit channel (four-stroke type). cuit. By increasing the step, such va- The drilling even influences the
cuum increases and therefore the transition in acceleration, since by
mixture enriches, while using a car- placing the holes at a different hei-
ATOMIZER DESIGN FOR TWO- buretor with a lower step, we can ght, the annular chamber is full of
STROKES get leaner deliveries. fuel at the start of a transition, and
The atomizer is screwed into the de- empties when the speed increases
livery nozzle fitted in the carbure- ATOMIZER DESIGN FOR FOUR- due to the liquid drawn through
tor's body. STROKES the same holes. In this way, the de-
As we can see in the illustration, the This system is presently widely used livery starts with a very rich mixtu-
edge of the tube projects inside an in two stroke engines, since it per- re and then becomes leaner.
annular chamber open to the ven- mits leaner and better-controlled
turi and at the same time in com- mixtures under all conditions.
munication with the air intake by
means of the main area channel.
Due to the vacuum in the venturi
then, from the atomizer tube the li-
quid fuel is drawn, metered by the
main jet and by the conical needle,
while a certain airflow is delivered
from the channel, going into the

The main circuit is also supplied with

air that goes to emulsify the fuel in the

atomizer (four-stroke) or in the nozzle

(two-stroke). The main emulsification

air intake is usually placed in the main

plug on the carburetor's mouth, as we

see in this picture. The second hole is

for idle emulsion air.

23
 To eliminate the influence of pressure pulses pre-

sent in the filter box, sometimes the main emul-

sion air inlet is drawn from the outside by means

of a connection in which we see the feed tube on

the right of the carburetor. In this case the hole

in the air intake is plugged.

THE MAIN JET spark plug housing should be at lea-

The basic element of the carbure- st half-black next to the bend in the
tor's adjustment, at full power and electrode itself; the rest should be a
for wide throttle openings, is the natural metalcolor.
main jet, which controls the calibra- If the ground electrode is all black
tion of fuel delivered from the main and sooty, the carburation is rich,
system. while on the contrary if we find it
The main jet is mounted in the perfectly clean, the main jet is too
lowest part of the float chamber to small with the risk of heavy damage
ensure that it is always covered with to the engine.
liquid, even when the motorcycle After having chosen the proper jet,
makes excessive maneuvers. If we are not using a competition
In many cases, to ensure the presen- motorcycle, it's better to increase
ce of liquid fuel, a perforated baffle the jet by two or three sizes as a
is installed that keeps a proper precaution and for protection in ca-
quantity of liquid fuel around the se of possible calibration drift indu-
jet. ced, for example, by temperature
The choice of main jet has a strong changes.
influence on the performance of the When we use very big jets, it's bet-
engine and is selected experimental- ter to check with a simple calcula-
ly. tion that the passage area of the jets
It's therefore better to start by doesn't become smaller than the
mounting a larger jet with respect to one (of an annulus) created by the
the engine requirements to work sa- tip of the conical needle inside the
fely. atomizer.
A rich carburation doesn't produce The following relationship must oc-
the best performance, but at least cur so that the main jet is always in
there is no risk of damage the engi- control of the fuel supply. We have
ne by performing tests with overly to remember, however, that this jet
lean carburation (seizure or piston has an important role in accelera-
drilling). tion, when the driver suddenly
We proceed by attempts, perfor- opens the throttle and the main cir-
ming bench tests and/or accelera- cuit (needle and well of the atomi-
tion tests. zer) must start working quickly.
After a run at wide-open throttle at The fuel that feeds the system, as a
maximum rpm the spark plug ap- matter of fact, is calibrated from the
pearance can help to determine the main jet.
best calibration choice. The insula- At this moment, what is called
tor of the central electrode must be "lean peak" occurs, meaning that in
light brown. the first moment of throttle ope-
If it's darker, the jet is too big, if it's ning the carburation leans, to re-
clear, quite white; the jet is too turn soon after to the optimal value
small. To "read" the central insula- (rich) necessary for the operation of
tor, the spark plug must have run the engine.
for a long time, while examining
the ground electrode it's possible to
work with a new spark plug. The
root of the electrode towards the

24
 THE CARBURETOR:
THE ADDITIONAL
SYSTEMS
From the acceleration pump to the power jet: the special configuration of circuits that
apply to some carburetor models

A
s stated in the previous arti-
cle, a carburetor would be
able to run perfectly if it had
only the idle, progression and main
circuits, since the fuel delivery
would be properly proportioned to
all the engine's requirements. What
is missing from these features,
however, is the cold starting stage,
when thermal conditions make it
necessary to provide a richer mixtu-
re than the usual one, delivered by
an appropriate circuit called the
starting circuit or starter device. All
carburetors have it, except for some
particular models used on competi-
tion motorcycles where the starting
procedure is something special.
Additionally, specific delivery sy-
stems have been developed for
other needs, in order to allow a cor-
rect response to the peculiar featu-
res of some types of engines: we ha-
ve therefore acceleration pumps for
some 4 stroke engines and a power
jet for some 2 stroke engines.

THE STARTER DEVICE.

When the engine is cold and the
outside air temperature is rather
low, some of the air/fuel spray deli-
vered by the carburetor nozzles
does not reach the thermal unit
(combustion chamber), since part of
it condenses and settles on the cold
walls of the aspiration channel. For Illustration of the starting circuit of a Dell'Orto VHSB carburetor: the circuit is opened
this reason, the effective mixture
strength that feeds the engine is of- and closed by a valve 16 actuated by means of lever 17; the fuel is delivered in chan-
ten too lean and therefore there mi- nel 14 from the nozzle 15, after emulsification with air coming from channel 11 insi-
ght be some combustion problems
that cause starting difficulties (the de the atomizer 13. The starting jet is n° 12.
engine doesn't start) or in the best
cases, operating irregularities and

25
On the left, the starting system with automatic starter is shown. The

fuel drawn by the jet 10 mixes with the air coming from the channel 6,

inside of the emulsion tube 9 and reaches the channel 8 controlled by

the valve with the conical needle 7, linked up to the electric actuator.

On the right, in a section of the Dell'Orto automatic starter we see an

electrical winding that warms the thermally sensitive element, that

then gradually closes the needle of the circuit.

Below, a starting jet that incorporates an emulsion tube, where the air

passes through holes placed near the threads.

bad driveability, until the engine

warms up to a normal operating
temperature.
The carburetors are equipped with a
starting circuit, completely separa-
ted from an operating point of view
from the other delivery systems,
and designed to correctly enrich the
mixture.
This is provided in order to allow
that even if part of the fuel from
the other circuits doesn't reach the
engine, the addition of fuel from
the starting circuit is sufficient for
starting, and for maintaining regu-
lar operation in the first minutes of
running.
The simplest system is the manual
rich mixture control, sometimes
called "primer" or "mixer" and cur-
rently used only occasionally be-
cause more refined configurations
are available.
The mixer consists of a switch, or
lever, that allows the driver to ma-
nually lower the float in the float
chamber, thereby raising the fuel le-
vel. As a consequence, the carbura-
tion is enriched under all condi-
tions and then it may be returned
to the normal position after the en-
gine has been started.
Since this system requires the ope-
rator to control the mixer, the effi-
ciency of the system is dependent
on the driver's experience and, in
addition, the carburetor must be
physically accessible on the mo-
torcycle.
There are more refined and functio-
nal starter circuits equipped with
their own channel, with a jet and

26
 with a flow control device. These
can be a small piston valve manual-
ly actuated by the driver (directly,
or through a flexible cable) or can
be controlled automatically by an
electric actuator by means of a ther-
mo-sensitive element. These actua-
tors are called "wax motors" due to
the heating of wax produced by an
electric circuit.
The wax expands when heated, mo-
ving the valve of the starter circuit
Since thermal expansion is a func-
tion of the initial temperature, it's
clear how the adjustment of these
circuits is completely automatic and
adapts itself to the temperature at
which the engine is started, and to
the rate at which the engine warms
up once operating.
Whether the valve is opened or clo-
sed, and controlled by an automatic

The acceleration pump fitted on a PHF carburetor and below, the same

disassembled: we see the actual diaphragm pump and the lever system that

is actuated by the inclined profile (cam) introduced in the Valve.

27
 Below, the adjustment

screw for the pump di-

scharge allows adjust-

ment of the flow. By

turning clockwise the

flow decreases, by tur-

ning

system or not, the system operation

is analogous, with a specific jet
adapted to calibrate the level of the
enrichment mixture.
According to the condition of the
jet seat, we can then describe the
operation in two stages.
When the engine is stopped, the
emulsion tube surrounding the jet
is full of fuel, standing at the level
Above, the nozzle spraying fuel into the venturi is controlled by a calibrated hole of the float chamber.
When the engine starts, the weak
machined into the body of the nozzle itself. This component is kept in the seat by a vacuum generated by the first rota-
tions of the shaft is enough to draw
a considerable fuel quantity, since
plug (cap), therefore in Dell'Orto's carburetors it is easy to reach from the outside.
there is only a small difference in
fuel liquid level to overcome.
The mixture, in this special case, is
therefore very rich and allows the
engine to start easily.
In a second stage, the emulsion tu-

28
 Sketch of the power jet circuit: from the jet in the

float chamber, the fuel is drawn directly into the

venturi through an ascending channel; the delivery

occurs only when the slide valve is above the opening

of the nozzle.

be empties progressively since the

starting jet doesn't allow for com-
plete filling: the mixture supplied
from the circuit becomes progressi-
vely leaner but is however sufficien-
tly rich to support the operation of
the cold engine until it reaches ope-
rating temperature.
At that time, the driver (or the elec-
tric actuator) disables the starting
system.
Another automatic starter circuit
configuration involves a check val-
ve equipped with a conical needle
that closes the nozzle in proportion
to the engine's temperature.

ACCELERATION PUMP
Also called an acceleration pump, it
compensates for sudden mixture
enleanment, which some 4-stroke
engines experience when the acce-
lerator opens very quickly. from the throttle valve itself. ster of the diaphragm: by screwing
Under these conditions, as a matter In this case (Dell'Orto PHF and in inward, the diaphragm stroke is
of fact, the vacuum value on the PHM carburetors) the diaphragm reduced, and therefore will send a
supply circuits decreases abruptly, pump is actuated by a lever that reduced quantity of liquid to the
because the passage length for fuel runs on an inclined surface contai- sprayer and vice versa.
flow increases in a very short time. ned on the body of the throttle val- At equal conditions of pump adjust-
As a consequence, we have a ve. ment, the duration of the spray can
marked hesitation in engine re- When the valve rises, the inclined be adjusted by acting on the jet pla-
sponse. surface moves the lever and therefo- ced just downstream the sprayer.
To get around such inconvenience, re compresses the pump diaphragm. A big jet will give a short spray, and
the carburetor is fitted with a pump By carefully choosing the inclined vice versa, in order to adapt the
that injects a well-calibrated fuel surface shape on the throttle valve, supply of the pump to the engine's
quantity directly in the venturi any- one can modify both the beginning requirements.
time the driver opens the throttle of the slope of the throttle valve The engine may require a strong en-
abruptly. where the supply starts, and the ti- richment only in the first stages of
Acceleration pumps can be of pi- me of the supply itself, by using a acceleration or an enrichment that
ston (plunger) type or diaphragm more or less inclined ramp. lasts for a longer time.
type, and they are actuated by a le- The fuel quantity supplied for each
ver system connected to the control pumping, on the other hand, is POWER JET
of the throttle valve, or directly adjusted by acting on the stop regi- In carburetors for some 2-stroke en-

29
On the left, the power jet (smaller) assembled

in the float chamber of a PHBH Dell'Orto car-

buretor next to the starter jet.

On the right, the delivery hole of the power jet

machined in the venturi

gines, there is a need to keep a mix- Vice versa, in assembling a big jet sprayer is placed upstream of the
ture quite lean for the small and we would provide too much enrich- throttle valve and supplies the li-
medium throttle openings, when a ment in the intermediate stages quid only when the vacuum signal
fast engine response is necessary. with negative effects on the engine is sufficiently high.
As we have seen before, at medium response. The power jet permits us That means it operates when it is
throttle openings, while the atomi- in many cases to overcome such a exposed by the edge of the valve. If
zer and conical needle system have problem, since the circuit is in the this nozzle is then machined on the
an influence on the mixture, the condition to supply fuel directly in top of the venturi, it will deliver
main jet has the strongest influen- the venturi only when the inducted fuel only at wide-open throttle and
ce. If we use a main jet of reduced air flow is high (full load) and wide therefore will enrich the mixture
size to accommodate small and me- open, or when the throttle valve is compensating for the reduced size
dium throttle requirements, the raised considerably. of the main jet. When the power jet
mixture may become unsuitable at The jet is placed, like all the others, is present, adjustment of the carbu-
large throttle openings. in the float chamber, when the- ration at full throttle requires that
we have to act both on the relevant
jet and on the power jet, since the
amount of fuel in this condition are
distributed in two circuits and not
only one.

30
 THE VACUUM
CARBURETOR
The operating principles and the constructive aspects of the fuel supply system,
universally widespread on 4 stroke engines

T
his kind of carburetor is cal- denly. At the same time, the rate of st often return to part throttle to get
led "constant vacuum" but flow induced by the engine has not a decent progression.
that does not mean that the increased proportionally, since the With the vacuum carburetor we ha-
absolute vacuum is really constant. engine rpm does not increase as ve two elements to adjust the rate
The modulation problem of the car- quickly. of flow: the throttle valve, of auto-
buretor, meaning the response of By increasing the area exposed to a motive type, driven by the driver,
the engine which is function of the virtually constant rate of flow, the and the traditional piston valve,
throttle opening, is constrained as a flow speed decreases and therefore with conical needle actuated by the
matter of fact to the vacuum value the pressure increases. vacuum system.
which controls aspiration of fuel That is why the vacuum signal on This valve is connected to a vacuum
from the main circuit. the fuel circuit is missing, the signal chamber by means of a flexible
In a traditional carburetor, when which is needed to draw fuel past diaphragm.
the throttle opens wide quickly the atomizer in increasing quanti- The vacuum chamber is connected
(without "following" the engine ties necessary to feed the engine. by one or more passages with the
progression with the throttle ope- The result is that this vacuum signal narrow section of the venturi, un-
ning) the venturi area increases sud- is weak or is missing so that we mu- der the piston valve.

31
This is the area where the vacuum
needed to draw fuel through the
nozzle is generated. In our case the
vacuum communicates with the
chamber which oversees the valve
through a passage.
The lower part of the chamber is ex-
posed to atmospheric pressure be-
cause it's connected to the air in-
take of the carburetor.
The venturi vacuum pulls the valve
towards the top by overcoming the
contrast spring. This spring beco-
mes an adjustment component, just
as the diameter of the holes of the
valve's vacuum intake which in-
fluence the transient response of
the piston valve.
As the vacuum increases, the piston
valve will be lifted higher.

Three views of the Dell'Orto vacuum carbu-

retor: we can see the piston accelerator

pump assembled in the float chamber and

the automatic starting system with the com-

pact type actuator shorter than the traditio-

nal ones.

At partial throttle and closed throt-

tle, the vacuum under the piston
valve is low and therefore the valve
is lifted only slightly.
When the throttle opens wide, the
speed of the inducted flow increases
and the valve starts to lift propor-
tionally.
If the throttle is suddenly wide-
open, the guillotine doesn't lift
equally, but follows on its own the
effective progression of the engine,
making it independent of the dri-
ver's action. With this device the
engine is always fed always with an
optimum rate of flow, because the
same aspiration signal actuates the
fuel circuit and modulates the

32
 In the middle, the valve that affects the aspi-
ration under the driver's control, while the ac-
tual inducted rate of flow is adjusted by the
Vacuum carburetor piston valve actuated by a barometric capsule.
Below, the air intake with the section that
Conventional carburetor
feeds the barometric capsule on the high por-
at full open throttle
tion and the sprayer of the acceleration pump.
Left, a comparative chart where we see the va-
cuum value present in the venturi (wide open)
according to the airflow inducted by the engi-
Vacuum (KPa)

ne. In the vacuum carburetor, the venturi va-

cuum that activates the fuel delivery circuit
remains more or less constant as the flow
changes, since the flow depends only on the
engine speed. In a traditional carburetor, on
the contrary, the vacuum is very low at small
flow rates, then increases proportionally.
Mass air flow (kg/h)

power.
If we wish to think of this in a sim-
plified analytical approach, we can
demonstrate that the height (h) of
the valve (that we have to distingui-
sh from the throttle) in a vacuum
carburetor is dependent on just a
couple of variables.
One variable is the rotation angle of
the throttle (a) and the other is the
engine speed (n). This means that
the lifting of the valve, and therefo-
re the action of the main circuit, is
a function of the same parameters
that determine the delivery in an
electronic injection device (a-n).
Depending on these two parame-
ters, the passage areas both of the
air (venturi) and of the fuel (conical
needle) are managed, by letting the
mixture ratio change according to
the operating condition.
It is then clear how the vacuum car-
buretor operates independently
from the throttle opening set by the
driver.
The fuel delivery and the air passage
are not only functions of the throt-
tle opening, but of the engine
speed, while in a traditional carbu-
retor the only control parameter is
the throttle stroke and the engine
speed has no effect.

33