KNOW YOUR CARBURETTOR: STRIPDOWN & INSPECTION

Chapter 1
Know your
carburettor: stripdown
& inspection
KNOW YOUR CARBURETTOR
- MAJOR COMPONENTS
The overall layout is almost identical
for Webers and Dellortos. The
principles of operation are so close that
carburettors of this type couldn’t really
be designed any differently.

Chokes and auxiliary venturis

On all carburettors the choke is fitted E
into the barrel bore first and then the
auxiliary venturi.
Note: it is quite possible on the
45 and 48 DCOE to put the auxiliary
venturi into the carburettor body the
wrong way around. The engine will run B B
quite satisfactorily at low rpm but will
run lean as the revs rise. Always check
to see that the auxiliary venturi is fitted C
the right way around.
D D
View of a Weber showing the idle mixture
adjustment screw at (A) the pump jet screw
cover at (B) the throttle arm adjustment
screw at (C) the progression hole screw A A
cover at (D) the main jet and idle jet cover
at (E).

15
SPEEDPRO SERIES
sided box end wrench (ring spanner)
and not a twelve-point to avoid
damaging components. Reasonably
well-maintained carburettors handled
with reasonable care never get into a
poor state of repair.
Threaded jets and other threaded
components can usually be easily
removed. Some components,
however, such as the idle adjustment
screws found in the towers of some
Dellorto carburettors, become well and
truly jammed, or the screwdriver slot
may no longer be usable. This is quite
a common problem with those fine
thread Dellorto idle adjustment screws
in towers. The carburettor is useless in
this condition, in terms of getting the
idle mixture of that particular cylinder
Dellorto butterflies with the progression hole sweep slots and the numbers clearly visible.
correctly set. The only solution is to
remove the damaged screw.
to see. Hand file the butterfly hole for into the throttle bore. An aluminum The carburettor body will then
more clearance until the butterfly fits flat bar 35mm by 10mm (1 5in by have to be taken to a precision
properly. 0.375in) clamped in a vice with about engineer to have the damaged part
The fit is correct when both 50mm (2in) sticking above the jaws bored out. To do this, the carburettor
butterflies have as near as possible will provide a suitable rest for the body is mounted in a machine vice
equal bands of light around their spindle. With an assistant to hold the which is bolted to the table of a vertical
respective diameters (view this from carburettor in position, use a long pin milling machine (Bridgeport or similar),
the trumpet side of the throttle bore). punch to get down the carburettor and the centre of the damaged part
Note: make sure that the throttle arm throttle bore from the trumpet side lined up perfectly with the spindle.
stop adjusting screw is wound back and peen over the top of each side of
well out of the way so that it is not each screw sufficiently so that, even if a
interfering with the shutting off of the screw did come loose, there is no way
throttle during the butterfly fitting and it could wind out of the spindle.
checking procedure. Check to see that the butterflies
Remove each screw in turn are at 90 degrees when the throttle is
(only one at a time) and apply some fully opened. If they are over centre
proprietary thread locking compound the stop on the throttle arm is not in
to the thread. Refit the screw and the correct position. Fit a new one or
tension it as tightly as possible within put a run of braise on the stop and
the confines of the strength of the file it down until the butterflies are 90
screwdriver slot. Caution! The degrees with the lever on the stop.
protruding screw threads should be
crimped as well just to be absolutely Removing damaged threaded
sure that the screws don’t come out components
and end up going into the engine. When working on these carburettors
Dellorto carburettors with towers have
The spindle (screw heads actually) it is important to use the right very fine threaded idle mixture adjustment
has to be supported or rested on screwdriver head size for the particular screws which frequently seize solid and
a bar of aluminum which goes up slot size of the screw plug and a six- the screwdriver slot gets damaged.

36
SPEEDPRO SERIES
slackness should be removed. This is
done by squeezing the floats’ hinge
loops using needle-nosed pliers.
The aluminum can be squeezed in
a progressive manner to fit the pin
very closely but not too closely as this
may cause the float to bind on the pin
during operation, which could lead to
flooding. The pin fit in some floats is
very loose which is not conducive to
accurate fuel metering by the floats.

Floats & pin - fitting

The needle is fitted into the seat
body first, then the floats assembly 15mm
is lined up with the posts and the
spring-loaded head of the needle and
moved across so that the two small
tabs fit under the head of the needle
and seat. Fit the fulcrum pin into the
Dellorto floats being set at 15mm when the needle is just seating.
post (without the split in it) and push
it through to the second post (the one
with the split). When the pin is close
to the split post, line it up exactly with
the hole and carefully tap it in. The pin
should be tight when fitted. If the pin
goes in very easily the post may not be
putting any tension on the pin. If so,
place the pin between the posts so that
the ends of the pin protrude an equal
amount from each post and, using
pliers, squeeze the split post slightly.
It doesn’t take much to ‘tighten’ the
hole so that it exerts sufficient clamp to
retain the pin.
25mm
FLOAT LEVEL - SETTING
(DELLORTO)
There are three floats for DHLA
carburettors, numbered 7298.1,
7298.2 and 7298.3. Over 95%
of DHLAs use the 7298.1 floats
(which are 8.5 grams) and have the
15mm/0.590 inch fuel shut off height.
The 7298.2 has a 17mm/0.670 inch
fuel shut off height and is 8.5 grams
in weight. The 7298.3 has the same
shut off height as the 7298.1 but is 7.0
grams in weight. Contact a main agent Dellorto floats being set to 25mm droop.

42
 CHOOSING THE COMPONENTS FOR YOUR CARBURETTOR/S
you are advised to FIT THE
SMALLEST CHOKE THAT WILL
GIVE FULL POWER.
When a slight choke size reduction
is necessary to achieve better low
end performance (eg: out of a corner
pulling power) then FIT A CHOKE
SIZE THAT PROVES BEST FOR THE
OVERALL APPLICATION. As an
example, an engine may well produce
most maximum rpm power with 38mm
chokes but, because in reality the
engine is usually used over a wide rev
Dellorto chokes, 40mm version on the left, 45mm centre and 48mm right. range, 36mm chokes will prove better
all round, offering superior mid-range
with only a slight loss at the top end.
Testing and (golden rule number one)
changing one thing at a time is the
only way to find out which is the best
overall solution for you.
Most engines that Webers or
Dellortos are fitted to are modified
in some way and the degree of
modification will have some bearing
on the choke size that will work best.
The situation is not as bad as it sounds,
and choke choices can be narrowed
down. Be realistic on how good your
Weber chokes to suit a 45mm carburettor.
engine actually is and how fast you
be the smallest size for 45s and 36mm 38s: 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32mm actually are going to turn your engine
chokes the smallest size for 48s. The chokes. on a regular basis. Road cars should
range of choke sizes which are readily 40s: 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34mm be fitted with the smallest chokes
available for the most widely used chokes. possible which are conducive to good
carburettor bodies goes up in 2mm 45s: 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41mm all round engine performance. Jetting
increments as follows. chokes. should be set with good emissions in
48S: 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, mind without being excessively lean.
40s: 28, 30, 32 or 34mm chokes. 43mm chokes. Webers and Dellortos can give very
45s: 34, 36, 38 or 40mm chokes. good economy coupled with good
48s: 36, 38, 40 or 42mm chokes. CHOKE SIZE - SELECTING performance but it is also fair to say
In the first instance it is essential to that generally they will use more fuel
The choke size range for each know what each carburettor will take than the original carburettor. For a
model of carburettor is quite large as with regard to choke sizes and that is start, in most applications, there’s an
they go up in small increments, this all listed in the previous section. The accelerator pump for every cylinder.
means the choke size can be closely next stage is to decide on the choke A well modified four-cylinder
matched to the needs of the engine. size required for your particular engine 2000cc or 2100cc engine fitted with
Most of the sizes are listed here and this is done on the basis of the twin sidedraughts will usually run
including those of the 38mm version of individual cylinder capacity and the best using 38mm chokes with 40mm
the DCOE - rpm range that you are likely to use. chokes being too large. On the
As an overall recommendation other side of the scale, if mid-range

65
 TESTING & SET-UP
exact same amount of air. It doesn’t CO or a printout for Lambda. While
take too much effort to do this and air/fuel ratios are what are effectively
the idle will be as good as it’s possible being discussed, they are seldom used
to get it, and the CO and the HC the as meters these days. They were used
lowest possible. on earlier times but they were slow
Many mechanics don’t bother to reacting. Lambda, on the other hand,
go to this trouble for racing engines as is instant.
they claim it’s unnecessary. However, The chemically correct air/fuel for
racing engines do foul spark plugs optimum and best possible burning
from time to time, but not if the idle (clean burning and low emissions) is
mixture has been adjusted correctly 14.7:1 or Lambda 1.00 or 0.5% CO
as suggested. If the carburettors are (carbon monoxide). All cars made
equipped with ‘idle by-pass’ circuitry, today have to comply with USA
it’s advisable to use it for this purpose. and EU emissions standards and the
Not only will the idle air be equal, but fuel injection systems used are now
the butterflies can be set in the near ‘focused’ to run the engine constantly
shut off position for near maximum at 14.7:1 air/fuel or Lambda 1.00 or
butterfly sweep past the progression 0.5% CO on a constant basis. The
holes. approximate equivalent Lambda to %
The limit to the adjustment of CO to air/fuel ratios are listed in the
the ‘idle by-pass’ system is when the accompanying chart.
butterflies are in the near shut off Consider a suitable idle mixture
On this Dellorto carburettor the position; the individual chokes have to be 0.95-0.93 Lambda, 14.0:1
progression hole plug (A) has a Philips equal air going through them, the idle to 13.7:1 air/fuel or 1.6-2.0% CO
head, and the idle by-pass adjustment
speed of the engine is as required and for engines fitted with carburettors
screw is in a tower (B).
the engine is able to accelerate from with ‘idle by-pass’ circuitry. All other
the off idle position as well as it did engines, including racing engines,
when the ‘idle by-pass’ system was should be able to idle with a Lambda
in-operative. Too much ‘idle by-pass’ of 0.93-0.90, 13.7-13.2 air/fuel ratio
adjustment air going into the engine or 2.0-3.3% CO idle mixture. Expect a
can upset progression phase. full power mixture to be dependant on
It’s normal to end up with a very the engine design, but expect this to be
A small amount of main throttle butterfly between 0.82-0.88 Lambda, 13.0:1 to
opening and an amount of ‘idle 12.2:1 air/fuel ratio or 3.8-5.9% CO.
by-pass’ and a very low idle mixture Note that the ‘California Air
reading such as 0.95-0.92 Lambda, Resource Board’ has been driving the
B 14.0:1-13.5:1 air/fuel or 1.6-2.5% CO world’s auto manufacturers along the
and have the same acceleration phase path of cleaner burning engines since
performance that you had before. about 1970. While working within
the realms of the technology of the
CO readings and air’fuel ratio day they have never the less been
readings relentlessly getting the various engine
On this Dellorto, the idle by-pass tower is
These two factors are quite easy to co- manufacturers to reduce emissions.
plugged (A), and the choke location screw relate on an approximate basis and a
is shown at B. level of understanding is required. Most ACCELERATOR PUMP JETS
rolling roads use Lambda or % CO - FINAL SELECTION
Adjust the idle speed down if the exhaust gas analysis equipment which The fixed jetting of the carburettor
engine turns over too fast, and then uses a probe fitted into the exhaust cannot respond quickly when the
check that each cylinder is flowing the system to give a digital reading for % throttle is opened rapidly. The

101