The Dark Side of Carburettor Tuning.

I decided it is time to address some of the more technical questions some quad rider might have. The carburettor (carb) is probably the most misunderstood part of a quad. Very few quad riders give any attention to it. Most people that open the carburettor, spend their time hac ing away and trying things !blindfolded", usually creating more problems than fi#ing them. The carburettor$s purpose is to mi# the right amount of air and fuel so that the engine can run efficiently. Too much or too little fuel will reduce the power output of the engine and can cause the quad to run very poorly. %n air to fuel mi#ture with too much fuel is called a &I'( mi#ture and a mi#ture with too little fuel is called a )*%+ mi#ture. &ich mi#tures generally do not damage the engine, but it can cause e#cessive carbon build,up inside the engine. )ean mi#tures on the other hand can cause engine damage. Ma e the mi#ture to lean and it can actually cause the motor to burn a hole in the piston. )ean mi#tures can also cause the motor to run much hotter and overheat. It is therefore important to get the mi#tures e#actly right. +ot only will the quad run much better and produce more power, but it will e#tend the distance you can ride on a tan of fuel. -omething that is always welcome with our current fuel price. Many different things affect the air to fuel ratio requirement of the engine. %ltitude, air temperature, and modifications to the engine has a big influence on the fuel requirements. In stoc form, the quad$s carburettor should be set up for sea level operation. % quad used in .auteng will most li ely require a different setup. /nfortunately for most of us, you cannot be 0112 sure what mi#tures the carburettor delivers without some e#pensive test instruments. If you added a new performance e#haust or air cleaner, or you have modified the airbo# around the air cleaner, you have a very good chance that the engine is running lean. I always recommend that people re3et the carburettor after changing the e#haust or changing things around the air inta e side.. If you have done any of the above modifications, you should have the quad tested on a dyno meter. % 4yno tune will ensure that the carburettor is set up correctly, plus you will ensure you get all the horse power out of the e#pensive modifications you have done. % 4yno tune can cost anything between &561 to &711 for labour and a good 3et it can cost anything from &611 to &711. It is money well spent. 8or people that do not have access to a dyno meter, there is an alternative. 9uy yourself a good 3et it for your quad. % good it comes with instructions and will give you guidelines on how to set up the carburettor. The it might not always be 0112 spot on, but installed correctly will ensure that the engine will not run to lean and cause damage to the engine. %s your dealer where you can buy a 3et it for your quad and follow the instructions in the it down to the letter. %lthough the 3et its might solve all your problems, I still recommend you have the quad dyno tuned. :ith fine tuning you can gain a bit more power, and if not, at least you now the carburettor is spot on 8or those people that are going to install their own 3et its, you might want to now what the main components do inside the carburettor. 8or the 4;I person you only have to concern yourself with the Main 3et, needle (needle <et), =ilot 3et (-low <et), starter 3et, air (=ilot) screw and the float (float level).

+ot all carburettors use the e#act same placing for these components, so we will show you the e#act placement of these components in a later issue. 8or now we would li e to show you what each of these components do and at what throttle position they wor at. The very first thing that determines the air to fuel ratio is the float. This little device controls the level of the fuel inside the carburettor. Too high a fuel level will cause a rich mi#ture, and a too low a fuel level will cause a lean mi#ture. It is critical to set the float level to the correct height to ensure the right air to fuel mi#ture. This must be done before you touch any other part of the carburettor. >n the float you will find a metal plate called the tang. This plate can be bent to raise or drop the fuel level. =lease note that not all carburettors have this. If they don$t have this metal tang you will need to purchase a new float if the level is incorrect. +ot all carburettors have the same level, but you can have a chat to the dealer to find out what the correct level should be. :e will also cover this in later issues. )oo ing at the picture below, one can see the placement of the tang.

The picture below shows which direction to bend the tang to lower or raise the float level

The ne#t part is the starting circuit. The main components here that help to supply the right mi#ture when starting a cold engine is the starter 3et and the co e. These components hardly ever needs replacing. 'hanging the airbo# or installing a new high performance air cleaner might cause poor cold starting. This happens because the additional airflow created by the new changes will cause the starter mi#ture to be a bit lean. If this happens you might want to install a bigger starter 3et to help the motor to start easier on cold days. Then we move onto the idle circuit. (ere two little parts control the mi#ture. The =ilot 3et

and the =ilot (air) screw. These two components wor together to give you the right mi#ture from idle to 3ust past 0?@ open throttle. +ot all carburettors have this screw in the same place. There are generally two places for this screw. >n the air cleaner (inta e) side, or the engine (outlet) side of the carburettor. If the screw is on the outlet side of the carburettor, you need to turn the screw out to enrich the mi#ture and in to lean the mi#ture. Things wor in reverse if the air screw is on the inta e side of the carburettor. Meaning turn it in to enrich the mi#ture and out to ma e the mi#ture leaner. These screws are generally set in the factory and only needs ad3ustment once you have modified the airbo# or the air cleaner. It usually only needs a A to B a turn to get them set up right. Most good 3et its will tell you how to ad3ust this screw correctly. The ne#t part we come to is the needle. The needle controls fuel delivery between 0?7 to C?7 opening of the throttle. The needle plays the biggest role in the fuel supply and is usually overloo ed. There are 5 things in the needle design that influences the fuel delivery. The diameter, the taper and the clip position of the needle. ;ou can change the clip position of the needle to provide more or less fuel. )owering, meaning moving the clip towards the sharp end of the needle, helps to enrich the fuel mi#ture. &aising, or moving the clip away from the sharp end of the needle ma es the mi#ture leaner. Most 3et its usually come with new needles. The new needle will have a different taper and will almost always allow for better tuning than the stoc needle.

The main 3et is the last thing you should worry about in the carburettor. The main 3et only affects the fuel delivery from B to full open throttle. This 3et is usually changed after any modifications to the e#haust, airbo#, air cleaner or after adding performance parts to the

engine. If you have a quad that is not running correctly, you now now which part to focus on. If your quad start difficult on cold days even with the cho e, then upgrade the starter 3et. If the quad idles poorly and has very sluggish performance below A open throttle, try ad3usting the air screw or change the =ilot 3et. If the performance is poor from 0?@ to nearly full open throttle, try changing the needle clip position or use a different taper needle. 8rom B throttle to full open throttle, you might want to change the main 3et or a combination of the needle and the main 3et to get the mi#ture right. The picture below shows the area and effect of the different parts more clearly. The higher the lines the more influence the component have on the fuel mi#ture.