How can you tell if your car is running rich?

Question

I have a carb. engine and am convinced that it may be running rich. What are some ways to tell if it is or not?

Answer 1

the smell out of the tail pipe is the first way,but the best way is to remove one of the spark plugs in it,the should have a grayish look to them if they are running right,if they are blackish looking its running too rich,you may need to re-adjust the carburetor ,so it runs a little leaner,but pulling a plug out of it is actually the best way to see how the engine is running,good luck with it.

Answer 2

i'm no longer conscious of style so it particularly is my opinion in basic terms yet backed by means of 20yrs in commerce and experience as a grasp Tech on Ford and Mazda, you probably did'nt say if it had consistently been "Catless" or merely had the cat bumped off yet heres some ideas, a million/ Get it checked at a storage on a 4 gas analyzer regularly occurring ideal readings for a non cat could be interior the order of O2 a million to 4%, Co a million to 3%, Co2 12 to fourteen%, HC one hundred fifty to 300ppm, the sooty or dripping tailpipe could tend to coach severe departures from norm no longer the very nice deviation from suited putting. 2/ Didnt point out the two if fuelling grew to become into achieved by means of Injection or Carburettor. for the two you will pick a instruction manual to discover the Co adjust screw, a Carb it is going to likely be close to the backside of the Carb physique yet you're able to be able to discover there are quite a few, twin barrel units have could have one each and each or in basic terms one if its a revolutionary style, additionally could have air bleed screws for nice idle, you realy will pick a instruction manual, maximum autos from mid Eighteen Eighties now have gas injection and all autos from 92 interior the united kingdom have Cats for this reason previous fact re Non Cat OEM, 3/ For non cat there'll be a trimmer pot the two placed decrease than the bonnet at some area on inner wing or there abouts, or extra awkwardly it is going to likely be equipped into the Injection administration unit which would be complicated to get right of entry to, yet another older injection style had a gas distributor fastened interior the air clear out field and fed the injectors by means of using bolstered pipes, this version had a 3mm allen screw on the area of the air outlet pipe accessed thro a tube. 4/ If it had a cat on as OEM then there'll be NO adjustment for combination, those structures use and O2 sensor interior the exhaust and consistently trim the fueling to the ideal quantity referd to as Lambda a million.0 (This figures on your 4gas sheet additionally a million.0 suitable < a million lean >a million wealthy ) if it particularly is wealthy or lean you will ought to adress basic engine problem (air leaks missfires and so on) or injection problems (extreme gas tension, sensor / wiring faults) The charm would be understanding which fuelling device you have and what the 4gas consequences are

Answer 3

You could probably tell if your exhaust smells that like gas or if your car uses a lot of gas but has no power if you step on the gas and it tends to stall or backfire or hard to start.
Thank God for fuel injection!

Answer 4

1. REAL RICH = SMELL OF GAS MORE THEN CARBON MONOXIDE

2. TAIL PIPE WILL HAVE A BLACK SOOT INSTEAD OF BEING CLEAN

3. BURNING TOO MUCH GAS FOR MPG USUALLY GOTTEN BEFORE

Answer 5

Check for black soot in the exhaust pipe.

Answer 6

Check your spark plugs.

Answer 7

When you cant afford it! Your manifold vacuum can tell you what mixture you have. seek professional help