CyprusMustang

yea it sure is Rich.....how can i lean it out? I want to enjoy the car not die when i drive it.

jcoby

does it smell like fuel or oil at idle? if fuel, you have the idle circuit way off. lean it out. that would also explain the off-idle stumble.

white smoke is water/coolant. blueish is oil. black is fuel.

high HC numbers is indicative of either too rich or burning oil. if it's oil you either have valve stem leak(s) or you have bad oil rings. the engine dying when you cover the pcv at idle could be bad rings or just from the engine running too rich and not producing much power at idle. it doesn't take much oil to raise HC numbers.

is it using any oil?

try these things:
- check your vacuum advance diaphragm. easiest way is with a timing light. it should be way advanced with it hooked up and drop back to a readable range when disconnected.
- check the choke for free movement and that it opens fully.
- let the car idle for 5 minutes after warming up. pull all plugs and check for discoloration and smell. black soot that smells like gas = rich. black goo that smells like burnt oil = oil. tan to slightly black = ok. light tan to white = lean.
- pull out your idle mixture screws and look for signs of over-tightening. you will see a flat spot or a ring around the needle. or it could be broken off and stuck. i spent 20 minutes trying to tune a carb once only to find out that the needle valve had been jammed in and broken off.
- check your float level and replace the fuel valve. unlikely, but it could be it.
- check your fuel psi. also unlikely since it would cause constant flooding.
- take a compression test. if you don't have a gauge, rent one from an auto parts store. take both static and cranking readings. post them here. you really want to be over 100psi on all cylinders.
- rebuild the carb

kalli

welcome jcoby!

i'm the same opinion, shouldn't smell like unburnt gas. together with the stink you're wasting lots of money for petrol

1. Check the fuel lines and gas cap to make sure you are not simply loosing petrol.
2. the order above is correct: first check on the timing, then the carb

what jcoby says about the vacuum advance. hooked up lots of advance. This is only the case if the vacuum advance is hooked to the manifold pickup at carb. Ported vacuum will have no vacuum at idle. Simplest thing to check the diaphragm is just to switch off engine. pull the hose on carb side. suck on it until you feel the vacuum. block the hose with the tongue. The vacuum should stay until you remove the tongue from the hose.
Sounds disgusting but is a half minute check. It doesn't tell you about how much it advances but will tell you if the vacuum diaphragm is good.

and yes. ya. check plugs.

2+2GT

dudes, I dont agree with the sealing the car and smells will go away. so in that case since my car is a convertible, its normal for it to reek as I drive with the roof down?
No, your engine is running rich if it stinks on the road.

car starts fine, idles fine and runs OK however at approx 15-20 mph with low rpm's there is some misfire, unless i slam on the pedal, car shakes. Seems as though the car doesnt run fine with low rpm's in low speed.
Running too lean or too rich, probably too rich.

Also, i noticed that if im stopped and put the car in neutral, and slam on the gas, car will let out a small white cloud of smoke from the tailpipes. Car doesn't smoke while driving, temps are OK and so is oil pressure.
Lotta things could cause this, but I keep thinking too rich.

NOT SURE what to do but this evening I went out for a ride and my shirt and hat reek now. wife is complaining that I smell bad...
I've had numerous convertibles, and none of them made me stinky while driving.

BadWolf

I have the same problem on my 66 gt, and it has new exhaust and trunk seal. My car has fuel injection, so not to argue with some of the previous posts, but this issue is not a carb problem. I can adjust to run lean or rich on the fly, and it only changes the smell slightly, it doesn't get rid of it.

Window up small is bad, windows down smell will awful, regardless of speed. I find it gets worse once the car is warmed up.

so does anyone have some other solutions? I can't drive around with my kids in the back with how bad the fumes get.