How to Adjust & Tune Carburetors

The carburetor is located under the hood of your vehicle

Carburetors control the amount of fuel and air flow that reaches a vehicle's engine. A carburetor that is improperly adjusted or tuned can cause poor gas mileage. Tuning a carburetor is not a difficult task if you have a basic knowledge of car parts and simple tools. For anything other than basic adjustments, it is advisable to seek the help of a professional mechanic.

Things You'll Need

• Owner's manual
• Flathead screwdriver

Instructions

1. Locate the air filter under the hood of your car. The air filter is most often located beside the main engine block. It can be found on either side of this block. The filter is usually encased in a black plastic case and may have hoses coming out from it. Use your owner's manual to aid in locating the filter if you have any difficulty.

2. Remove the filter by loosening the wing nut located on top of the black plastic filter box. Grasp the wing nut with your hand and turn it counterclockwise until it loosens. Remove the wing nut and pull the filter off the accompanying bolt. Put the air filter to the side but do not disconnect any hoses connected to the filter.

3. Locate the carburetor underneath the air filter. There should be two screws on the bottom front section of the carburetor. These screws adjust the air/fuel ratio.

4. Use a flathead screwdriver to completely tighten the screws.

5. Loosen both screws 2 to 2 1/2 turns using the screwdriver. This is the optimum setting for a good fuel-to-air combination.

6. Place the air filter back on top of the carburetor and tighten the wing nut clockwise with your hand until it is tight.

References

• Carburetor Tuning The Scientific Way