“Stabil” Ever heard of it?
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Car Nut
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oldbee
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Just remembering bygone days. GM Top engine supplement, went to a Delco class yrs ago and we used it on a Ford small-block. Trickle thru carb while above idle * then the last of can was dumped in to flood out engine. Idle rpm went up before/after about 150; instructor said it was from removing carbon on valves/heads preventing them from seating. Just saying..
GetX'd
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Oldbee - not sure what you mean - could you elaborate for those of us that are “dense” on the subject?
oldbee
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Just what I said, kinda like running water/trans fluid thru carb above an idle. It breaks up the carbon on valves,seats,top of pistons. You just don't want to "lock up" a cylinder with too much dumped in too fast. Kinda like the Seafoam videos on youtube. Recently dumped some water in mine because I kept hearing a 'popping' sound out the exhaust like a valve was not sealing. Cured it with about a coffee cup of water slowly trickled in. You just have to have ur hand on throttle to keep the rpm's up so it doesn't stall out & hydraulic lock the engine. Gas/water/steam to free up the carbon buildup.
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Thx - a more clear explanation for me. I’m not that bright.......
wagonman
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Yeah Bee I used Top Engine Cleaner on every tune up when working for GM. Used to pour it down the carb till the engine stalled then pulled the plugs ect. Customers used to say their cars ran so much better after my Magic tune. They used to make it in a spray can as well a pour in. It worked so well that the State of California put the halt on its use. It was pretty nasty stuff that would choke out the shop with all the smoke so we would grab a couple of guys and push it out before firing it up. I still have 2-3 cans of it in my stash. Seafoam works just as well IMHO and just as stinky so you know the job is getting done.
On a road trip to Los Angeles, a friend put SeaFoam in the Coronet at a lunch stop in Coalinga.
We had to convince the staff at the Mexican Restaurant not to call the fire department. Asked them to close the doors, and that we would be leaving soon...
We had to convince the staff at the Mexican Restaurant not to call the fire department. Asked them to close the doors, and that we would be leaving soon...
Don Gould
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Kernel Sanders
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On the off (outside) chance... check to see if fuel is getting into the oil and washing cylinders specifically on the exhaust stroke may cause a strong fuel smell at the exhaust re: internal mechanical fuel pump leak.
Don Gould
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I wish there was a magic elixir that would cure your issues but it's probably more in your tune up than in your fuel. Sounds like your not running the vac can on the distributor or you have it connected to the wrong port. The initial timing and vacuum timing should bring the timing to a total of about 30* at Idle some even more and some a little less without the details on the engine I can't give you a definitive number. But try this little experiment. Start the engine and get it up to full temp, pull the vac line to the distributor off and plug it, using a dial back type timing light or marks on the dampener jack the timing to 30*. Rev it up and clean all the UN-burned fuel out of it then go smell the tail pipe. It should be way cleaner.
Do Not Drive the car with the timing set like this it will detonate as you have no limiter on the mechanical advance but you can play with it with no load, you'll find the throttle response way better and it will run cooler.
After you do this little test give us a call and we'll tell you how to fix it yourself with a few simple parts.
"This is a pretty astute muscle car shop that runs the gamut" they should know the issue if not they should read my book on tuning
Do Not Drive the car with the timing set like this it will detonate as you have no limiter on the mechanical advance but you can play with it with no load, you'll find the throttle response way better and it will run cooler.
After you do this little test give us a call and we'll tell you how to fix it yourself with a few simple parts.
"This is a pretty astute muscle car shop that runs the gamut" they should know the issue if not they should read my book on tuning
Ranger16
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I doubt Sta-Bil is going to solve your "problem". That's not what it is meant for. When I got my car it was running so rich it would make your eyes water in the garage and my buddy could smell it when driving behind me. I leaned out the carb and is is much better, BUT still smells a bit rich. I think that is simply the nature of the beast. Remember, we are talking about inefficient carburetors, not the lean, clean computer controlled injected engines we have become used to.
As for Seafoam, I'd never put that stuff in my tank after seeing what it is (about 75% Naptha with a little alcohol & pale oil added).
As for Seafoam, I'd never put that stuff in my tank after seeing what it is (about 75% Naptha with a little alcohol & pale oil added).
bigmanjbmopar
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Best advice right there! Here in Cal the temps don't get so low you need stabil unless your not going to drive it for over a year or more. Add octane booster or get 99-101 octane gas but the combo of tuning is what you need it makes the world of difference for that rich smell. Timing is everything!
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Don Gould
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Rule of thumb: If your Motor makes 10-12" or more of vacuum at idle with 30* of timing and carb adjusted correctly the engine it will greatly benefit from a vac can. The distributor needs to be set up to run off of a constant manifold Vacuum source. Trying to run a engine without the Vacuum can assist and a improperly set up distributor with incorrect timing events will guarantee a rich idle, stumble and short engine life. A properly set up distributor with a vac can will in no way affect the engine performance on track, disconnecting it will do nothing. Running off of a ported vacuum source on a Non-Computerized non-emission controlled engine can drastically affect the engine performance and could easily cause a catastrophic event.
Total timing under load is the most critical timing event. We offer solutions to limit total mechanical timing for Mopar distributors as well as MSD type units on our website.
Total timing under load is the most critical timing event. We offer solutions to limit total mechanical timing for Mopar distributors as well as MSD type units on our website.
The way regular Stabil works is it floats on top of the gas in the tank and seals the gas from any air getting to it. We used to use this, in Iowa, every fall before storing cars.
We now use Sea Foam because it mixes with gas. I use it for all my gas engines including 2 cycle engines. I also put some in the tanks of my cars every other fill up. It helps keep the engine free of a lot of the carbon. We swear by this if used often. One can will treat 25 gallons of gas so a can will treat a lot. The man who said it smoked must have treated the gas with too much or something. We have never had this problem. Or maybe he used the Sea Foam product that you spray directly into the carb or throttle body. Now doing that will smoke like crazy. Any way my 2 cents, I swear by the Sea Foam.
O' geezer
We now use Sea Foam because it mixes with gas. I use it for all my gas engines including 2 cycle engines. I also put some in the tanks of my cars every other fill up. It helps keep the engine free of a lot of the carbon. We swear by this if used often. One can will treat 25 gallons of gas so a can will treat a lot. The man who said it smoked must have treated the gas with too much or something. We have never had this problem. Or maybe he used the Sea Foam product that you spray directly into the carb or throttle body. Now doing that will smoke like crazy. Any way my 2 cents, I swear by the Sea Foam.
O' geezer
eespeed
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I'm not sure what good a fuel stabilizer will do you unless your gas has gone bad or you are going to store it for a long time. If you are getting a rich smell at idle your idle mixture is too rich. Rejetting only helps when you drive it but does nothing at idle. Have you had the mixture tested? Most modern shops can put a sensor in your tailpipe and determine the mixture. Otherwise invest in an oxygen sensor kit and meter it yourself. Too much cam, too big of a carburetor, too much fuel at the idle mixture screw, not enough timing, bad plugs, worn throttle shafts, high fuel pressure (my 454 Vette has only 4lbs pressure to feed two 500cfm AFBs) and a plethora of other problems could be your plague. I find a lot of guys over carb or over cam their engine and teary eyes and an engine that loads up results. Send me a breakdown of your cam, carb, engine size, compression, intake configuration, fuel pressure reading, and chamber cc and I will try to give you a better diagnosis.
GetX'd
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THx eespeed - let me drum up the needed info and I’ll be back to you. I don’t know it all off the top of my head but think I have most of the engine specs on a build sheet I have tucked away somewhere. I’m not a mechanical rocket scientist so your help would be much appreciated. There’s definitely something going on - and since the car was stored for 30+ years I had suspected the tank itself may be the problem from build up of evaporated gas. That’s why the Stabil idea. With all I’ve had done to it in the past 5 years there could definitely be something else out of sorts. Be back to you - Thx!
Quintin
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Sea foam and Stabil are kind of old school products that worked well when we had good fuel or no ethanol. Startron was originally designed to take away the negative effects of ethanol but is an excellent fuel stabilizer. It is the only product that I will use. One bottle will do 48 gal and is about $9. I put it in any gas engine that might set for awhile. B3C is also another good product that has come on the market.
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