Rich or Lean?

[Jimbo11]

I'm trying to dial in my carbs because it's running rich .
Which way do I turn the screw to ajust them? I've heard
before that a good starting point is all the way down
and back out 3 1/2 turns? It's a 79 special

[mro]

1 1/4 turns out from "lightly" seated (stock air box)
in...lean (CW)
out...rich (CCW)


mro

[Jimbo11]

Yes it has a stock air box and the wife and i are tweeking on it now. thanks

[Jimbo11]

Well, I thought we had it ,but wait there's more. As it turns out we were in for a day of tweek and re tweek.we got it to dial in and know it runs for a mile or so and peter's out stumblen grumblin.. ect. I have to wait 20 or so minutes before it will fire off and run great for the next mile or so, then ka put back to the waiting game . It makes it hard to enjoy a great weatherd day.
I'm thinking maybe some coils from Mikes..

[JWSanders]

That sounds an awful lot like a pickup coil broken wire problem. Would be a good thing to check if you haven't already.

[roach25681]

Also make sure you check the plug in between the pickup coil wires and the TCI. I spent two weeks with a no spark issue due to some corroded connections.

[Jimbo11]

I pulled off the left side cover and it appears to be fine yhe two wires undernieth and the other two also look fine..

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Jimbo,

You've got an inline resistor(ballast) for the ignition coils, and it gets hot when running, and IF it has a crack in it, it can cut off power to the coils when it gets hot enough, then when it cools down, can reconnect and supply power again!

You can bypass is for a while and see if it keeps running, OR you can run it till it dies, and then bypass it, and IF it starts right up, then you've probably found the problem. New MikesXS coils would not require the resistor, but the OEM ones and the TCI DO. Someone posted about fixing theirs, but I would think you could find one at an auto store, just needs to be about 1.5 ohms!
T.C.

[Jimbo11]

If I bypass it will it create a problem down the road? How do I by pass it ? I have not a clue? Thanks gang!!

[JWSanders]

Did you give them (the pickup wires) a sturdy pull and a bit of a stretch?

They may look good on the outside but the insides can be broken. Reminds me of many of the women I've known.

[Jimbo11]

No I have not given them a tug but I will in the morning.When it is on it runs like a CHAMP..

[TopCatGr58]

The resistor is under the tank, just above the valve cover on the left hand side. It should have a pair of red/white wires running to both ends. You just unplug them from the resistor, and jumper them together! It would probably be best to bypass it after the engine has died, so IF it does start right up, then you can just drive it home. Recommended not to put too many miles/minutes running it that way, so drive around the block near home for the test.
T.C.

[oldbiker648]

JW,
A rather sage observation about the "looks good on the outside, broken on the inside" referring to the fair sex as well as coil pick-up wires.

[mro]

It makes it hard to enjoy a great weatherd day.

Yup...
So when engine dies:
did you check if it was getting spark?
pull a plug wire, stick a screw driver in it and hold shaft about 1/8th inch from engine. Hit the starter button. (can have wife hold screw driver shaft, watch her reaction. If she jumps when you hit start button then you probably have spark and maybe a PO'ed ole lady )

if no spark, then your looking in the right direction and above suggestions apply.

If it's sparking then:
need to check fuel.


mro

[Jimbo11]

Now it will not fire off at all. Very small spark going from plug to block. I think it is time to order 65 bucks worth of coils... Thanks for the help gang