Last year I had a very frustrating bog at the initial opening of the secondaries on mine (400cid Newport). Once I did set the torsion spring preload at 1.5 turns, man that made a great difference! no more bogging when putting the pedal to the floor! Now my glovebox has the regular tools to change those settings, from the tiny screwdriver for the metering rods adjustment to the big screwdriver for the secondaries locking ring, including the usual 1/2 wrench and little allen key for ign. timing
@brickster240 Good to hear that you found the Magic setting that works for you!......Just make sure that you don't let that Choke Pull-Off get too old or it will go really Rich on you, like it did to me!......Also, a rebuild from time to time works wonders as well......The newer nitrophil floats seem to be better then the factory originals, as they haven't absorbed fuel and sunk yet!.....I might try Brass Floats sometime in the future, but the fuel level might be a bit different between the two!
....What happens with the Plastic floats (sometimes, not always), is, that they sometimes absorb gasoline, making one, or both floats (maybe) become less "Boyant", while sitting in the float bowl (there is a left, and a right side, meaning 2 float bowls in 1, as there are 2 Floats in there)....New Nitrophil (plastic) floats are usually ok, when they are only a few years old...."Brass" floats are more dependable, but there are rare occasions when they might develop a leak....Take care my Friend.
Greetings Metalcore....Sorry that I'm so late in responding to your comment....From time to time, I go looking for comments made by folks like you, and hope to respond to all....If you have "Brass" floats in your Thermoquad, you should be ok....But, if you have those "Nitrophil" (Plastic) floats in there, then there may be a problem developing with the the old ones in your carburetor....My experience with the "Plastic" floats are that they can act as a Sponge, making your TQ run way too "Rich!"
Greetings George Jr....Thanks for Your comment, and, Thanks for watching too...."Congratulations", for finding a way, to Tighten/Loosen the Thermoquad's Secondary Air Door "Torsional" (some Folks call it Tension, but, Tension is actually "Pulling"...lol) Wind-Up Spring's Adjustment "Locking Ring", with, what You happen to have, at Your disposal (aka, what You "Had" already, to get the "Job Done")...I'm thinkin', that, the "Tips" of Your Snap Ring Pliers/Tool, might be "Round" at the "Tips", and I'm also Thinkin', that, while using Your method to Loosen or Tighten, that there "Locking Ring", to be very Careful, so as Not to have the Snap Ring Pliers/Tool "Slip", while Loosening or Tightening that there Locking Ring, which will usually Result in rather "Chewed-Up" Locking Ring "Slots". As long as, You are being Careful, while Using Your Method, You should be..."Good to Go". If that there Secondary Air Door's "Torsional" Wind-Up Spring, starts to go, past the point of "2" Turns, from the Secondary Air Door, Just Touching the Air Horn (aka, top aluminum casting) when it First comes to a Stop, and You Add in the "Turns and Partial Turns" to Create the "Torsional Spring's Resistance", that has me Thinkin', that the "Secondary Jets" (those 2 Big Brass Ones!), could be on the "Small" Side (aka, Orifice or Hole Size, in the Secondary Jets). Thanks again, for Your comment... Be Safe, take care, and have a good one.
RockysRoadshow Good point about the round tips. I'm thinking back from more then 20 years. after the first few time of completely disassembling a TQ, since then, I learned not to mess with that setting, as long as it felt right. To loosen that locking ring, I would use the right size screw driver.. The snap ring pliers were so I could hold the air door adjuster in place, and snug up the lock ring. Once the lock ring is snug, then one could use the right size screwdriver to give it a little more snugging, By the way, you have done a great job on this series, I'm still working my way through watching them. Bring backs lots of memories as to why I liked the TQ so much back then.
George Jr Greetings George Jr....Thanks for this additional comment of Yours, and, Thanks, for Your kind words....The "Actual" so called (and proper) "Tool", that the "Factory/Manufacturer" (aka, Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth, and their "Dealers" Official Service Departments "Used", if they had one, that is...lol), to Loosen/Tighten the Secondary Air Door Torsional Spring Adjusting Screw-Threaded "Locking Ring" (as I've seen in some pictures), looks kinda like a Piece of Metal Tubing/Pipe, with Two Solid Metal Rod-Like pieces attached to the "Outside" (so as Not to Block the Hole in the Tubing/Pipe), and at the outer end, that formed a "T" shaped handle, and, the Other end of that "Tool", that went Into those Two Slots, that are on the "Locking Ring", had Two "Protrusions" (aka, Two, what kinda look like "Keys", that fit into those Two "Notches" in the locking ring)... ...then... ...the "Fixer-Upper-Wanna-Make-An-Adjustment-Guy/Gal", would place that "Tool", in the Locking Ring, then, put a Screwdriver (a fairly long one, that Fit the smaller Adjusting screw-like head, that was "Inside" the locking ring) all the way "Through" that Hole in the "Tools" Tubing/Pipe, and once the Screwdriver was seated in the Adjusting screw headed Thing, and was held Still, to make sure that it Did Not Move, so the Wind-Up Spring, Didn't let go, and maybe get damaged, then, with that "T" Handled Tool, it was just a matter of turning it counter-clockwise, in order to "Loosen" that there Locking Ring... ...and... ...once the Turns and Partial Turns, of that, Adjustment Thingy, that Looks-Like-A-Slotted-Screw-Head, gets "Adjusted", to the Adjustment, "Chosen" by that "Fixer-Upper-Wanna-Make-An-Adjustment-Guy/Gal", then, the Screwdiver was held "Absolutely Still", while "Tightening" the Locking Ring (clock-wise), with that, shall we say..."Very Special"...Thermoquad carburetor Locking Ring Loosening/Tightening..."Tool". A good starting point, for the Secondary "Torsional" Wind-Up Spring, as I see it, is at 1 and 1/2 (one and one half) Turns, from the Air Door "Just Touching" the Casing Boss on the Air Horn (upper aluminum casting). On one of the Thermoquad carburetors, I found that the Factory Setting of 1 and 1/4 (one and one quarter) Turns, worked Awesome!!! It seems that, "Every" Thermoquad/Engine/Vehicle Combination, are kinda like People, as in, "No-Two-Are-The-Same"...!!!...lol. I just Give-It-What-It-Wants-or-Needs, as, then, and only then, will that Thermoquad carburetor, be able to "Perform" to it's "Full Potential", and then some...!!! Gasoline that is at the Gas Pumps these days, usually has Ethanol (aka, alcohol) in its Blend, making just about any Carburetor, that Does Not have a "Feed-Back" System (Feed-Back = the Carburetors, that had a Computer to make air/fuel ratio adjustments, in real time), Run on the "Lean" Air/Fuel Ratio Side of things... ...there-for... ...at times, Adjustments, which might include the Secondary Air Door "Spring", and Re-Calibration, as in Jetting, may become Needed, to keep the Engine "Safe" and "Happy". That Secondary Air Door Torsional "Spring" was Only "One" Important Item, as, if and when, that Choke Pull-Off "Diaphragm" (inside that space ship looking device) becomes "Old" or starts "Leaking" Air/Vacuum, then, the Secondary Air Door will usually get "Stuck" Closed, or start "Opening" Too Soon, which will cause problems, like, having the Engine, maybe I will call it a "Rich Bog" (when Air Door gets Stuck closed, and acts like the Choke is Stuck Closed), and a "Lean Bog" will usually start happening, when the Secondary Air Door "Opens" Way Too Quickly/Soon...!!! For best Performance/Economy/Reliability, "Always" Replace those Nitrophyl (black plastic) Floats, as sometimes, they start acting like "Sponges", absorbing gasoline and start Sinking, and makes for a really "Overly-Rich" Air/Fuel Ratio, which makes for some Terrible Gas Mileage/Kilometer-age...!!! Same goes for that "Choke Pull-Off", Install a "New" One, and "Make Sure", that the "Correct One", for that particular Thermoquad carburetor Number/Model, gets Installed, or, it's like playing the "Odds" in Reno or Vegas...!!! Once a Thermoquad carburetor gets...Rebuilt, Calibrated, and Set-Up Properly, and the rest of the Vehicle, does as it should, then, I need say no more... Be Safe, take care, and have a good one.
Hi, these videos are great! I think the Thermo-Quad is a really good carburador, I had a stock 340 Dodge Challenger with a tq, it ran great. Now I’ trying to tune another tq in a bigger cammed engine, The first thing I noticed is the needles were to small and the carburetor dried. Tune this tq for a more breathing engine is way different from a stock engine. I’d like to have some recommendations from you.
Greetings...pepitomateo1...……..Thanks for the nice comment, and thanks, for watching too...…..Whenever, a factory/stock, not, high performance engine, gets a "high performance"...heavier breathing camshaft...that produces, that, much wanted, and heard...buh-bump-bah-bump sound, at idle speed RPM's, installed into it, then, it's very important, to get the "ignition advance curve"...modified properly, along with, the usually, increased amount of, initial (base) ignition timing, otherwise, the carburetor, will not idle, or transition into, the above idle speed RPM's, as it should be doing...……..You might, have already noticed, that, Ya had to crank the idle "speed" screw "in-wards" (clockwise), quite a bit, in order to, try and keep the engine from stalling...right...???...…….If you have a look at the Thermoquad carburetor, from the bottom side of it, then, focus your attention, on those 2 slots, as in, 1 slot, in each of the primary throttle bores...……When the choke system is fully off, then, there should only be, a "small square" opening, showing, there-abouts, that is caused by, and when, the primary throttle plates (butterflies), are in, their (curb) idle speed position...…….So then, whenever, the idle "speed" screw, gets turned in-wards/clockwise, more than it should be, then, those slots, that should be showing, "only", (about) a square shape, will probably be looking more like a slot shape (not wanted)...…...By, not having that little square shape (of that slot) showing, then, it will usually, really mess up, the transition, from idle speed RPM's, into the RPM area, that's above idle speed...…...That's why, it's so important, to have the correct amount of "initial" (base) ignition timing, for almost any camshaft, that will cause, that..."buh-bump"..."buh-bump"...somewhat famous, idle speed sound...…….For a Distributor, type of ignition system, the "initial" (base) ignition timing, has to be figured out first, for the camshaft's, and engine's, shall we say, "personality", then, the "total" (old school terminology, and, it was probably a racing distributor, that didn't use a vacuum advance canister, on "it", at all) ignition timing (total timing...that be, the initial/base timing, added to, what the mechanical weights produce, when they are slung outwards, as far as they will go)...as well as, how fast, those mechanical (metal) weights, sling outwards, as the engine RPM's, start to increase (the movement, of those 2 metal weights, are usually controlled by, the amount of tension, that those, usually 2, coiled springs are rated at, and, are sometimes, color coded as well)………..Here are some examples for Ya, and, please note..."Do Not Use these Examples"...on any engine, or..."Severe and Expensive Damage"'...could be the result...!!!...……I'll use an old school V-8 engine, that has a distributor...…….A "smog" engine (very lazy, performance-wise...lol), might have, oh, about 5 crankshaft degrees of "initial" (base) ignition timing, and, those 2 spring loaded weights, will add 30 (crankshaft) degrees, and might not, sling outwards fully, until engine RPM's reached above 4,000 RPM's, (the old school terminology/total timing, will be, 5 degrees initial/base...plus...30 degrees, from the mechanical weights & springs...for a total timing, of...35 crankshaft degrees)..........In this example, there will probably be, a vacuum advance canister, on the distributor as well, which will be adding, 15 crankshaft degrees, added onto, the total timing, while the engine, is in, a light loading condition (please note...when going pedal to the metal, the engine's, intake manifold...vacuum signal, drops to almost nothing, there-for, the vacuum advance canister, goes back to its resting position, and does-not, add any, vacuum advance degrees at this time)………..So then, ("smog" engine only), during light engine loading/just cruzin' along, then, it might be, 5 degrees initial/base...plus...whatever the mechanical weights and springs are providing at the time (depending on the engine RPM's)...plus...the 15 degrees, that, the vacuum advance canister is providing (here's another wrench, thrown in as well, as in, is the vacuum advance, connected to the carburetor's..."port", that's usually called ported vacuum, or, is the vacuum advance can, connected to "manifold" vacuum...???)…(the only real difference, is that, with manifold vacuum, it will usually add that 15 degrees, while at idle speed, where-as, the ported vacuum signal, doesn't kick in, until, just above idle speed RPM's)………..The most ignition timing advance, while the engine is lightly loaded, will probably be, 5 degrees initial/base...plus...30 degrees from the weights and springs, while the engine is above 4,000 RPM's...plus...15 degrees, from the vacuum advance canister...which will be 50 degrees, when it's as far as it can go...…….A vacuum advance canister, that is connected to "manifold" vacuum, that also has, the correct rate (measured in Hg/inches of mercury), as well as, the correct amount of (vacuum) advance (be careful here now, because, there are crankshaft degrees, and also, distributor degrees, which are only 1/2 of, the crankshaft degrees...!!!...pay attention to that one, for sure)...where was I...oh yeah...by using the correct vacuum advance canister, that's connected to manifold vacuum, then, the engine, that has that "performance camshaft", in it, will probably now, be, idling, and transitioning into the RPM's, just above idle speed RPM's pretty good, well, providing that, those 2 slots, in the Thermoquad carburetor, are showing a square shape there-abouts, while the carburetor is at idle speed, and that, the distributor (if there is one, that is), is, properly set up, with the proper, ignition advance curve, and, is also, set at the correct, Initial/base ignition timing, for that "exact", high performance camshaft...……..Now then, here's an..."Example Only"...for a high performance camshaft-ed engine...…….Before I forget, there use-tah be, some "initial" (base) timing, degree....recommendations/suggestions, that I saw, some time ago, on, the good ole inter-webs, that were based on, the camshaft's duration specifications (well, as I recall, that is)………..So, here goes...…...The imaginary/example, high performance camshaft, in this "Example Only"..."Do Not Use"...!!!...likes...20 degrees of initial/base timing....and...the engine's personality, is asking for, 35 degrees, of total timing, and, the total timing is...(20 degrees...plus...15 degrees, from the advance weights & springs, which, will fully sling outwards, when the engine RPM's, reach 3,000 RPM's, which isn't too risky, on this "example only, imaginary" engine)………..Then, it can sometimes become tricky, when choosing & setting-up, a vacuum advance canister on this one...…….Seeing as how, the total ignition advance, is now coming in earlier, at 3,000 RPM's (not 4,000 plus, like the "smog" engine had), then, the vacuum advance canister, might not be able, to go any higher than, oh, about 10 (crankshaft) degrees, perhaps, otherwise, there might be some surging, or maybe, a bit of pinging, while at light engine loading/just cruzin' along...……..Sometimes, too much initial ignition timing, can make it too hard on the starter motor, to turn the engine over, when the engine is hot, and, this is where, the correct vacuum advance canister comes in, to help things out, starting-wise, that is...…….Lets say, that, the hot engine will start ok, with 10 degrees of initial/base timing, as to where the distributor is locked (bolted) down, then, the other 10 degrees of advance, can come from the vacuum advance canister, once the engine starts running/when the manifold vacuum signal is now present.......….If Ya wanna spend a few dollars, and have a new distributor, that is "custom" made, and set up, for your exact engine and vehicle, then, go check out....DUI (nope, not that kind), but rather...Davis Unified Ignition...(I think, that's the name of the place), as, they do quite a few types of distributors, and, they might have an HEI (High Energy Ignition) distributor, that only requires a "1-Wire" hook-up...!!! (12 volts/ignition switch wire, most of the time), for your engine...………They also have, some good lookin'...spark plug "wires" too (as I recall)………..The DUI folks, will want to know, just about everything, about your vehicle and engine, because, the more, that you can tell them, about your ride, the better, that, they will be able to, match the ignition advance curve, to your vehicle and engine's needs...……..Not only, will a proper ignition advance curve, improve the engine's performance...you'll also get, an increase, in fuel economy too..."but only"..."if"...???...Ya can keep...Ur Big foot...from..."mashing down"...on the gas pedal...!!!...lol...and...….till next time...….Be Safe, take care, and have a good one.
Greetings...Mickey Flowers...…….Thanks for the nice comment, and for, watching too...….I'm sorry for taking so long to reply to you, as, I kinda missed this one...…….The TQ's secondary air valve's opening rate, and, the amount that it opens, is usually controlled by the "choke pull off" (it kinda looks like, a little space ship...lol)………..While the engine is running at idle speed RPM's, and also, at, not so fast, city/highway speeds, while going easy on the gas pedal, then, the engine's, intake manifold's vacuum (signal) is quite high (as in, strong air suction), which will usually, keep the choke pull off's stem, pulled in quite a bit, which in turn, keeps the TQ's air valve, from opening very much at all...……Also, there are a few linkages involved as well, and have to be adjusted/operating properly...…….Having the engine "cold, and not running", push down lightly, on the rear side of the air valve, with one finger, then, take your finger off of the air valve, and repeat this action a few times, and "watch" the movement, of that curved, slotted bracket, that's on the end of the air valve's shaft, and how the linkage/s, make contact, and, any other linkages, that also make contact with other parts...as in, just watch, for any movement of parts, as you are poking at the air valve...……..The adjustments/settings on a Thermoquad (TQ), have to be done in the "correct sequence", as in, the correct order, because, some of the adjustments/settings, that are about to be done, depend upon, some of the "already done", adjustments/settings, otherwise, things will usually get messed up quite a bit, and, the TQ carburetor, probably won't work very good at all, and...…...till next time...….Be Safe, take care, and have a good one.
Do you have a website ? I have a special Thermo-Quad on a 1978 Dodge Polara 440. Former N.C. State Highway Patrol Cruiser that can use your detailed work.
Greetings...W Butler...……..Thanks for watching...……..Well, I don't have a website at all, but, if you can post any questions or concerns, that you may have, about a Thermoquad carburetor, then, feel free, to post those things, under any of my Thermoquad carburetor videos, that are on my UA-cam channel...RockysRoadshow...thanks...………Here are a few things, that should be replaced...…...Get 2 new "floats"...and, a new "choke pull off" (kinda looks like...a little space ship...lol), and, if there is a short rubber hose, that connects it to the Thermoquad, then, it's a good idea, to replace it as well, as the older, probably dried out, rubber hose (tubing), might have an air leak in it somewhere, or, just fits poorly, at one, or both ends of it...……..The "rebuild kit", for a Thermoquad (and, for most, of the other carburetors as well), will usually have some very, very good (on paper) instructions, that are usually in the rebuild kit (as in, inside the cardboard box), and will have, some very impressive, and well written instructions, specifications, and drawings as well, that will usually guide you through, step by step, as you move along...……..Be very certain, that you make all of the adjustments/settings, in the..."Exact"..."Sequence"...!!! (as in, order of doing things), because, some of those adjustment/settings, depend on, some of the other settings/adjustments, that were done..."before"...the one, that's about to be done...!!!...and, that's probably, one good reason, that some folks, gave the Thermoquad, a, not so good review, as in, they or them, probably never studied the Thermoquad carburetor at all, and probably, just turned this screw, or that screw, and/or, bent a linkage or two, while not really knowing, what does what...???...and wondered why, it ran like crap...lol...……….I'm not sure, as to when/what year (as in, was it before, or after 1978...???), that, the good ole Gasoline (full strength stuff), was, shall we say, starting to get watered down, with about 10% Ethanol (might be alcohol, made from corn, perhaps), which will probably cause, some of the earlier Thermoquads (that were originally calibrated, with 100% gasoline), to administer, a "leaner-than-wanted", air/fuel ratio, to the engine...………I had to re-jet (with the fuel jets), a Themoquad (circa- 1974), quite a bit richer, from .095", up to .104" (" equals inches) hole diameter/orifice size, just to get rid of that lean surge, that I was having, some time ago, while just going, at about city speed, and very easy on the gas pedal...(lean surging, is when the car was surging/bucking, forwards and backwards...very annoying, and Ya can't miss it at all...lol)………..Running an engine, on too lean of an air/fuel ratio, can, and will, be causing, a certain amount of engine damage, especially when, going pedal to the metal/full throttle acceleration......….There are usually...Four numbers, followed by the letter S...that are usually..."stamped into"...the Thermoquad's…"Baseplate"...(aka, throttle body), at one of its rear corners (at the back), and, you'll need this information, when-ever ordering a rebuild kit, or, other parts for it.......….Do an internet search, for...Vaanths Thermoquad Guide...(I think?)...because, if that web-page, is still up and running, then, there's an incredible amount of information to be had, and then some, and, the guy that wrote it, did a Fantastic job...!!!.......and......till next time...…Be Safe, take care, and have a good one.
Subtracting delays of justice and illegal hacking.79 Dodge 5.9L carb works great. Perffect air to fuel mixture and timing firing. Vaccum and compression perfect. Past is in the past, the moment replaces the past, in the moment.
Walking in Beauty and law of reciprocity.Agreements.doc by 178 Greetings (to Your very Long Name)....Thanks for watching, and for, Your comment as well......................Good to hear, that Your 1979 Dodge 5.9 Liter Engine, is working as good, as, You, are saying it is.................oh, and, Nobody, can "Change the Past"...but...They can..."Change the Future"...as, the Future, hasn't Past, the Past yet, only the Present has, which kinda has me thinkin'..............................................Hmmmm....maybe, it's kinda like Playin'..."Leap Frog"...in, a some-what..."Per-Pet-U-Al"...way, where, once You start, it appears that, there is Nobody, at the Front of, that there..."Leap Frog"...Line...just like, a "Never Ending Future", oh, and I guess, that, a..."Dog Chasin' its Own Tail"...is almost the same, maybe...???...lol..................................Well, that's My 2-Cents worth, maybe More, due to..."in-Flay-SHUN"...!!!...lol..............Till next time............Be Safe, take care, and have a good one.
Greetings my Friend!.............I hope that you can find someone who can translate the English that I'm speaking in my videos..................Surely you might have a relative or a friend of the family that can help you out in finding someone to translate for you...................Maybe someone reading this reply can help my Friend here, translate my English to his Language, or connect him with a person with such "Super"- Translation Skills! Thanks kindly..............Rocky
Last year I had a very frustrating bog at the initial opening of the secondaries on mine (400cid Newport). Once I did set the torsion spring preload at 1.5 turns, man that made a great difference! no more bogging when putting the pedal to the floor!
Now my glovebox has the regular tools to change those settings, from the tiny screwdriver for the metering rods adjustment to the big screwdriver for the secondaries locking ring, including the usual 1/2 wrench and little allen key for ign. timing
@brickster240 Good to hear that you found the Magic setting that works for you!......Just make sure that you don't let that Choke Pull-Off get too old or it will go really Rich on you, like it did to me!......Also, a rebuild from time to time works wonders as well......The newer nitrophil floats seem to be better then the factory originals, as they haven't absorbed fuel and sunk yet!.....I might try Brass Floats sometime in the future, but the fuel level might be a bit different between the two!
....What happens with the Plastic floats (sometimes, not always), is, that they sometimes absorb gasoline, making one, or both floats (maybe) become less "Boyant", while sitting in the float bowl (there is a left, and a right side, meaning 2 float bowls in 1, as there are 2 Floats in there)....New Nitrophil (plastic) floats are usually ok, when they are only a few years old...."Brass" floats are more dependable, but there are rare occasions when they might develop a leak....Take care my Friend.
Greetings Metalcore....Sorry that I'm so late in responding to your comment....From time to time, I go looking for comments made by folks like you, and hope to respond to all....If you have "Brass" floats in your Thermoquad, you should be ok....But, if you have those "Nitrophil" (Plastic) floats in there, then there may be a problem developing with the the old ones in your carburetor....My experience with the "Plastic" floats are that they can act as a Sponge, making your TQ run way too "Rich!"
A snap ring pliers, with the 90 deg tips, works great for tightening the lock ring for the air valve door.
Greetings George Jr....Thanks for Your comment, and, Thanks for watching too...."Congratulations", for finding a way, to Tighten/Loosen the Thermoquad's Secondary Air Door "Torsional" (some Folks call it Tension, but, Tension is actually "Pulling"...lol) Wind-Up Spring's Adjustment "Locking Ring", with, what You happen to have, at Your disposal (aka, what You "Had" already, to get the "Job Done")...I'm thinkin', that, the "Tips" of Your Snap Ring Pliers/Tool, might be "Round" at the "Tips", and I'm also Thinkin', that, while using Your method to Loosen or Tighten, that there "Locking Ring", to be very Careful, so as Not to have the Snap Ring Pliers/Tool "Slip", while Loosening or Tightening that there Locking Ring, which will usually Result in rather "Chewed-Up" Locking Ring "Slots".
As long as, You are being Careful, while Using Your Method, You should be..."Good to Go".
If that there Secondary Air Door's "Torsional" Wind-Up Spring, starts to go, past the point of "2" Turns, from the Secondary Air Door, Just Touching the Air Horn (aka, top aluminum casting) when it First comes to a Stop, and You Add in the "Turns and Partial Turns" to Create the "Torsional Spring's Resistance", that has me Thinkin', that the "Secondary Jets" (those 2 Big Brass Ones!), could be on the "Small" Side (aka, Orifice or Hole Size, in the Secondary Jets).
Thanks again, for Your comment...
Be Safe, take care, and have a good one.
RockysRoadshow
Good point about the round tips. I'm thinking back from more then 20 years. after the first few time of completely disassembling a TQ, since then, I learned not to mess with that setting, as long as it felt right.
To loosen that locking ring, I would use the right size screw driver.. The snap ring pliers were so I could hold the air door adjuster in place, and snug up the lock ring. Once the lock ring is snug, then one could use the right size screwdriver to give it a little more snugging,
By the way, you have done a great job on this series, I'm still working my way through watching them. Bring backs lots of memories as to why I liked the TQ so much back then.
George Jr
Greetings George Jr....Thanks for this additional comment of Yours, and, Thanks, for Your kind words....The "Actual" so called (and proper) "Tool", that the "Factory/Manufacturer" (aka, Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth, and their "Dealers" Official Service Departments "Used", if they had one, that is...lol), to Loosen/Tighten the Secondary Air Door Torsional Spring Adjusting Screw-Threaded "Locking Ring" (as I've seen in some pictures), looks kinda like a Piece of Metal Tubing/Pipe, with Two Solid Metal Rod-Like pieces attached to the "Outside" (so as Not to Block the Hole in the Tubing/Pipe), and at the outer end, that formed a "T" shaped handle, and, the Other end of that "Tool", that went Into those Two Slots, that are on the "Locking Ring", had Two "Protrusions" (aka, Two, what kinda look like "Keys", that fit into those Two "Notches" in the locking ring)...
...then...
...the "Fixer-Upper-Wanna-Make-An-Adjustment-Guy/Gal", would place that "Tool", in the Locking Ring, then, put a Screwdriver (a fairly long one, that Fit the smaller Adjusting screw-like head, that was "Inside" the locking ring) all the way "Through" that Hole in the "Tools" Tubing/Pipe, and once the Screwdriver was seated in the Adjusting screw headed Thing, and was held Still, to make sure that it Did Not Move, so the Wind-Up Spring, Didn't let go, and maybe get damaged, then, with that "T" Handled Tool, it was just a matter of turning it counter-clockwise, in order to "Loosen" that there Locking Ring...
...and...
...once the Turns and Partial Turns, of that, Adjustment Thingy, that Looks-Like-A-Slotted-Screw-Head, gets "Adjusted", to the Adjustment, "Chosen" by that "Fixer-Upper-Wanna-Make-An-Adjustment-Guy/Gal", then, the Screwdiver was held "Absolutely Still", while "Tightening" the Locking Ring (clock-wise), with that, shall we say..."Very Special"...Thermoquad carburetor Locking Ring Loosening/Tightening..."Tool".
A good starting point, for the Secondary "Torsional" Wind-Up Spring, as I see it, is at 1 and 1/2 (one and one half) Turns, from the Air Door "Just Touching" the Casing Boss on the Air Horn (upper aluminum casting).
On one of the Thermoquad carburetors, I found that the Factory Setting of 1 and 1/4 (one and one quarter) Turns, worked Awesome!!!
It seems that, "Every" Thermoquad/Engine/Vehicle Combination, are kinda like People, as in, "No-Two-Are-The-Same"...!!!...lol.
I just Give-It-What-It-Wants-or-Needs, as, then, and only then, will that Thermoquad carburetor, be able to "Perform" to it's "Full Potential", and then some...!!!
Gasoline that is at the Gas Pumps these days, usually has Ethanol (aka, alcohol) in its Blend, making just about any Carburetor, that Does Not have a "Feed-Back" System (Feed-Back = the Carburetors, that had a Computer to make air/fuel ratio adjustments, in real time), Run on the "Lean" Air/Fuel Ratio Side of things...
...there-for...
...at times, Adjustments, which might include the Secondary Air Door "Spring", and Re-Calibration, as in Jetting, may become Needed, to keep the Engine "Safe" and "Happy".
That Secondary Air Door Torsional "Spring" was Only "One" Important Item, as, if and when, that Choke Pull-Off "Diaphragm" (inside that space ship looking device) becomes "Old" or starts "Leaking" Air/Vacuum, then, the Secondary Air Door will usually get "Stuck" Closed, or start "Opening" Too Soon, which will cause problems, like, having the Engine, maybe I will call it a "Rich Bog" (when Air Door gets Stuck closed, and acts like the Choke is Stuck Closed), and a "Lean Bog" will usually start happening, when the Secondary Air Door "Opens" Way Too Quickly/Soon...!!!
For best Performance/Economy/Reliability, "Always" Replace those Nitrophyl (black plastic) Floats, as sometimes, they start acting like "Sponges", absorbing gasoline and start Sinking, and makes for a really "Overly-Rich" Air/Fuel Ratio, which makes for some Terrible Gas Mileage/Kilometer-age...!!!
Same goes for that "Choke Pull-Off", Install a "New" One, and "Make Sure", that the "Correct One", for that particular Thermoquad carburetor Number/Model, gets Installed, or, it's like playing the "Odds" in Reno or Vegas...!!!
Once a Thermoquad carburetor gets...Rebuilt, Calibrated, and Set-Up Properly, and the rest of the Vehicle, does as it should, then, I need say no more...
Be Safe, take care, and have a good one.
Hi, these videos are great! I think the Thermo-Quad is a really good carburador, I had a stock 340 Dodge Challenger with a tq, it ran great. Now I’ trying to tune another tq in a bigger cammed engine, The first thing I noticed is the needles were to small and the carburetor dried. Tune this tq for a more breathing engine is way different from a stock engine. I’d like to have some recommendations from you.
Greetings...pepitomateo1...……..Thanks for the nice comment, and thanks, for watching too...…..Whenever, a factory/stock, not, high performance engine, gets a "high performance"...heavier breathing camshaft...that produces, that, much wanted, and heard...buh-bump-bah-bump sound, at idle speed RPM's, installed into it, then, it's very important, to get the "ignition advance curve"...modified properly, along with, the usually, increased amount of, initial (base) ignition timing, otherwise, the carburetor, will not idle, or transition into, the above idle speed RPM's, as it should be doing...……..You might, have already noticed, that, Ya had to crank the idle "speed" screw "in-wards" (clockwise), quite a bit, in order to, try and keep the engine from stalling...right...???...…….If you have a look at the Thermoquad carburetor, from the bottom side of it, then, focus your attention, on those 2 slots, as in, 1 slot, in each of the primary throttle bores...……When the choke system is fully off, then, there should only be, a "small square" opening, showing, there-abouts, that is caused by, and when, the primary throttle plates (butterflies), are in, their (curb) idle speed position...…….So then, whenever, the idle "speed" screw, gets turned in-wards/clockwise, more than it should be, then, those slots, that should be showing, "only", (about) a square shape, will probably be looking more like a slot shape (not wanted)...…...By, not having that little square shape (of that slot) showing, then, it will usually, really mess up, the transition, from idle speed RPM's, into the RPM area, that's above idle speed...…...That's why, it's so important, to have the correct amount of "initial" (base) ignition timing, for almost any camshaft, that will cause, that..."buh-bump"..."buh-bump"...somewhat famous, idle speed sound...…….For a Distributor, type of ignition system, the "initial" (base) ignition timing, has to be figured out first, for the camshaft's, and engine's, shall we say, "personality", then, the "total" (old school terminology, and, it was probably a racing distributor, that didn't use a vacuum advance canister, on "it", at all) ignition timing (total timing...that be, the initial/base timing, added to, what the mechanical weights produce, when they are slung outwards, as far as they will go)...as well as, how fast, those mechanical (metal) weights, sling outwards, as the engine RPM's, start to increase (the movement, of those 2 metal weights, are usually controlled by, the amount of tension, that those, usually 2, coiled springs are rated at, and, are sometimes, color coded as well)………..Here are some examples for Ya, and, please note..."Do Not Use these Examples"...on any engine, or..."Severe and Expensive Damage"'...could be the result...!!!...……I'll use an old school V-8 engine, that has a distributor...…….A "smog" engine (very lazy, performance-wise...lol), might have, oh, about 5 crankshaft degrees of "initial" (base) ignition timing, and, those 2 spring loaded weights, will add 30 (crankshaft) degrees, and might not, sling outwards fully, until engine RPM's reached above 4,000 RPM's, (the old school terminology/total timing, will be, 5 degrees initial/base...plus...30 degrees, from the mechanical weights & springs...for a total timing, of...35 crankshaft degrees)..........In this example, there will probably be, a vacuum advance canister, on the distributor as well, which will be adding, 15 crankshaft degrees, added onto, the total timing, while the engine, is in, a light loading condition (please note...when going pedal to the metal, the engine's, intake manifold...vacuum signal, drops to almost nothing, there-for, the vacuum advance canister, goes back to its resting position, and does-not, add any, vacuum advance degrees at this time)………..So then, ("smog" engine only), during light engine loading/just cruzin' along, then, it might be, 5 degrees initial/base...plus...whatever the mechanical weights and springs are providing at the time (depending on the engine RPM's)...plus...the 15 degrees, that, the vacuum advance canister is providing (here's another wrench, thrown in as well, as in, is the vacuum advance, connected to the carburetor's..."port", that's usually called ported vacuum, or, is the vacuum advance can, connected to "manifold" vacuum...???)…(the only real difference, is that, with manifold vacuum, it will usually add that 15 degrees, while at idle speed, where-as, the ported vacuum signal, doesn't kick in, until, just above idle speed RPM's)………..The most ignition timing advance, while the engine is lightly loaded, will probably be, 5 degrees initial/base...plus...30 degrees from the weights and springs, while the engine is above 4,000 RPM's...plus...15 degrees, from the vacuum advance canister...which will be 50 degrees, when it's as far as it can go...…….A vacuum advance canister, that is connected to "manifold" vacuum, that also has, the correct rate (measured in Hg/inches of mercury), as well as, the correct amount of (vacuum) advance (be careful here now, because, there are crankshaft degrees, and also, distributor degrees, which are only 1/2 of, the crankshaft degrees...!!!...pay attention to that one, for sure)...where was I...oh yeah...by using the correct vacuum advance canister, that's connected to manifold vacuum, then, the engine, that has that "performance camshaft", in it, will probably now, be, idling, and transitioning into the RPM's, just above idle speed RPM's pretty good, well, providing that, those 2 slots, in the Thermoquad carburetor, are showing a square shape there-abouts, while the carburetor is at idle speed, and that, the distributor (if there is one, that is), is, properly set up, with the proper, ignition advance curve, and, is also, set at the correct, Initial/base ignition timing, for that "exact", high performance camshaft...……..Now then, here's an..."Example Only"...for a high performance camshaft-ed engine...…….Before I forget, there use-tah be, some "initial" (base) timing, degree....recommendations/suggestions, that I saw, some time ago, on, the good ole inter-webs, that were based on, the camshaft's duration specifications (well, as I recall, that is)………..So, here goes...…...The imaginary/example, high performance camshaft, in this "Example Only"..."Do Not Use"...!!!...likes...20 degrees of initial/base timing....and...the engine's personality, is asking for, 35 degrees, of total timing, and, the total timing is...(20 degrees...plus...15 degrees, from the advance weights & springs, which, will fully sling outwards, when the engine RPM's, reach 3,000 RPM's, which isn't too risky, on this "example only, imaginary" engine)………..Then, it can sometimes become tricky, when choosing & setting-up, a vacuum advance canister on this one...…….Seeing as how, the total ignition advance, is now coming in earlier, at 3,000 RPM's (not 4,000 plus, like the "smog" engine had), then, the vacuum advance canister, might not be able, to go any higher than, oh, about 10 (crankshaft) degrees, perhaps, otherwise, there might be some surging, or maybe, a bit of pinging, while at light engine loading/just cruzin' along...……..Sometimes, too much initial ignition timing, can make it too hard on the starter motor, to turn the engine over, when the engine is hot, and, this is where, the correct vacuum advance canister comes in, to help things out, starting-wise, that is...…….Lets say, that, the hot engine will start ok, with 10 degrees of initial/base timing, as to where the distributor is locked (bolted) down, then, the other 10 degrees of advance, can come from the vacuum advance canister, once the engine starts running/when the manifold vacuum signal is now present.......….If Ya wanna spend a few dollars, and have a new distributor, that is "custom" made, and set up, for your exact engine and vehicle, then, go check out....DUI (nope, not that kind), but rather...Davis Unified Ignition...(I think, that's the name of the place), as, they do quite a few types of distributors, and, they might have an HEI (High Energy Ignition) distributor, that only requires a "1-Wire" hook-up...!!! (12 volts/ignition switch wire, most of the time), for your engine...………They also have, some good lookin'...spark plug "wires" too (as I recall)………..The DUI folks, will want to know, just about everything, about your vehicle and engine, because, the more, that you can tell them, about your ride, the better, that, they will be able to, match the ignition advance curve, to your vehicle and engine's needs...……..Not only, will a proper ignition advance curve, improve the engine's performance...you'll also get, an increase, in fuel economy too..."but only"..."if"...???...Ya can keep...Ur Big foot...from..."mashing down"...on the gas pedal...!!!...lol...and...….till next time...….Be Safe, take care, and have a good one.
Great video. My secondary air valve door is stuck closed on mine. It isn't rusty or anything. What causes that?
Greetings...Mickey Flowers...…….Thanks for the nice comment, and for, watching too...….I'm sorry for taking so long to reply to you, as, I kinda missed this one...…….The TQ's secondary air valve's opening rate, and, the amount that it opens, is usually controlled by the "choke pull off" (it kinda looks like, a little space ship...lol)………..While the engine is running at idle speed RPM's, and also, at, not so fast, city/highway speeds, while going easy on the gas pedal, then, the engine's, intake manifold's vacuum (signal) is quite high (as in, strong air suction), which will usually, keep the choke pull off's stem, pulled in quite a bit, which in turn, keeps the TQ's air valve, from opening very much at all...……Also, there are a few linkages involved as well, and have to be adjusted/operating properly...…….Having the engine "cold, and not running", push down lightly, on the rear side of the air valve, with one finger, then, take your finger off of the air valve, and repeat this action a few times, and "watch" the movement, of that curved, slotted bracket, that's on the end of the air valve's shaft, and how the linkage/s, make contact, and, any other linkages, that also make contact with other parts...as in, just watch, for any movement of parts, as you are poking at the air valve...……..The adjustments/settings on a Thermoquad (TQ), have to be done in the "correct sequence", as in, the correct order, because, some of the adjustments/settings, that are about to be done, depend upon, some of the "already done", adjustments/settings, otherwise, things will usually get messed up quite a bit, and, the TQ carburetor, probably won't work very good at all, and...…...till next time...….Be Safe, take care, and have a good one.
Do you have a website ? I have a special Thermo-Quad on a 1978 Dodge Polara 440. Former N.C. State Highway Patrol Cruiser that can use your detailed work.
Greetings...W Butler...……..Thanks for watching...……..Well, I don't have a website at all, but, if you can post any questions or concerns, that you may have, about a Thermoquad carburetor, then, feel free, to post those things, under any of my Thermoquad carburetor videos, that are on my UA-cam channel...RockysRoadshow...thanks...………Here are a few things, that should be replaced...…...Get 2 new "floats"...and, a new "choke pull off" (kinda looks like...a little space ship...lol), and, if there is a short rubber hose, that connects it to the Thermoquad, then, it's a good idea, to replace it as well, as the older, probably dried out, rubber hose (tubing), might have an air leak in it somewhere, or, just fits poorly, at one, or both ends of it...……..The "rebuild kit", for a Thermoquad (and, for most, of the other carburetors as well), will usually have some very, very good (on paper) instructions, that are usually in the rebuild kit (as in, inside the cardboard box), and will have, some very impressive, and well written instructions, specifications, and drawings as well, that will usually guide you through, step by step, as you move along...……..Be very certain, that you make all of the adjustments/settings, in the..."Exact"..."Sequence"...!!! (as in, order of doing things), because, some of those adjustment/settings, depend on, some of the other settings/adjustments, that were done..."before"...the one, that's about to be done...!!!...and, that's probably, one good reason, that some folks, gave the Thermoquad, a, not so good review, as in, they or them, probably never studied the Thermoquad carburetor at all, and probably, just turned this screw, or that screw, and/or, bent a linkage or two, while not really knowing, what does what...???...and wondered why, it ran like crap...lol...……….I'm not sure, as to when/what year (as in, was it before, or after 1978...???), that, the good ole Gasoline (full strength stuff), was, shall we say, starting to get watered down, with about 10% Ethanol (might be alcohol, made from corn, perhaps), which will probably cause, some of the earlier Thermoquads (that were originally calibrated, with 100% gasoline), to administer, a "leaner-than-wanted", air/fuel ratio, to the engine...………I had to re-jet (with the fuel jets), a Themoquad (circa- 1974), quite a bit richer, from .095", up to .104" (" equals inches) hole diameter/orifice size, just to get rid of that lean surge, that I was having, some time ago, while just going, at about city speed, and very easy on the gas pedal...(lean surging, is when the car was surging/bucking, forwards and backwards...very annoying, and Ya can't miss it at all...lol)………..Running an engine, on too lean of an air/fuel ratio, can, and will, be causing, a certain amount of engine damage, especially when, going pedal to the metal/full throttle acceleration......….There are usually...Four numbers, followed by the letter S...that are usually..."stamped into"...the Thermoquad's…"Baseplate"...(aka, throttle body), at one of its rear corners (at the back), and, you'll need this information, when-ever ordering a rebuild kit, or, other parts for it.......….Do an internet search, for...Vaanths Thermoquad Guide...(I think?)...because, if that web-page, is still up and running, then, there's an incredible amount of information to be had, and then some, and, the guy that wrote it, did a Fantastic job...!!!.......and......till next time...…Be Safe, take care, and have a good one.
Subtracting delays of justice and illegal hacking.79 Dodge 5.9L carb works great. Perffect air to fuel mixture and timing firing. Vaccum and compression perfect. Past is in the past, the moment replaces the past, in the moment.
Walking in Beauty and law of reciprocity.Agreements.doc by 178 Greetings (to Your very Long Name)....Thanks for watching, and for, Your comment as well......................Good to hear, that Your 1979 Dodge 5.9 Liter Engine, is working as good, as, You, are saying it is.................oh, and, Nobody, can "Change the Past"...but...They can..."Change the Future"...as, the Future, hasn't Past, the Past yet, only the Present has, which kinda has me thinkin'..............................................Hmmmm....maybe, it's kinda like Playin'..."Leap Frog"...in, a some-what..."Per-Pet-U-Al"...way, where, once You start, it appears that, there is Nobody, at the Front of, that there..."Leap Frog"...Line...just like, a "Never Ending Future", oh, and I guess, that, a..."Dog Chasin' its Own Tail"...is almost the same, maybe...???...lol..................................Well, that's My 2-Cents worth, maybe More, due to..."in-Flay-SHUN"...!!!...lol..............Till next time............Be Safe, take care, and have a good one.
Greetings my Friend!.............I hope that you can find someone who can translate the English that I'm speaking in my videos..................Surely you might have a relative or a friend of the family that can help you out in finding someone to translate for you...................Maybe someone reading this reply can help my Friend here, translate my English to his Language, or connect him with a person with such "Super"- Translation Skills! Thanks kindly..............Rocky