HOW DOES THE CARBURETOR WORKS

Before moving to the details of a carburetor some of important terms are as follows:

 Air Fuel Mixture:

Air is composed of various gases, mostly O 2 and Nitrogen which are 21% and
78% respectively by volume. These gases as all substance are made of tiny
particles called molecules. These particles are moving relative to each other.
These molecules of air due to their weight are attracted by the gravity to form the
atmosphere.

 Evaporation:

It is the changing of a liquid to vapour. The molecules of the liquid , not being
closely tied together are constantly moving about within the atmosphere. When
any molecule gains enough energy; it jumps from the liquid.

Evaporation depends upon the following:

a) Temperature:

The rate of movement of the molecules depends upon the temperature. If

the temperature is high, molecules will gain more energy and hence the
evaporation rate will be high.

b) Atmospheric Pressure:

As the atmospheric pressure increases, the load of the molecules (air) over
the liquid surface will increase the evaporation rate as the atmospheric
pressure is more than the vapour pressure on the liquid.

c) Close Chamber:

As evaporation takes place in a close chamber, the space above the liquid
will reach a point of saturation. When it happens, every molecule of liquid
that enters the air will cause another air born molecule of liquid to fall
back.

d) Volatility:
 The term volatility refers to how fast a liquid vaporizes. Some liquid
vaporize easily at room temperature like alcohol, vaporizes more than
water.

e) Atomization:

Atomization is the process of breaking up of a liquid into tiny globules or

droplets. In this way all the droplets are exposed to the individually air. So
evaporation increases.

f) Venturi Effect:

This effect is used by the carburetor to mix gasoline with air. The basic
carburetor was an hour-glassed tube called a throat. The most constricted
part of the throat is called Venturi. A tube called the discharge nozzle is
connected in the venture. The discharge nozzle is connected to a reservoir
of gasoline called the float bowl. The negative pressure that exists in the
combustion chamber because of downward stroke of piston causes
atmospheric pressure to create an air flow through the carburetor throat.
This flow must increase temporarily in speed as it passes through the
venture due to its decrease size.

This increase speed of the air flow also will result in a corresponding
decrease in pressure within the venturi and at the end of the discharge
nozzle. When this occurs atmospheric pressure will push gasoline through
the discharge nozzle and into the carburetor throat, where it will mix with
the intake air flow.

The Basic Carburetor:

The ideal state for the fuel to be in when it reaches the cylinder is to be vaporized
completely. Good intake manifold design will help to vaporize the fuel, but the carburetor
must properly atomize the fuel before handled. Atomization of the fuel comes out of the
discharge nozzle , it is broken into tiny droplets as it enter the air flow to ensure that there
is a high degree of atomization, a ting hole called an air bleed is used to allow air to mix
with fuel in the discharge tube. The fuel is then further atomized as it enters the venturi.
To ensure proper fuel flow a secondary venturi or a venturi booster may be used. It will
decrease further the pressure at the discharge nozzle.

Air Fuel Ratio:

The proportion of air and fuel required inside the cylinder for producing proper
combustion is stated in the form of air-fuel ratio. For example when we say an Air-Fuel
ratio of 12:1, it where 12 indicates the amount of air on volume basis and 1 shows the
required amount of fuel for this amount of air. The air fuel mixture at the lower end of the
cylinder is considered rich as less air and more fuel is there and vice versa.
The Throttle valve:

The throttle valve is used to regulate the speed and power output of an engine. It is
controlled by the accelerator pedal; usually consist of a flat, round plate that tilts with the
throttle shaft. As the accelerator pedal is fully opened the throttle valve is moved from a
position of completely restricting, the throat being completely opened. The idle stop
screw is used to keep the throttle valve open slightly so that the engine may run at a
regulated idle speed with no fort pressure on the pedal. This screw may be adjusted.

Float circuit:

The float circuit maintains a steady working supply of gasoline at a constant level in the
carburetor. An excess high float level will cause fuel to flow too freely to the combustion
chamber and excessive low float level will cause an evenly lean mixture.

The flowing occurs as the gasoline enters the carburetor through the fuel inlet.

 The gasoline begins to fill the float bowl,

 The float rises with the level of the gasoline,
 The needle valve is closed by the rising float as the fuel reaches the desired level
in the float bowl,
 As the engine uses the gasoline from the float bowl, the level will drop. This will
cause the float to drop which will open the needle valve to let in more fuel.

Venting:

The pressure in the float bowl must be regulated to assure the proper delivery of the fuel
and purging of vapors. The following system and devices are added to float circuit to
provide for these needs.

i. Balance Tube:

Due to the restricted imposed by the air filter and changing air velocity because of
varying engine speed, the air pressure in the air horn is usually lower than
atmospheric pressure. The pressure in the float bowl must equal that of the air
horn in order for the carburetor to provide fuel delivery. A tube called a balance
tube is run between the air horn and the float bowl to accomplish this task.

ii. Idle Vent:

Because gasoline is highly volatile it can create overly rich mix during long
period of engine idle. This is because the tube begins to evaporate in the float
bowl and the vapors get into the air horn throat the balance tube. The solution to
this problem is to have an out side vent for the float bowl that is opened.
 Whenever the engine is idling the idle vent is activated by linkage from the
throttle valve. The vent system on late vehicles may be part of the emission
control system.

iii.

The goal of a carburetor is to mix just the right amount of gasoline with air so that the
engine runs properly. If there is not enough fuel mixed with the air, the engine "runs
lean" and either will not run or potentially damages the engine. If there is too much fuel
mixed with the air, the engine "runs rich" and either will not run (it floods), runs very
smoky, runs poorly (bogs down, stalls easily), or at the very least wastes fuel. The
carburetor is in charge of getting the mixture just right.

Here are the parts of a carburetor:

 A carburetor is essentially a tube.

 There is an adjustable plate across the tube called the throttle plate that controls
how much air can flow through the tube. You can see this circular brass plate in
photo 1.
 At some point in the tube there is a narrowing, called the venturi, and in this
narrowing a vacuum is created. The venturi is visible in photo 2
 In this narrowing there is a hole, called a jet, that lets the vacuum draw in fuel.
You can see the jet on the left side of the venturi in photo 2.

The carburetor is operating "normally" at full throttle. In this case the throttle plate is
parallel to the length of the tube, allowing maximum air to flow through the carb. The air
flow creates a nice vacuum in the venturi and this vacuum draws in a metered amount of
fuel through the jet. You can see a pair of screws on the right top of the carb in photo 1.
One of these screws (labeled "Hi" on the case of the chain saw) controls how much fuel
flows into the venturi at full throttle.

When the engine is idling, the throttle plate is nearly closed (the position of the throttle
plate in the photos is the idle position). There is not really enough air flowing through the
venturi to create a vacuum. However, on the back side of the throttle plate there is a lot of
vacuum (because the throttle plate is restricting the airflow). If a tiny hole is drilled into
the side of the carb's tube just behind the throttle plate, fuel can be drawn into the tube by
the throttle vacuum. This tiny hole is called the idle jet. The other screw of the pair seen
in photo 1 is labeled "Lo" and it controls the amount of fuel that flows through the idle
jet.

Both the Hi and Lo screws are simply needle valves. By turning them you allow more or
less fuel to flow past the needle. When you adjust them you are directly controlling how
much fuel flows through the idle jet and the main jet.

When the engine is cold and you try to start it with the pull cord, the engine is running at
an extremely low RPM. It is also cold, so it needs a very rich mixture to start. This is
where the choke plate comes in. When activated, the choke plate completely covers the
venturi. If the throttle is wide open and the venturi is covered, the engine's vacuum draws
a lot of fuel through the main jet and the idle jet (since the end of the carb's tube is
completely covered, all of the engine's vacuum goes into pulling fuel through the jets).
Usually this very rich mixture will allow the engine to fire once or twice, or to run very
slowly. If you then open the choke plate the engine will start running normally.