A carburetor has a fairly simple job, it needs to introduce a mixture of air and fuel into an engine. Now, how it does that is a little more complex, and sometimes these magical mixing devices need some tuning. In this video from Muscle Car Solutions, we learn about setting idle mixture screws for your average carburetor.

You’ll want to start with an engine that’s healthy and ready to go, otherwise tuning the carburetor is going to be a struggle. The next thing you’ll need are all the right tools for the job, this will vary based on your carburetor. Finally, having access to the manual for the carburetor is a bonus. It could provide additional tips for tuning, and show you where all the adjustment screws are located.

One thing that you’ll want to do before you begin the process of tuning a used carburetor’s idle mixture screws is to take a look at the conditions of the screws themselves. Remove them and make sure the adjustment screw is still smooth, this will ensure the screw is going to its job. You’ll also be able to see if there’s any dirt or debris in the carburetor that will limit your ability to tune the idle with the screws removed.

When you begin the adjustment process, you’ll want to start on one side of the carburetor and get it adjusted before you move to the other side. The vacuum gauge and how the engine reacts to the adjustment will let you know if you’re going in the right direction. The goal is to get the highest amount of vacuum and RPM at the same time for the best idle.

You’ll want to watch this entire video from Muscle Car Solutions. This is an outstanding tutorial that’s very detailed and provides a lot of great information.