High idle

[Fields8118]

I'm fairly new to working on any type of old car aside from watching friends. I just got a 61 ford uni with a 223 that I am working towards restoring and just having something to drive around every once in a while. I had an exhaust leak from the exhaust manifold which replacing the gasket fixed. My problem is now when I choke the truck to turn it on, it immediately idles at around 2k rpms. It sounds like the thing is about to take off. After it warms up some, I am able to take the choke off and the idle is around 600-800 which seems fairly normal. I had to instal a tach since it did not originally have one. I checked all the vacuum lines and they seem fine. Unfortunately the previous owner decided a working vacuum gage wasn't needed so they cut all the wires to that gage.

I am very new to working on carburetors and aside from YouTube and google, I don't know to much. Is this high rpm at choke normal? If not, what should I do to fix it.

The carburetor is not original to the truck, I was told it is a rebuilt single barrel carb. Everything else is bone stock on the truck.

Another issue I am having is...lol...the previous owner installed an electric radiator fan and removed the original fan. I have no problems at all with overheating, however at idle, when the electric fan comes on the truck will turn off. This seems to me like a problem with the generator not putting out enough power, or is a battery issue. Any thoughts on this as well?

Thanks so much for the help guys! You rock!

[Oregoon]

Will it start without any choke?

[ICEMAN6166]

you need to not pull the choke out so far, then the idle will not be so high.
there is an adjustment screw on the high idle cam that controls how much fuel is let in during choke.
1200 is about right at full choke i think.
Oregoon is right, you should be able to start it without the choke especially your climate.
choke is really for cold starts, i only need mine in the winter.

the fan issue is the fan pulling more power than the generator can compensate for. might be a weak battery as my winch killed my truck until i bought a new battery.

[Toyz]

If you have the original generator, the fan is going to rely on the battery at idle. The battery should be capable of covering the load until the generator sees enough rpm to assist.
However, if the battery is capable of starting the engine easily, it would seem up to the job of supplying the ignition and the fan if no other accessories are in use. If the fan motor or associated wiring, is defective, it may create more load than the battery can handle without the generator's assistance. Some fans may pull as much as 60 amps at initial start. It sounds as if a full electrical system check is warranted.
The fast idle screw can be adjusted to lower the cold idle to a more comfortable level as Ice stated. If you in fact need the choke for starting, just adjust the idle screw until the engine is idling smoothly when first started. I agree 1000 to 1200 would be an appropriate range.
Paul

[Fields8118]

Will it start without any choke?

It will start without the choke but I have to give it a bit of gas, and keep giving it gas until it warms up. Then it idles fine until the fan kicks on, which I know is a separate issue.

[Fields8118]

you need to not pull the choke out so far, then the idle will not be so high.
there is an adjustment screw on the high idle cam that controls how much fuel is let in during choke.
1200 is about right at full choke i think.
Oregoon is right, you should be able to start it without the choke especially your climate.
choke is really for cold starts, i only need mine in the winter.

the fan issue is the fan pulling more power than the generator can compensate for. might be a weak battery as my winch killed my truck until i bought a new battery.

I will look and see what I can do to adjust the choke idle at start. Good call on not pulling the choke all the way out.
The battery has no problems starting the truck, it also is perfectly capable of running the fan with the truck off because the fan continues to run even after the truck dies. It is possible however that the battery is weak or the generator is going out on me. I will have to check all that out...gives me quite a bit to thank about while sitting here at work lol

[Fields8118]

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it!

[Oregoon]

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it!

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