Hello. I wanted to let people know what happened to my carb. It was a little surprising but, looking back, may not have been unexpected. First off, it's an Autolite 4100 which I purchased rebuilt about 2 years ago. It's been running fine until today. I started off driving it about 5 miles and noticed that the idle was a little high, around 1200 rpm. Had lunch and then drove it back home. This time, the idle was higher, around 1700 rpm. Before I came back, I opened the hood and verified that the return springs were pulling the carb fully closed. Sometimes, they stick a little and tend to idle high, but that was not the case here. When I arrived back home, I let it sit for an hour or so, then moved it out of the driveway into it's parking spot. The engine would barely run. Had to keep giving it gas to keep it from stalling. Once again, I opened the hood. I was looking for a loose vacuum hose or maybe a rotted rubber plug. I didn't see anything, but then I noticed that on the driver side rear mounting foot, there was a crack completely across the mounting foot, about an inch from the mounting hole. It looks like the crack had started then became increasingly longer over time until it broke in two. I don't think this is because I over tightened the mount. I think it's because I'm running an original type air cleaner with the air horn hanging off the passenger side. I did not have a mounting bracket that supported the horn. I think this side load on the carb caused it to crack on the opposite side, over time. I ordered a stainless steel bracket a while back, but failed to install it. Frankly, I thought it was probably not that necessary. Now, I think that I was wrong.
The question, now, is where can I get a replacement Autolite 4100 carb? What recommendations do you have? This one came from a place local to me, but I'm not sure they will have another one. This carb has the 1.08 primary venturi, which I understand is the best to have for the 302, but is harder to find.
Appreciate any recommendations.
Thanks.
The question, now, is where can I get a replacement Autolite 4100 carb? What recommendations do you have? This one came from a place local to me, but I'm not sure they will have another one. This carb has the 1.08 primary venturi, which I understand is the best to have for the 302, but is harder to find.
Appreciate any recommendations.
Thanks.
