One of those projects where nothing goes right.

[thegreatjustino]

Have the stock carb rebuilt by gottafish, doesn't work, they argue that it's my fault, and tell me to go pound sand. Carb is now in the corner of my garage and I'm running on the carb from my '65 Mustang.

Convert to stock PS, now wheels won't even try to return to center. Freshly rebuilt box from WTO. No clue if it's the box or something else, but it drove fine with the manual box the last time I drove it three years ago.

Swapping the box with a known good one next weekend. Why is nothing ever as straightforward as you'd think it would be?

 

[75MIKE]

Don't know about the carb, but when I got my freshly re-built PS box back I had to back the pre-load off a touch. Maybe a perfect world with tons of caster the tires may have overidden the box.Not in my case.

 

[DirtDonk]

In my experience the power box won't return to center as easily as an old manual box will, given the same caster. So, it's entirely possible that your caster was just borderline. In other words it was very decent for a manual, but not enough for power.

Do you know what the current caster setting is on the rig?

What's the carb doing (or not doing)?

Paul

 

[73azbronco]

Have the stock carb rebuilt by gottafish, doesn't work, they argue that it's my fault, and tell me to go pound sand. Carb is now in the corner of my garage and I'm running on the carb from my '65 Mustang.

Convert to stock PS, now wheels won't even try to return to center. Freshly rebuilt box from WTO. No clue if it's the box or something else, but it drove fine with the manual box the last time I drove it three years ago.

Swapping the box with a known good one next weekend. Why is nothing ever as straightforward as you'd think it would be?

Oh, you mean yours starts?

A 40 plus year old truck nobody will work on but us, we should be thankful for each other to cry a tear with.

 

[thegreatjustino]

Tried adjusting the gear mesh on the box with no change. It's a stock unlifted Bronco, so no lift to adjust the caster. I know with PS you still need to add more, but I'd think there would be at least some attempt to return to center. I have another unlifted Bronco that I converted to power steering years ago, and it returns to center fine. That one still has stock tires though. This one today has 31" tires (width escapes me at the moment), So it could be a combo of a few things. As it is, making a U-turn in my neighborhood, I can take my hands off the wheel and just turn in circles with no attempt by the wheels to return to center.

Carb has a REALLY bad surge at idle. Just sitting in my driveway it will surge up and down at regular intervals, and eventually stall out. Runs like crap under load as well. Throttle response is good, but idle is crap. Was planning on rebuilding the carb myself, but if there is something specific I can look at without doing a complete rebuild, I'm open to suggestions.

I'd think I'd be used to this with all the Broncos I've worked on over the years, but you never quite get used to the frustrations do you?

 

[WheelHorse]

T
Carb has a REALLY bad surge at idle. Just sitting in my driveway it will surge up and down at regular intervals, and eventually stall out. Runs like crap under load as well. Throttle response is good, but idle is crap. Was planning on rebuilding the carb myself, but if there is something specific I can look at without doing a complete rebuild, I'm open to suggestions.

Let's start with what carb did you borrow from your '65?

 

[bax]

Carb is too lean. What kind of carb is it?

 

[thegreatjustino]

Both the carb from the Bronco and the carb from the Mustang are stock Motorcraft 2100s

 

[Yeller]

I've had new boxes not return to center. normally its a seal that is bypassing on the valve pressurising both circuits. I've always just drove them (had to, too far to walk to work) and the seals seat in and they worked correctly usually within a few hours of running. Not saying its the right thing to do or normal but my experience.

 

[broncodriver99]

Carb is too lean. What kind of carb is it?

X2. How did you set your idle mixture? By ear or with a vacuum gauge? Where is your throttle shaft stop screw set. Also, recheck your float settings. The 2100/4100 have a dry float setting but you get much better results wet setting. Stock foam floats or the aftermarket brass ones?

 

[00gyrhed]

X2 sortof

I've had new boxes not return to center. normally its a seal that is bypassing on the valve pressurising both circuits. I've always just drove them (had to, too far to walk to work) and the seals seat in and they worked correctly usually within a few hours of running. Not saying its the right thing to do or normal but my experience.

I would drive it a while. I have a junkyard 4X4X2 box and tons of caster. I figure if I am going to run PS anyway why not increase caster so I have a much more stable ride and flat tow easier. I am running the axle bushings for a 4" lift and have like 1-2" of actual lift. Even with all of that caster my PS box does not return on its own. you have to apply the slightest amount of pressure with you fingertips to kind of follow it back. However it will track right back in line if the PS pump isnt running. In fact you had better have a good tight grip in a sharp turn if you throw the belt. My one complaint about HB brakes is exactly that. Loose PS in the turn and you also loose PBs.

As far as the carb goes, its just going to get harder and harder to get rebuilt 50 year old carbs that are worth using. The reason I Fuel inject my 73 CJ5 and everyother vehicle I built since was because of taking back one QJ after another on it and my 55 chevy. But that was before you could buy new QJs.

 

[chuck]

If you are sure all the air is out of the system it is likely something is binding. Jack it up. Disconnect the box and see if you have a bind in the linkage or ball joints. Unless you changed something else like the C bushings you should have enough caster with a stock lift.

 

[thegreatjustino]

Based on what I know of the history of this Bronco, I'm sure nothing on the front end has ever been changed. It could be a bad ball joint or axle u-joint. I bled the system thoroughly and the fluid is no longer frothy, so air shouldn't be the issue.