My car is running rich ie the exhaust smells like gas and burns the eyes after a bit?

Am i looking at a new carburetor most likely? Also, I just replaced the spark plugs and they were black as night..

Thanks,

My car is running rich ie the exhaust smells like gas and burns the eyes after a bit?

Am i looking at a new carburetor most likely? Also, I just replaced the spark plugs and they were black as night..

Thanks,

Not necessarily. Running rich is an indication of at least a couple of issues:


Jets in the carburetor are too big
If equipped with one, a bad power valve will cause a rich condition
David F.

If it's a Holley you may have a blown power valve.

If it's a Holley you may have a blown power valve.

i agree, what brand carb do you own? did it just start or has it been rich all along.

With a new carburetor you MAY have the same issue or even more issues until you get it tuned properly. Very few carburetors are bolt on and go. They may say they are, and people will bolt them on and believe they are perfect, but they rarely are tune free.

Has thepower valve been configured to the engine vaccuum?
Carb manufactures tend to make carbs a bit rich, that way they dont have law suits coming back because odf engines destoried because of lean conditions, espec when advance curves are usually way over advanced.
And read the plugs, just cause its rich at the tail pipe it doesnt mean the engine is firing rich...cams, headers , heads can cause scavanging, which means raw fuel is dragged thru the chamber before the exhaust closes.Which "smells like gas and burns the eyes after a bit?" is an apt description. This is more common on high end race engines being used for street...wander around the pits of a race track and you will smell "see" it.

Two more possibilitites:
- Trash in the needle and seat allowing bowls to over fill
- Idle bleed screws (on side of metering block) need turning in