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The carburetor in your vehicle serves multiple functions. Understanding a bit about how it works and what it does will help you to figure out when there might be a problem with it so that you can bring it in for service as soon as possible.
WHAT DOES THE CARBURETOR DO?
Your carburetor is responsible for mixing fuel and air. There has to be a specific mixture ratio maintained at all times and the multiple components that work in tandem with in the carburetor help to achieve this balance.
It is the job of the carburetor to regulate how much fuel and air gets mixed so that you get the proper combustible mixture. It is also the job of your carburetor to control your engine speed. Your throttle controls the speed by controlling how much of this air and fuel mixture is allowed to get into your engine. The farther open your valve is, the more of this mixture gets put into the engine, and the faster your engine can go. When you are idling your vehicle at lower speeds, the throttle only has to stay open a little bit so that there isn’t a lot being pulled in through the valve.
There are 3 types of carburetors that are in use in modern vehicles today. They include a 1-barrel carburetor, a 2-barrel carburetor, and a 4-barrel carburetor. The type of engine you have in your vehicle will typically dictate the type of carburetor that is used. A high performance engine will sometimes require multiple carburetors to provide the correct amount of fuel.
HOW DOES THE CARBURETOR WORK?
At the beginning, air flows inside of the top part of your carburetor by way of the intake. Along this route, the air passes through a filter to remove it of any debris. Once you start your engine, your choke is set so that it almost entirely blocks the top of the pipe. This reduces the amount of air that comes, in which increases the fuel content of the mixture that goes into your cylinders. Inside the center of this tube air gets forced through a narrow tank, which helps to expedite this process and force the pressure to drop. As the air pressure drops, it creates suction on your fuel pipe and draws fuel in.
Your throttle contains a valve that swivels to open or close this pipe. As the throttle opens, more air and fuel are able to flow into your cylinders, which produces more power for your engine and causes the car to move faster. This combination of air and fuel goes into your cylinders. The fuel gets supplied from a separate tank, and as that fuel level falls there is a float contained in the tank that opens the valve on top. When this final valve opens, it allows more fuel to flow into the chamber, which replenishes the gas tank. All of this works together keep your car moving.
WHAT IF I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY CARBURETOR?
If you notice a problem in the functionality of your vehicle, specifically accelerating, decelerating, fuel consumption, or your engine running rough, it is important that you bring your vehicle in to be inspected by a member of our trained staff. Small issues within the carburetor can lead to much more serious, dangerous, and expensive complications down the line if you don’t get them rectified. Remember that the key component in driving your car is combustion. If there is a problem with the mixture of fuel and air, it will lead to a problem with the combustion. You certainly don’t want to leave this risk out there, ready to strike at any time.
CALL ON AUTOBAHN
If you notice potential problems with your carburetor, don’t hesitate. What is most important to remember is that the sooner you bring in your vehicle to be inspected, the sooner the issue can be caught. The sooner the issue is caught, the easier and cheaper the repairs will be for you.
The service technicians at Autobahn Automotive are specially trained to work on these issues. We have a diverse team of experts, each of whom provides unique experience and years of cultivating successful relationships with our customers.
Whether you have a carburetor issue you want to rectify or you simply want to have your vehicle brought in for regular maintenance, give us a call. At Autobahn Automotive we can provide top notch service to residents in San Antonio and Longhorn, TX.