Originally posted by Rip_Tear
I've been unsure on the Needle situation. So does it control the thottle at an 1/8-3/4 throttle and the pilot basicly just has to do with idle and start up, or is it a combination of the two?
I ask this because basicly everyone just says to put the 42 pilot in, and I didn't understand the needle part.
You can't get one thing to work perfect at all different conditions, the world just isn't that simple. One main jet can't control idle mixture, AND mid-throttle, AND full-throttle, AND sudden accelerations, AND...
So a carburetor has different circuits that operate at different times.
Your pilot jet and fuel screw determine your mixture at idle. It also has an effect at very small throttle openings, but not much.
When you open the throttle, fuel flows through your main jet and up into the airstream. However, between 1/8 and 3/4 throttle, the hole is WAY too big, and would flow WAY too much fuel by itself. This is where the needle comes in. It sits in that hole and blocks part of it.
If you look at your needle, it is tapered. It is larger at the top, and smaller at the bottom. At low throttle positions, the large part blocks that fuel hole alot, so very little fuel gets past it. This is needed because the motor is getting very little air at low throttle position. As the slide is raised, more air gets past to the motor, so it needs more fuel. The needle gets smaller and smaller, which allows more and more fuel past. This is why, when you LOWER your clip, you get more fuel, because you're bringing the needle UP.
After 3/4 throttle, the needle doesn't present much of a blockage to the flow of fuel. Now, the amount of fuel is determined by the size of the main jet.
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