just trying to get this motor running a little better before I sell it. It's a stock 350, with a little bigger cam in it.

It fires right up, idles after holding the gas for a second to warm it up. However, it often stalls when put in gear, especially reverse.

It happens even more often, or almost ALWAYS, after the car's real warm, like after getting off the highway, it'll stall when coming to the stop @ the end of the ramp. I have to "two-foot" it.

It's a HOLLEY 4 barrel

Thanks.

[This message has been edited by thefed (edited July 25, 2005).]

I don't know if it is the "right" way to do it but I have always tuned for the highest vacuum reading and then go just slightly richer. You also may need to turn the idle speed up higher than you like it in park to get it to idle in drive. Do your tuning with the engine hot. Also bigger cams than stock seem to like more initial advance to run well at low RPM.

Where are your idle mixture screws set? If it idles best (engine warmed up) with them almost all the way in we might have a shot at this.

well like i said, i dont know much abotu carbs, and thus, dont know exactly which screws are for the idle mixture. I know how to set float levels, idle speed, and that's it. I'm sure if I tinker i could get it, but if you could explain or show a pic it'd help.

it's a holley 2 bbl i noticed after a second look 9just got the car a week ago)

Holleys have the idle mixture screws (2) on the SIDES of the carb, screwing into the ~1/2" thick metering block about 2/3 of the way up. It's usually a brass screw with a very small head and is turned with a standard slotted screwdriver. Count the number of turns (and fractions of a turn) in to bottom on each of them. Don't bottom them hard or you'll strip them out. Using a very small regular screwdriver can help give you a better "feel" on them. They should be about 3/4 to 1.5 turns out for best idle (highest idle speed) and they should be close to EVEN side-to-side. Not one out 1/4 turn, the other out 2 turns or anything like that.

Typical baseline way to set idle mixture screws:

Set both of the idle mixture screws about 1.5 turns out. Start the engine and warm it up for about 5 minutes. Set the idle speed reasonably close to where you want it. Then start turning the idle mixture screws in 1/4 turn at a time. You should hear the idle start to pick up a little each time. Make sure you adjust them EVENLY side-to-side. When you get down to a point that's getting too lean you'll HEAR it. The engine's idle will start to sound "flat" and it'll slow down slightly (go too far and it'll really slow down, get rough, and even stall). Back them both out about 1/4 turn from where they JUST get a little too lean and you're done. THEN GO BACK AND RESET YOUR IDLE SPEED. If it's changed considerably while adjusting you'll need to do another round with the idle mixture screws to make sure they're still right (idle mixture can change with idle speed).

If your idle mixture screws want to be less than 3/4 turn out or more than the 1.5 turns you started from then something's probably wrong elsewhere in the engine or inside the carb itself.

well,they needed to be pretty far out. SO, oh well. I just sold the motor so the new guy can deal with it!

thanks for the education tho!