Carbeurators

Just Holley 4150 & 4160 for now

Note: If non-ethanol compatible materials are used for the needle-and-seats' O-rings or for the accelerator pumps' diaphragms they could be damaged by ethanol gasoline

Power Valves - Vacuum Activated Fuel Enrichment Valves

Holley carburetors utilize "Power valves" which are part of a vacuum activated fuel enrichment system

Power valves (along with accelerator pumps) provide extra fuel in addition to the fuel already flowing through the main jets in order to maintain a target AFR when transitioning from idle/cruise to WOT

A spring and diaphragm in the power valve restricts additional fuel flow until manifold vacuum drops to certain value.

• Each Holley power valve is stamped with a number to indicate the vacuum opening point

  • For example, the number "65" indicates that the power valve will open when the manifold vacuum drops to 6.5"Hg or below (=< 6.5"Hg)
  • The higher the number, the faster the power valve opens (8.5 opens sooner than a 5.5)

Power valves are screwed into the metering plate that's located between the fuel bowl and the carb's main body

Note: Power valves are not intended to be an enrichment circuit during normal throttle cruising when manifold vacuum is high

• "Standard Flow" PV vs a "High Flow" PV

  • For each power valve there's a "Standard" & "High" flow rate version
  • Use standard flow for small blocks, up to 350 cubic inch
  • Use high flow for big blocks, 396 and up

Power Enrichment Timeline of Events

Accelerator pumps and power valves make up the Holley 4150/60's "power enrichment system" which is designed to supply additional fuel to the main system during heavy load or full power (WOT) situations.

• Event 0 - Idle or light cruise

  • Manifold vacuum is high because the throttle blades are almost closed restricting flow into the intake
• Event 1 - The Driver presses the gas pedal

  • This rotates the carb's throttle linkage clockwise ("open")
• Event 2a (concurrent w/2b) - The Accelerator pump sprays an extra shot of fuel into the venturies

  • The accelerator pump supplies a shot of extra fuel

    • The cam actuates the lever which pushes up on the diaphragm
    • Fuel is sprayed against the outside of the boosters for better atomization
    • This happens in just the primaries for a "Vacuum Secondary" 4150/60 and in both the primaries & secondaries for a "Double Pumper" "Mechanical Secondary" 4150/60
  • Covers the rapid increase in air flow during the transition from partly open throttle to fully open throttle
• Event 2b (concurrent w/2a) - The throttle blades open

  • Manifold vacuum rapidly DEcreases

    • Under WOT, it could drop down to 0-1.5"Hg
  • The velocity of air going through the carb's venturi speeds up

    • This rapid INcrease of air flow requires additional fuel in order to maintain a target AFR
• Event 3a - (concurrent w/3b) - The accelerator pump has run out of stroke
• Event 3b - (concurrent w/3a) - The power valve opens -The diaphram on the power valve uses the now-lower manifold vacuum as atrigger to open its valve

  • This allows more fuel to flow through the carb providing a richer, less detonation prone air/fuel mixture during WOT
  • This prevents "bogging", "hesitations" or "coughing" when the carb's jetting alone can't keep up with demand
• Event 4 - The Driver lets off of the gas pedal
• Event 5a (concurrent w/5b) - The throttle blades close

  • Manifold vacuum INcreases

    • Indicative of partial-throttle, steady-speed operation like low speed cruising
    • Typical values are 11-20"HG
  • The velocity of air going through the carb's venturi slows down
• Event 5b - (concurrent w/5a) - The power valve closes

  • The diaphram on the power valve uses the higher manifold vacuum as atrigger to close its valve
  • This leans out the air/fuel mixture
• Event 6 - The carb's internal fuel routing goes back to standard jetting

  • The carb's main jets provide sufficeient fuel for the target AFR

Tuning power valves

• keep in mind there's many guys chasing carb problems that are eventually traced to the ignition, or fuel system, verify the damper and timing tab really do reflect TDC and your ignition advance is working correctly, and verify you have 5 psi of steady fuel pressure at the carb and the floats are set correctly and the cars valves are adjusted and there's no vacuum leaks before you go swearing its solely a carb problem

• If you are lean or rich during normal driving conditions, you need to tune the jets, not the power valve.

• The reason you check the vacuum at idle and take that reading and divide it in half, is so you do not have a power valve that will open at idle as this will tend too cause an excessively rich mixture at idle, or just off idle.
• START the tune with the power valve used being selected too be close to 1/2 the vacume/plenum reading at a steady cruise, at minimum throttle NOT at idle in neutral
• TUNE based on the results youll see in actual operation, and you don,t assume anything here, your almost certainly going to need to change the power valve, jets and accelerator pump cam based on the results youll see under actual operating conditions.

• An accurate vacuum gauge should be used when determining the correct power valve to use.

• A competition or race engine which has a long duration high overlap camshaft will have low manifold vacuum at idle speeds.

• Holley's instructions might be misleading (use a PV 1/2 idle vacuum)

  • They will ALWAYS lead you to choose too low a PV number, which in turn will force you to use too large jets, too much pump, etc.
  • youll generally want to select a slightly higher number power valve if your getting a flat spot.
  • Keep raising the PV number until that flat spot clears up.

you take the vacuum reading at idle and cut it in 1/2 then jump up or down one -two numbers depending on how the plugs look, the engine runs and what your fuel/air ratio meter indicates example if your pulling 16" at idle that would be a power valve in the 6.5-9.5 range youll also see advise saying that Basing the PV selection on idle vacuum is BAD advise that has floated around for a long time. If you take CRUISE vacuum, divide it in half and add about 2" you will be close. read what holley says

• THE Only way to truly know how the combo of power valve, booster type, accelerator pump cam, squirter, accelerator pump size and carb jets will work on your combo, is to try a couple different combos and see how the 60' times and the engine feels as you accelerate, and both experience and knowledge of how to read spark plugs and change ignition advance curves will help a great deal.

• If the vehicle has a manual transmission, take the vacuum reading with the engine thoroughly warmed up at idle in neutral

• If the vehicle is equipped with an automatic transmission, take the vacuum reading with the engine thoroughly warmed up, idling in gear with fott on the brake

After determining the manifold vacuum in inches-mg, select a power valve thats 1/2 of that value

Note: There are no "n.0" power valves, there are only "n.5" power valves. If the vacuum reading is an even number, select the next lower power valve.

Recommended Starting Sizes

• There's no "4.0" PV and 3.5 is next lower

Broken power Valves

• If you have a carburetor older than 1992 (or you have experi- enced an extreme backfire) and expect a blown power valve, use this simple test. TEST: At idle turn your idle mixture screws (found on the side of the metering block) all the way in. If your engine dies the power valve is not blown

  • power valves have a diaphragm that can be ruptured
  • a BLOWN or busted power valve will leak fuel in an irregular manor,and not regulate flow, so if it does not test correctly, you'll need to replace it, the most common cause, for a busted power valve is carb back fires

Accelerator Pump

• select a 30cc or 50 cc accelerator pump volume
• the accelerator pump cam will control how fast the carbs linkager starts to cover the transition between idle and fully open venturies when the engine could go lean
• remember that a larger squirter size does not give you more total fuel, it only allows more volume to move through the squirter faster, but this only tends to result in a shorter duration squirt, of fuel before and during the transition,as the power valves and secondary jetting add fuel and air flow

Holly "List Numbers"

I think that for each model number there are many variations and each of these variations has a different "list number"

I think that list numbers are the same as part numbers

How to Identify Your Holley or Demon Carburetor

List numbers are stamped; they are not raised like a casting number

List numbers are typically hand stamped on the front of the choke tower to the right of the vent tube.

Examples:

	80457 <-- List Number
	1571 <-- Date code

	4779-9 <-- List Number
	  1008 <-- Date code

	3577185 <-- Optional OEM part number	
	4790    <-- List Number
	2124    <-- Date code

• List numbers for the most popular models

  • 4150, 4160 square flange
  • 4165, 4175 spread bores