General AFR Guidance (Holley Tuning)

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mopowers

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Is there a rule of thumb for optimal AFR for making power? Is it 14.7 throughout (idle, tip-in, cruise, WOT, etc)?

In the past I've tuned idle mixture based on the highest vacuum reading, but was unsure where the optimal AFR was for cruise and WOT. I finally got my wideband installed, so I'm all ears. The carbs I'm dealing with are a 670 Holley street avenger and Holley 4779 750dp.

Thanks!
 
WOT depending on fuel can be anywhere from 12.0 to 13.0
Cruise I like to see in the high 13's at a minimum. If you can run above that and not have issues, economy gets better as a general rule.

Let the engine tell you what it wants.
 
Got my wideband working and those are the numbers I was told, in the range. 12.5-13.5 under power, 14+_ at hot idle. Can't wait to get enough run time on mine to tweak it, it is on those ranges now but needs miles to verify it.
 
WOT depending on fuel can be anywhere from 12.0 to 13.0
Cruise I like to see in the high 13's at a minimum. If you can run above that and not have issues, economy gets better as a general rule.

Let the engine tell you what it wants.

I agree x 100
Use the AFR as a tool, but you will need to tune what the motor wants.
As an example my AFR is 12.8 at idle in N, drop in gear and I'm at 13.5, any leaner at idle and the idle circuit goes unstable. I've tuned my carb for a flat 14.0 at light cruise, and 12.5 WOT. If you are going to race, the rule of jet for MPH works better than the gauge reading IMO.
Here's a good read for dialing in a carb. It's time consuming but worth the effort and will give you fuel injection throttle response.
Carb Tunning
 
Is there a rule of thumb for optimal AFR for making power?
Basically its what crackedback wrote: Best WOT is usually in the 12 to 13:1 range. But regardless of load, the air:fuel ratios will depend on the fuel and the engine. The AFR should be a straight line at WOT in top gear (max load). If it is, then just adjust the jetting up or down for max power. The mph at the end of the 1/4 mile is a good indicator of power if everything else is consistant.

In the past I've tuned idle mixture based on the highest vacuum reading
That is still a good way to tune idle. Just be aware that with the transmission in neutral the engine can be made to run so lean it will not have enough power when put in gear to keep the rpms up. For an automatic transmission, tune it for highest vac in Drive at idle.
When a cam has a lot of overlap, the engine usually wants a richer idle than a typical stock cam.

Cruise needs will vary with load and throttle position. Test somewhere around 30-40 mph for light load, low throttle, lower rpm. Test again at highway speeds where there is more resistance and (assuming a 3 speed) the engine is turning mid rpm and on hot rodded engine may be more efficient than it had been at lower rpm. Another reason to test at two different cruise speeds is that at low throttle, the carburetor is supplying fuel through the "idle circuits".

There are some published tests which can be used as general guidelines, but basically the engine will want leaner fuel mixture as the load increases (more throttle). But as it gets close to max load, it will then want richer.

Chrysler described it simply here: Carburetion Fundamentals & Facts (Session 273) from the Master Technician's Service Conference

More in depth description and graphs are here: http://racingfuelsystems.myfunforum...racteristics_At_Different_Load_about1350.html
 
Quick tuning question. If the power valve # is greater than the idle vacuum in gear, does that mean it's adding fuel at idle.
 
Only if the throttle plates are so far open that it's activating the main circuit.
 
So, I was tinkering with it yesterday and swapped out the 6.5 PV for a 4.5 one since my vacuum in gear at idle is only 9.5-10". When I went to test drive it, I noticed a huge stumble when I mat the gas from a light cruise. Almost like the squirter is too small. It's got a 35 squirter in it. I swapped it out for a 37 with almost no change. Maybe it needs a smaller squirter for a longer pump shot. It was getting dark, so I didn't have a chance to put the 6.5 back in. I did notice with the 4.5, the AFR was really lean (as you would expect). It was 15-16 at light cruise vs. ~13.5 with the 6.5. I'm still thinking the accelerator pump circuit is causing the stumble, but think its weird that it only happened when I swapped out PVs. Could decreasing the power valve have caused this stumble?
 
So, I was tinkering with it yesterday and swapped out the 6.5 PV for a 4.5 one since my vacuum in gear at idle is only 9.5-10". When I went to test drive it, I noticed a huge stumble when I mat the gas from a light cruise. Almost like the squirter is too small. It's got a 35 squirter in it. I swapped it out for a 37 with almost no change. Maybe it needs a smaller squirter for a longer pump shot. It was getting dark, so I didn't have a chance to put the 6.5 back in. I did notice with the 4.5, the AFR was really lean (as you would expect). It was 15-16 at light cruise vs. ~13.5 with the 6.5. I'm still thinking the accelerator pump circuit is causing the stumble, but think its weird that it only happened when I swapped out PVs. Could decreasing the power valve have caused this stumble?
Put the 6.5 back in.
As a test, fatten up the idle to 12.0 and see if the stumble goes away or improves. If so you need to get the idle circuit dialed in. The transition slots are fed by the IFR and if it's off the transition circuit goes lean.
What pump cam are you using? If it's pink the ramp is very slow. Try an orange cam in #1 hole for a faster pump shot and see if that helps. If you don't have an other cams you can flip the pink cam over and use #2 hole in #1 screw slot for a faster ramp.
 
Thanks for the input. I'll give that a shot tomorrow. I just ordered a set of pump cams, so I'll do some tweaking and report back. Thanks again.
 
I put the 6.5 PV back in and it helped a little, but still has a little stumble when I punch it (with 35 squirter). I fattened up the idle to 12.2 in gear and it helped a little as well, but the stumble is still there. It's pretty clear that I need to play with the pump shot some. Carb still has the stock pink pump cam in it. The only other one I've got on hand is a blue cam. The cam set I ordered should be here early next week.

Another thing I noticed is that cruising at a constant 2000-2,500, AFR is around 14 and WOT is at 15.

I'm guessing it would be wise to tune the pump shot and idle first, then work on cruise and WOT.
 
Does anyone know if there is an accurate chart available that shows the difference in accelerator pump cams? I found a few online, but they all seem different.
 
Does anyone know if there is an accurate chart available that shows the difference in accelerator pump cams? I found a few online, but they all seem different.
One reason they vary is that there are several possible pump levers, so it depends on the carb. Also the contact point of the arm can be alterered - in fact it often has to be when changing pump cams. There may be other reasons too.
That said: This one is a copy of the one from the Holley catalog (and I've had Holley tech e-mail me the same)
http://racingfuelsystems.myfunforum.org/Holley_Pump_Cam_Chart_about16.html
a Chart version from Holley posted here
http://racingfuelsystems.myfunforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=754
Another on a 4150 in this threads
http://racingfuelsystems.myfunforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=642

Another thing I noticed is that cruising at a constant 2000-2,500, AFR is around 14 and WOT is at 15.
That seems like the PV wasn't opening or the rpms were low or the load was light. Full load, full throttle should have dropped AFR into 12-13 range. It might not show on the meter immediately but should for the bulk of the pull or run.
I'm guessing it would be wise to tune the pump shot and idle first, then work on cruise and WOT.
Idle, off-idle first and hold off on pump shot as long as you can stand it. Should be able to slowly and gently open throttle from idle with no stumble. Once the mains are fully flowing, somewheres near 60 mph for most dependng on setup, no pump shot should be needed (primary side or vac secondary carb). Personally, I get frustrated with the stumble 'cause I'm testing on the street; and if you do too, just put more shot into it knowing you'll rework it once the idle, idle-off idle is sweet.

In theory its best to work steady state tuning from idle, transfer and then main circuit. Then do the WOT. This is because the the idle/transfer systems take from the main well. The transfer slot also can contribute air back into the main circuits at WOT. However personally, I don't see an issue getting WOT once the idle/transfer is pretty close. I feel safer jetting and making any air bleed changes for the WOT runs, at least on the primaries, then coming back and seeing if the high speed driving (65 mph, 3000ish rpm) can tollerate leaner main jets. If so,then the PVCR will need to be increased (Holley). If not, then move onto secondaries and fine tweak the pump shot.
 
The idle thing on power valves is garbage, IMO. That has not much at all to do with what PV you should use.

How I do it, is drive around with a vacuum gauge hooked to the car. Load it down in high gear and go up a hill. When the engine starts to go lean, read the vacuum on the gauge. Record this and find the nearest lower number power valve. I bet you'll find the car likes something more in the neighborhood of an 8.5 power valve.

Considering I had one of the more difficult possible combos with a carb (340 with a 227/231 @0.050 roller cam, 750 dp, 4-speed, and 3.23's), this worked well.

IMO the car should idle between about 13.5 and 14.0, Power should be 12.5-12.9, and cruise can be as lean as 15.5:1 at very light throttles. This is what I run with EFI.

Another thing that will cause stumbles is not enough ignition timing. Hopefully you've done the "timing with the highest idle" method and then backed off the total advance to 32-36. Depending on your combo I'd expect the initial timing it likes to be between 15 and 24. Mine seems to like 22. My old 360 liked about 18.
 
The idle thing on power valves is garbage, IMO. That has not much at all to do with what PV you should use.

How I do it, is drive around with a vacuum gauge hooked to the car. Load it down in high gear and go up a hill. When the engine starts to go lean, read the vacuum on the gauge. Record this and find the nearest lower number power valve. I bet you'll find the car likes something more in the neighborhood of an 8.5 power valve.

Considering I had one of the more difficult possible combos with a carb (340 with a 227/231 @0.050 roller cam, 750 dp, 4-speed, and 3.23's), this worked well.

IMO the car should idle between about 13.5 and 14.0, Power should be 12.5-12.9, and cruise can be as lean as 15.5:1 at very light throttles. This is what I run with EFI.

Thanks for the input. I've still been fighting this lean stumble. It's got the 6.5 PV in it now, but I think you're right. I'm thinking a bigger one would work better. According to my AFR gauge, it goes really lean when I lean into the throttle in high gear, which causes the stumble. pump nozzle is a 40 with orange pump cam. I may see if a blue cam would help as well.

I still have to work through a couple other suggestion from earlier posts in this thread as well. It's getting closer, but the stumble is still there. I've had this issue with a holley before. Maybe it's just a street avenger thing. Good thing I've got a couple double pumpers to try out as well.

Another thing that will cause stumbles is not enough ignition timing. Hopefully you've done the "timing with the highest idle" method and then backed off the total advance to 32-36. Depending on your combo I'd expect the initial timing it likes to be between 15 and 24. Mine seems to like 22. My old 360 liked about 18.

I've got timing set at 28 initial and 36 total. Seems to run well at that timing combo, other than the annoying stumble of course.
 
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I agree with Goldduster that using vacuum at idle as a guide for Power Valve opening is not useful. Best Power valve opening point for a particular combo is hard to pinpoint without lots of testing.
The graph from Larew in this thread shows that engine needed to start getting richer mixture at just 60% of maximum load, whereas the engine in Taylor's experiments didn't need richer mix until 95% load! Different engines, different needs.

Making part throttle accelerations holding different vacuum levels is one way to try to find best opening point. Lets assume no dyno but there is a way to measure the acceleration, either an accelerometer, a stop watch or a video which can be timed later. Acceleration should improve with each pass that uses more throttle (lower vacuum). Lets say say all runs start at 55 mph. Holding 14" of vacuum the car accelerates to 70 mph in 8 secs.
Then at 12" of vacuum the car accelerates to 70 mph in 7 secs
Squeezing 10" of vacuum the car accelerates to 70 in 6.5 secs. H'm seems like a flat spot.
Then at 8" of vacuum it hits 70 in 5.5 secs and maybe under
that it just can't be held at a steady vacuum.

So in this example if it had a 6.5 or even an 8.5 power valve, it would definately be worth trying a 10.5" Power valve. If the flat spot went away, that would be the proof.

It would be important to establish that the wide open throttle jetting is about correct before doing this experiment. And since you have a way to measure AFR, the WOT run will show if the AFR stays consistant. Once those are established, then work on PV opening point.


According to my AFR gauge, it goes really lean when I lean into the throttle in high gear, which causes the stumble. pump nozzle is a 40 with orange pump cam. I may see if a blue cam would help as well.
If the fuel is coming entirely through the main boosters, the accelerator pump should not need to cover. Accelerator pump is to cover the delay in the slow responding idle/transisition circuit. The faster the throttle is opened while the idle/transistion circuit is supplying fuel, the more pump shot is needed.
->To seperate whether the problem is pump or idle circuit, very slowly increase throttle. Any stumble, look at the idle circuit. Probably needs to be a little richer off idle; experiment with wires in air bleeds to see if that helps. No stumble, then work on pump shot amount or timing.
- > In general, the idle circuit's continue to contribute a significant amount of fuel while cruising at most street speeds. In my experience, main circuits don't fully take over until cruising at interstate speeds. This will of course vary with engine, gearing, carb size etc etc but most people, including me, have a hard time beleive the typical Holley 'idle circuit' is in play at speeds well above idle. Well, then I accidentally proved it to myself by running primary main jets one size too small. :LOL: Good learning experience.

I've had this issue with a holley before. Maybe it's just a street avenger thing. Good thing I've got a couple double pumpers to try out as well.
It does seem like some of the newer 4150 Holley's and clones have odd calibrations and problems compared to the older versions. That's one reason those guys created the racing fuel systems forum. Take a look at the Stickies in the Holley subforum as well as the number of threads on fixing 'avengers', declawing Demons and so forth. If I had summarize the areas that seem to need addressing it comes down to location of idle feed restriction, too much air in the emulsion tubes and transfer slots too big. All fixable as they show, but its a bit of work and requires patience and learning curve!

I've got timing set at 28 initial and 36 total. Seems to run well at that timing combo, other than the annoying stumble of course.
I trust if it starts and works, its probably close. Occassionally a little too much timing can cause something that seems like a stumble at part throttle. I just had that with my Jeep and I thought it was fuel. If you think thats a possibility, back it off a little to check.
 
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Thanks for the input. Now, I just need the rain to go away to give me some tuning time. I've read online about a ton of folks having the same lean stumble on their Street Avenger cards. Seems to be common that these things run really lean. I'll post up results when i get a chance to mess with it.
 
Thanks for the input. Now, I just need the rain to go away to give me some tuning time. I've read online about a ton of folks having the same lean stumble on their Street Avenger cards. Seems to be common that these things run really lean. I'll post up results when i get a chance to mess with it.

I'm running a 570 Street Avenger on my Ford 289, and I pin drilled the primary IFRs about .002 larger, and jetted up the primaries from 54 to 60! The secondaries were 65, and I jetted them down to 59. I used my Innovate wideband to help, but like many have said, it's only to justify the seat of your pants. Mine cruises just a bit fat on the freeway now (high 13s), but if I lean out the main jets even one step, I get a stumble. With the stock 54 primaries, my AFRs were in the mid-16s going down the freeway, and my 289 just won't tolerate that; it was surging pretty badly.

It might just be my opinion, but people talk a lot about accelerator pump tuning, but with my experience in Holleys lately, if you have a stumble from light to mid throttle, it's often in the idle or main circuit.
 
After some online digging, this off idle stumble seems to be a VERY common issue with these Street Avenger carbs. The fuel curver seems to be way lean right out of the box. Since the WOT AFR was lean on my 670, I opened the stock jets (65 and 68) three sizes to (68 and 71). I also popped the carb off to have a look at the transfer slots. From the factory, NONE of the secondary transfer slot was even close to showing, naturally, to compensate, the primary slot was pretty long. So I split the difference and put the carb back on. Once I got the idle speed back where I wanted it, with a 13-ish AFR, I took it out and the stumble was a lot less (with a 35 squirter and stock orange cam in the #2 hole. I know you're only supposed to make one change at a time, but I had a feeling the secondary idle speed was way off.

As of now, the larger jets made a big difference as did dialing in the idle AF and transfer slots. There's still a pretty good lean stumble just off idle (definitely better than before), but WOT AFR is 12-ish. Since my idle AFR and WOT AFR are decent, how should I richen the transition? Higher PV? taller accelerator pump cam? I've got everything I need to play with the tune except power valves. I'll need to order those.
 
Power valve with a higher number will open sooner, it should help. That's what fixed mine both times. 8.5 PV is probably a good one to get to start. They are only a couple bucks each anyway.
 
I've got a 8.5 PV on the way. I'm sure that'll probably help a little. I was able to get a hold of a Holley tech too. He said to try a pink or blue pump cam. Once the weather clears up, I'll give all these ideas a shot.
 
From my experience with mine, I still expect you'll find the IFRs too small. You can test your idle circuit by temporarily putting small wires in the idle air bleeds, which will richen your transition circuit. ***Make sure you secure the wire so it doesn't get sucked into the carb*** If it runs better, then you know you need a richer idle circuit.

If it's just off idle that you have your problem, a new power valve probably won't help, nor will a different pump cam (this is only from my experience: your results may vary). :)
 
My 570 ran awesome OOTB but the 670 ALWAYS had that stumble as soon as I hit the gas. The 570 runs 2X better than the 670 on a 360. I ended up sending it back to Holley to see what the problem was. Said the needle/seat was sticking and replaced those parts. I still have to bolt it back on and see if its fixed. They "flow" it to check them. I also use a wideband A/F and it wasn't much help trying to get that thing right.
 
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